Producers behind the upcoming film focussing on Ted Kennedy and the Chappaquiddick incident purchased ad space to play during and just before CNN’s upcoming miniseries “American Dynasties: The Kennedy,” sources familiar with the film’s promotion strategy told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
WATCH — EXCLUSIVE TRAILER:
Entitled “The Truth,” the movie trailer will play on CNN Sunday before the premiere of “American Dynasties,” with other ads playing during commercial breaks throughout the series in the coming weeks.
The 62-second commercial features various distraught members as they react to the fatal 1969 car crash, before ending with the hashtag #THISREALLYHAPPENED.
“Chappaquiddick” is said to present a critical look into Ted Kennedy’s behavior around the evening that ended with the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy did not report the accident until 10 hours later, with Kopechne drowning inside the car.
The film also implies that Kennedy’s accident was a result of drunk driving and not a blameless tragedy. Kennedy was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and received a two-month suspended jail sentence.
Meanwhile, the CNN series is meant to present a more intimate look into President John F. Kennedy’s White House and the former first family.
Promotional material for the series includes pleasant footage of the Kennedy children enjoying “picnics on the south lawn where they had a tree house and swing set.”
While the series’ official website does make a reference to the former president’s litany of health problems, it does not seem to investigate his suspected drug addiction or his, in the words of the late Christopher Hitchens, “sexual debauchery.”
The contrast between the two works could certainly encourage a re-evaluation — particularly in the era of #MeToo — of the Kennedys’ legacies in American politics.
Despite the controversies that have haunted one of America’s most powerful families over the half century, they still seem as committed as ever to politics. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of President Kennedy’s brother Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, gave the Democratic Party’s official response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in January.
Chappaquiddick will be released nationwide April 6.
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