NOW Hails Studio Decision to Shelve Film Starring Clay

The National Organization for Women is praising a movie studio’s decision to shelve a comedy concert film starring the foulmouthed comedian Andrew Dice Clay.

The untitled concert film was listed as an Aug. 31 release from 20th Century Fox. The studio announced this week that it will not open the film next month, saying the release could jeopardize Clay’s career as a dramatic film actor.

“We’ve had a tremendous victory,” the Los Angeles chapter of NOW said on its hot line Tuesday. The organization, which has picketed theaters showing Clay’s film “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” said, “We don’t think rape and violence against women and incest is funny.”

Clay’s stand-up act includes graphic descriptions of submissive women, incest and oral sex. Some critics have called him misogynist, racist and homophobic; Clay has been banned by MTV: Music Television and was boycotted by two female performers on “Saturday Night Live.”