With the last episode of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” airing March 26, people curious about the real-life version of their story-book romance – and tragic deaths – are turning to news reports and to the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.
Because of that increased interest, the museum will extend an exhibit about JFK Jr.’s life through the summer, said the museum’s Executive Director Wendy Northcross.
“We are (seeing increased interest) and we’re expecting even more this summer as we come into our high season. It’s incredible. We have a four-minute video of John Jr. in the lobby. People stand there and watch it even if they are not coming inside the museum.
“It didn’t hurt that he was a good-looking guy and married a beautiful woman,” she said.
The exhibit was first displayed on the 25th anniversary of the 1999 plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard that killed JFK Jr., 38, his wife of three years, Carolyn Bessette, 33, and her sister, Lauren, 34.
Hyannis museum extends exhibit on JFK Jr.’s life
The exhibit covers all of JFK Jr.’s life ― not just the years of his marriage and death, which are the focus of “Love Story.” One iconic memento at the museum is a life-sized bronze sculpture by Richard Amadeo of John Jr. on his third birthday, saluting his father’s coffin.
A print of United Press International photographer Stan Stearns’ iconic 1963 photo hangs nearby.
“It’s backlit by the door. It’s kind of cool because he (JFK Jr.) lifts his arm up and it pulls his coat a certain way, creating folds in the fabric that are also in the bronze sculpture,” Northcross said.
The exhibit also contains the official wedding photo shown around the world of JFK Jr. kissing the hand of his elegant bride.
The photo was shot by Denis Reggie, brother of Victoria Reggie who was second wife to JFK Jr.’s uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. “He (Denis Reggie) was extended family and was reportedly the only photographer allowed at the wedding,” Northcross said.
There are many photos of JFK Jr. at the family’s Hyannisport compound and sailing in local waters. Northcross said JFK Jr. and other family members visited regularly at the museum, named for President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated.
“We would open the museum a lot after hours for members of the family. He would come in and look at pictures of his family,” Northcross said.
Series fuels interest in true story of Kennedy-Bessette tragedy
Since the limited series that airs Thursdays on FX began Feb. 12, the Cape Cod Times has seen thousands of people reading Times’ news accounts of the July 16, 1999 plane crash.
Of particular interest has been Heather McCarron’s reporting on the 25th anniversary of the accident. In “The deaths that broke Cape Cod’s heart,” she explores the emotional impact of the crash. In a separate story, she reiterates what National Transportation Safety Board inspectors said about the cause of the crash.
In the days following the loss of the six-seat, single-engine Piper Saratoga, which Kennedy was piloting off Martha’s Vineyard, members of the national media flocked to Hyannisport and the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum took on the role of communications center.
“The press were here for days and our museum got just inundated because there was no news while they were searching for the plane. It (the interest) was global. We were taking calls in the middle of the night,” said Northcross, who then worked at the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and was called in along with other chamber staffers to help with the deluge.
The wedding of Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey that Kennedy and Bessette had planned on attending was cancelled as the search continued for the downed plane.
JFK Jr.’s last interview was about family
Katie Couric, then co-host of NBC News’ “Today” show, was one of the journalists who gathered in front of the Kennedy compound that sunny morning in 1999. Noting the popularity of Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story” series, Couric posted on Facebook a clip of JFK Jr. in a May 1999 interview, which she described as the last before his death.
In the interview, Kennedy talked about how his mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, always tried to raise him and his sister, Caroline, as normal children, out of the limelight.
But it seems, Northcross said, that every time any Kennedy is in the news, it renews the world’s fascination with the family. There was a surge of interest late last year when Caroline’s daughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, died of cancer at age 35. Now, “Love Story” has prompted Google searches on Caroline’s brother and his wife.
“John Jr. didn’t decide to become famous ― he didn’t run for office ― he was born famous. He was just a nice guy born into this family. There’s still that fascination; people still want details,” Northcross said. “It just shows the enduring quality of the family’s legacy.”
If you want to catch up on the first eight episodes, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” is streaming on eight platforms: Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Sling TV, YouTube and YouTube TV, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV.
Read about the Kennedy family and their longtime summer residences at Hyannisport – plus see family photos over the years – in the archives at capecodtimes.com.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.capecodtimes.com ’
