The Presidents on Film

America’s executive office and its occupant have found their way into numerous films—more than 400 since 1903. Ranging from respectful biographical presentations to caricatures, the presentations of presidents on film reflect contemporary perceptions of the office.
This is an all-inclusive survey of commercial theatrical films that depict an actual American president as a character. An analysis of these depictions reveals a great deal about the presidents—and the filmmakers. The main body of the work provides a brief summary of each administration along with a commentary on the overall nature of films in which the featured president appeared. Each relevant film is then discussed with the credits, plot summary, description of the presidential appearance and, when possible, an assessment of the presidential portrayal included.

Sarah Miles Bolam has worked in journalism and taught for the State University of New York system.
Thomas J. Bolam is a retired executive who spent most of his career in the Far East. They divide their time between New York and Texas.

Sarah Miles Bolam and Thomas J. Bolam
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 398
Bibliographic Info: 88 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [2007]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6415-9
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

Introduction      3

1. George Washington (1789–1797)      11

2. John Adams (1797–1801)      38

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)      45

4. James Madison (1809–1817)      58

5. James Monroe (1817–1825)      61

6. John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)      66

7. Andrew Jackson (1829–1837)      70

8. Martin Van Buren (1837–1841)      84

9. William Henry Harrison (1841)      87

10. John Tyler (1841–1845)      90

11. James K. Polk (1845–1849)      91

12. Zachary Taylor (1849–1850)      94

13. Millard Fillmore (1850–1853)      99

14. Franklin Pierce (1853–1857)      100

15. James Buchanan (1857–1861)      103

16. Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)      104

17. Andrew Johnson (1865–1869)      168

18. Ulysses Simpson Grant (1869–1877)      172

19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)      195

20. James A. Garfield (1881)      198

21. Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885)      202

22. and 24. Grover Cleveland (1885–1889 & 1893–1897)      205

23. Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)      208

25. William McKinley (1897–1901)      211

26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)      216

27. William Howard Taft (1909–1913)      238

28. Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)      240

29. Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921–1923)      251

30. Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)      253

31. Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)      256

32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)      258

33. Harry S Truman (1945–1953)      275

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)      286

35. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961–1963)      296

36. Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963–1969)      311

37. Richard Milhous Nixon (1969–1974)      315

38. Gerald Ford (1974–1977)      331

39. Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)      334

40. Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)      338

41. George Herbert Walker Bush (1989–1993)      346

42. Bill Clinton (1993–2001)      351

43. George W. Bush (2001–2009)      361

Chapter Notes      365

Bibliography      369

Index      377

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