Film: Great Celluloid Presidents

Here in the United States it is President's Day, which celebrates the merging of two President's birthdays into one day that is neither of their actual birthdays but which meets the goal of maximum productivity by minimizing excess holidays and placing them, whenever possible, on a Monday.

With that kind of patriotic ferver in mind I present a sampling of cinematic Presidents, with a real one mixed in just to keep us on our toes. Can you spot the real President? Good luck!

1) Henry Fonda as Abe Lincoln in Young Mr. Lincoln

One of Director John Ford's greatest films, and one of lead actor Henry Fonda's best performances. We are introduced to Lincoln in his pre-Presidential years (an origin story as the studio heads might say). Rather than stoic be-bearded stuffiness we get lanky, canny Matlock-y sharp country lawyer and yes, tragic lover. Here's a great scene in which he visits the grave of his early love.


2) Dan Hedaya as Richard Nixon in Dick

I'll take Hedaya over Anthony Hopkin's Nixon in a Tricky Dick-off anyday. In a lot less time than Oliver Stone devoted to one of our worst Presidents in his bloated opus Nixon, Hedaya captures the man's self-loathing and deep insecurity, not to mention his paranoia and vindictiveness. And it's a comedy!

3) Jimmy Carter as Jimmy Carter in Used Cars

Ah, the malaise years. The Carter presidency was marked by crises: gas, inflation, hostage, confidence. That deep well of cynicism was tapped by Robert Zemeckis' farce Used Cars. In the scene below, the guys at one used car lot mess with the owners of the other by hacking into a televised Presidential address with an ad set at their rival's lot. Part of what makes this hilarious is the use of a real speech by Carter to frame the ad.


4) John Travolta as Governer Jack Stanton in Primary Colors

For most of Mike Nichols' Primary Colors Jack Stanton is a governor running for his party's primary nomination. However the last scene in the film shows he and his first lady (a fantastic Emma Thompson as Hillary to his Bill) dancing at the inaguaral ball so this counts. Playing a character as flawed as the film he's in, you can't help loving him even as you flinch from some of his excesses and wonder where ambition meets expedience meets compassion. Yes, it's Bill Clinton in a nutshell:


5) Peter Sellers as President Merkin Muffley in Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove is one of the greatest cinematic satires ever and its President, played to perfection by Peter Sellers, is key to what makes Stanley Kubrick's cold war masterpiece work. President Muffley is a stickler for protocol and finding a reasonable solution to any problem. Clearly modeled after 50s Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson, Muffley's measured approach to the insanity around him begins to seem somewhat insane itself. The "straight" version of this same scenario came out later the same year as Fail-Safe and just compare Henry Fonda's compassionate performance as the President to what Sellar's does with essentially the same material. Here's an outstanding scene in which President Muffley calls the Russian Premier to explain the hideous mistake that is unfolding:

Politics: Guest Star-Studded Debate Turns Into The Love Vote

"...love, exciting and new..."

Let the WGA strike the Oscar's this year. We already got all the cutaway shots we need at last night's debate between Democratic Presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. CNN must have shown Rob Reiner five times -- so sorry about Bucket List getting snubbed by the Academy, Meathead! There was a loving shot of Remington Steele...er James Bond, and my personal fave was very fetching America Ferrara wearing the very latest in Hillary buttons.

The debate you ask? The candidates mostly stayed away from the rough stuff and at times looked so lovey dovey that I wanted to suggest they get a room. When it came down to the nitty-gritty, Hill was still stronger on substance with a very assured and detailed explanation of her health plan versus Obama's. He may have been less surefooted when it came to the policy wonkery but he brought the charm and most importantly the vision.

They both got their hits in on the immigrants being allowed to get driver's licenses issue (a red herring as its a state matter anyhow). Obama referenced Hillary's shaky answer on this initially and she was good enough to remind him gently but forcefully of his own problems with this topic earlier in the year. He sheepishly nodded his head. It was like watching an old married couple.

This was the kind of healing exchange of ideas the party needed at this juncture. Obama eloquently reached out to Edwards supporters, as did Hillary, and everyone seemed to leave the event with a warm glow -- except perhaps for Wolf Blitzer who was roundly booed for trying to bait Obama into an attack. Here's a clip -- check out 4:54 forward for the line of the night, delivered by Clinton, oh and Annie Hall:

Politics: Unnamed at Any Speed

No not you, Mike Bloomberg. I know you're not running -- two snaps up!

A Certain Person said yesterday that they would jump into the Presidential race if they could raise $10 million. My initial reaction was to tap out a furious post about the raging egomania of this Certain Person which led him to seriously proclaim that there was no difference between Bush and Gore in 2000 and who duped enough voters into pulling the lever for him to throw a close election to the Supreme Court. Despite the fact that he was monstruosly wrong, he proceeded to run again, to diminishing returns.

Now, obeying his reflection in the mirror, he apparently feels its time to don the mantle once again. His excuse? Kucinich dropped out. What this Certain Person doesn't get is that Kucinich has had a fair shot, particularly in the early goings. Yes he eventually got asked to not show up to debates but that is because his numbers were abysmal (not an excuse I agree with). Be that as it may, the system worked -- voters aren't that interested.

I've decided not to give this Certain Person what it is that they so desperatly crave -- attention. I will not utter their name, nor with any luck will I have to make reference to them again. I do implore all of you out there in Blogsylvania -- do not name him, do not give him the publicity he seeks.

Politics: History is Made -- Edwards Drops Out -- Historic Party Nominee Inevitable

John Edwards is ending his quest for the Presidency, throwing a major monkey wrench into Clinton and Obama's Super Duper Tuesday strategies and ensuring that a major party nominee will for the first time in American history, be either a woman or a black man.

Though Edwards is endorsing no-one for the time being, the timing of this move serves as a boost to Obama. To wit:

1) Hillary's last minute "victory" celebration in Florida last night, a state that was stripped of delegates and in which all of the candidates pledged to refrain from campaigning was meant to capture media time and shift some of the mo' back her way after Obama's rout in South Carolina.
Edwards last hurrah is sucking up that oxygen.

2) The ABC (anyone but Clinton) vote now has only one serious conduit, and the states where Edwards might have been strongest in on Tuesday are states that Obama runs well in.

Mussolini-esque Snowbird Republican Rudy Giuliani also has decided to cut short his sojourn in Florida, having bet everything there and lost spectacularly. Oh Rudy, us New Yorkers could have told you: The more time someone spends with you, whether it be the voters, your ex-wives, or police and firefighters, the more they come to realize you are a major league a-hole.

Books: Margaret Truman Daniels, Author, Singer and Presidential Daughter, Dead at 83

Margaret Truman, the only child of President Harry S Truman, died today. She was best known for her mystery novels set in Washington D.C. such as Murder in The White House. To an earlier generation it was her singing career that made her infamous and put her father in the headlines. From the New York Times obit by Lawrenece Van Gelder:

Paul Hume, the music critic of The Washington Post, while praising her personality, said that “she cannot sing very well,” added that “she is flat a good deal of the time” and concluded that she had no “professional finish.”
Incensed, President Truman dispatched a combative note to Mr. Hume, who released it to the press.. It said, in part, “I have just read your lousy review . . . I have never met you, but if I do, you’ll need a new nose.”
In the ensuing uproar, reporters pressed Mrs. Daniel for her reaction to her father’s letter. “I’m glad to see that chivalry is not dead,” she told them.
In “Harry S. Truman,” she wrote: “Dad discussed the letter with his aides and was annoyed to find that they all thought it was a mistake. They felt that it damaged his image as president and would only add to his political difficulties. ‘Wait till the mail comes in,’ Dad said. ‘I’ll make you a bet that 80 percent of it is on my side of the argument.’
“A week later, after a staff meeting, Dad ordered everybody to follow him, and they marched to the mail room. The clerks had stacked up thousands of ‘Hume’ letters received in piles and made up a chart showing the percentages for and against the President. Slightly over 80 percent favored Dad’s defense of me. Most of the letter writers were mothers who said they understood exactly how Dad felt and would have expected their husbands to defend their daughters the same way. ‘The trouble with you guys is,’ Dad said to the staff as he strode back to work, ‘you just don’t understand human nature.’ ”

It's interesting to reflect on this incident in light of the criticism President Clinton is facing currently while stumping for his wife on the campaign trail.