BY JIM KNIPPENBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bob the orangutan will be sprawled out Sunday afternoon in front of his TV at the Cincinnati Zoo watching (what else?) Planet of the Apes.
Bob has everything he needs: a cable-ready, stereo TV with a 27-inch screen; his own satellite dish, an afternoon blocked out for viewing. And zoo visitors are invited to join him.
Bob is one of 19 apes in U.S. zoos that will tune in as part of American Movie Classics' celebration of the movie's 30th anniversary. AMC is also promoting September as Adopt an Ape Month.
The cable channel adopted apes (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees) at 50 zoos. It donated TVs and satellite dishes to 29 of the zoos and sent a check to 21 others.
Of the 29 with TVs, 19 will have viewing parties for their apes and the public. The others will hold viewing parties for humans only, said Tricia Molloy of Great!, the firm coordinating the promotion.
"Some zoos have rules against having their animals act in a human way. That's why whether or not they let them watch was never a condition of adoption," said Ms. Molloy.
The Bronx Zoo, for example, will show the film for human visitors only. "Our animals are kept as wild as possible," said spokeswoman Mary Record. "We have a successful breeding program and hope someday to introduce offspring into the wild. We don't feel watching TV would help them in the wild."
At the Cincinnati Zoo, TV viewing is seen as enriching, said Donna Oehler, marketing director. Most of the great apes have TVs in their bedrooms, she said.
"They watch almost every day when we bring them in for the night. They especially like comedies."
When AMC shot promotional footage to air during breaks in its Sunday and Monday Planet marathon, "Bob sat there rapt," she said.
After Sunday's party, the TV will be mounted in Bob's bedroom.
