Ted Turner awarded Walk of Fame star
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Media mogul Ted Turner was awarded a star Wednesday on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
"Well, I'm almost at a loss for words," the "Mouth of the South" told a crowd of family, friends, co-workers and movie stars who had assembled on the sidewalk for the unveiling. "I didn't get here for my acting ability, even though I had a cameo appearance in both "Gettysburg" and "Gods and Generals."
After a perfunctory nod to his love for show business, Turner -- who founded CNN -- then veered into his unhappiness with his current role at Time Warner, formerly AOL Time Warner, the news network's parent company.
"You know, I've kind of been squeezed out of Time Warner -- out of management role over the last years. I don't know why they did it. I think I was still performing pretty well. We were making our budgets. We made them billions. They threw it away with AOL, but that wasn't completely my fault," he said.
Turner, 65, then declared the star "a great honor," thanked the crowd, and added, looking skyward, "Thank you, mom and dad."
More than 2,100 of the stars have been awarded by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce since 1960 in five categories: movie stars & directors; the television industry; singers, songwriters, and recording artists; radio stars; stage performers.
Film star Ann Rutherford, 83, applauded Turner Classic Movies, which has run uncut versions of old-time movies since it was founded in 1994.
"We of the '30's and '40's and '50's owe such a tremendous debt to Ted Turner," said the actress who played Polly Benedict in the Andy Hardy films of the 1930s and 1940s. "There are so many actors and actresses who, when they stopped being popular, they sort of faded into the sunset and we never thought about them again until Ted Turner came around and ran MGM [films] and others without breaking for a commercial, without making those surgical cuts that idiots make.
"I know they have to sell something, but he's managed to make it pay without destroying the originals and he has given a new life to so many people who suddenly were getting fan mail again and suddenly were invited to movie festivals."
She added, "I am deeply indebted to Ted Turner for making my golden years platinum."
Also in attendance was Shirley Fonda, the widow of actor Henry Fonda.
Not in attendance was Henry Fonda's daughter, Jane Fonda, who is Turner's former wife.
TCM host and anchor Robert Osborne applauded Turner as "a real hero" for his work ensuring that films are preserved.
