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Jane Fonda Opens Festival, Warns Merger Threatens Redford Legacy

5/2/2026

28 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Fonda Opens Festival

Jane Fonda opened the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood on April 30, honoring Robert Redford.
She denounced the pending Paramount/Warner Bros. merger as a threat to Redford’s legacy of diversity.
Fonda recalled meeting Redford on The Chase (1966) while both were married, noting his remark about affairs.
She praised Redford for founding Sundance in the early 1980s and personally funding it to support independent cinema.

Summary

Streisand Honors Redford

Barbra Streisand sang a song from her 1973 film The Way We Were at the Oscars’ In Memoriam tribute to Robert Redford, calling him a subtle actor.
Jane Fonda said her “should have performed the tribute” comment was a joke, not a serious claim.
Ban Mankiewicz hosted a TCM Classic Film Festival panel where Fonda discussed her work with Redford and joked about a crush and affair.

Summary

Fonda Criticizes Redford

Actress Jane Fonda said actor Robert Redford’s chronic lateness turned the planned two-month shoot of The Electric Horseman (1978) into a six-month production.
She noted his habit of arriving two to three hours late persisted for decades, delaying later projects and angering her when he was two hours late on Our Souls At Night (2017).
The TCM Classic Film Festival, where she honored Redford, runs through Sunday, May 3, 2026.

History

Historical Context

After Viacom paid $9.75 billion for Paramount Communications in February 1994, the studio expanded its reach and, alongside Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute (founded 1981 with a $1 million seed grant, $30 million budget by 2020), helped nurture independent film. Jane Fonda now warns that a proposed 2026 Paramount–Warner Bros. merger could undo that legacy for future generations.

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Fonda Opens Festival

Jane Fonda opened the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood on April 30, honoring Robert Redford.
She denounced the pending Paramount/Warner Bros. merger as a threat to Redford’s legacy of diversity.
Fonda recalled meeting Redford on The Chase (1966) while both were married, noting his remark about affairs.
She praised Redford for founding Sundance in the early 1980s and personally funding it to support independent cinema.

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