Pat Boone has some serious concerns about the state of morality in America.
The singer and actor, who is celebrating his 70th year in show business, was one of the most famous teen idols of the 1950s and ‘60s. Known for his squeaky-clean image and devout Christian faith, Boone sold millions of records, starred in a string of family-friendly hit movies and helped pioneer the rock ’n' roll movement. He continues to act in films, serve as spokesperson for numerous brands and recently released a new single, "Grits."
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Boone, 88, decried what he perceives as the deterioration of values in the country.
"We're going down the tubes morally in every way," the legendary performer said.
"In the films and on the internet, the stuff that kids can see now. Kids are being corrupted. Because whether their parents forbid them to see it on TV, their friends' parents don't. And so they're seeing things they shouldn't be exposed to.
"They're being taught now in class that if they feel like they're the wrong gender, maybe they can change over if they want and without even telling their parents," Boone added. "And the changing of American history."
Boone criticized the entertainment industry for making and celebrating "immoral" films, television shows and music.
"The movies, I don't know how they get these films made," Boone said. "Who puts up the money up for these films that are the most degrading?
"It's all spooks and zombies and extraterrestrials and vampires and scaring the pants off everybody and scaring the souls in people. And it's a steady diet of the worst. And the songs that are all about infidelity and getting drunk and drinking your troubles away. And that's been true in country music for a long time. There are attacks on our morality coming from every direction. And the thing is, some of the worst immoral things get the biggest rewards and awards."
Boone expressed his view that some of the content produced by Hollywood glorifies and normalizes criminal behavior, damaging the image of America worldwide.
"The American movie business used to be our greatest export to the world," he said. "It used to tell people that America's a great place, and the stories all have happy endings and the bad guys get punished. And the good guys win.
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"And then along came TV shows like ‘Dallas’ and many other shows where the people who were really living criminal lives, you wanted to root for them. You wanted them to win. And even big pop stars play criminals. And somehow, in some of those films, the criminals, you hate to see them get killed because you've gotten to sort of identify with them."
The singer referenced Adam Sandler, who received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center last month. While Boone said he "loved" Sandler, he wasn't a fan of the comedian's 2019 film "Uncut Gems."
In the crime thriller, Sandler played a jeweler and gambling addict who makes an escalating series of bad decisions that threaten to destroy his family and his life. The film also starred Boston Celtics player Kevin Garnett.
Boone told Fox News Digital he is trying to do his part to bring back wholesome and positive entertainment. He revealed he is trying to produce a Broadway musical based on the life of Walt Disney.
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"The music is already written, and it's already been presented on the UCLA campus as a full production and in Arizona," he said. "Walt Disney was the Rocky of entertainment. He had failures, he was bankrupted and yet he kept coming. We're hoping to get a fabulous musical on the life and the accomplishments of Walt Disney with all the music and clips from the movies that he made back when his brother Roy Disney was saying, 'You can't afford this, Walt.'
"[And Walt said,] 'We got to do it.' I'm not going to tell you how it ends, but it's a phenomenal faith-building, family-friendly, joyous film.
"And that's what I like about ‘Grits,’" he said. "It's a fun thing. It's a happy thing. It's a healthy thing. And we need more of that from the entertainment business across the board."
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Now into his seventh decade as a performer, Boone told Fox News Digital he has no plans to slow down. He hosts a weekly SiriusXM radio show, "The Pat Boone Hour," and is touring to promote his 28th book, "IF-The Eternal Choice We All Must Make."
Boone said he was also excited to return to his country roots with the release of "Grits." The single marked a collaboration with a number of country stars, including Deborah Allen, The Gatlin Brothers, Dean Miller, Lorrie Morgan and Ray Stevens.
"We got one video made, and we're making another video. And we're going to incorporate line dancing and some scenes from ‘Hee-Haw’ because you know this record business has gotten so serious, and I think corrupted," he said.
"You can't tell what's rock ‘n’ roll and what's country. It's all becoming country rock with sometimes themes that are really not family entertainment, and many of them sordid or broken love and cheating and drinking and, you know, set up another beer. What happened to the fun songs in country music? Fun songs that the family can enjoy? And whenever I asked any of these artists to take part in it, they jumped on it.
"But we've made the record and now been making the videos, and we're on Spotify already. And I think the thing is going to take off and be a big country hit."
