The Celluloid President Podcast
1) Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in "Seven Days in May"
Jim and Gary discuss whether a military coup was possible in the early 1960s, as Hollywood seemed to think. "Seven Days in May" is a political thriller that JFK wanted to see made because he was worri...Show More
2) Mel Gibson is "The Patriot"
Gary and Jim discuss the 2000 Mel Gibson film "The Patriot," which depicts the brutal war between the patriots and the British during the War of Independence. They agree that George Washington is a gr...Show More
3) Hugh Jackman, as Gary Hart, is "The Front Runner"
In 1988, Senator Gary Hart was the front runner to be the next President of the United States until he went for a three-hour cruise on the pleasure craft "Monkey Business." Hugh Jackman plays Hart in...Show More
4) Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton"
In addition to being a massive hit, "Hamilton" also provides insight into three U.S. Presidents. But more important as we approach July 4, what does the musical say about America and is it still relev...Show More
5) Otto Preminger's "Advise and Consent"
Jim and Gary discuss the 1962 adaptation of "Advise and Consent," possibly the most popular American political novel of all time, which was turned into movie by the director Otto Preminger. They muse ...Show More
6) Daryl F. Zanuck's "Wilson"
In 1944, Daryl F. Zanuck, the head of Twentieth Century Fox, produced a movie about his political hero Woodrow Wilson. Despite being nominated for ten Academy Awards and the winner of five, the film i...Show More
7) Donald Trump as "The Apprentice"
"The Apprentice" purports to tell Donald Trump's origin story, back when the notorious Roy Cohn took him under his wing and showed him how to win at any cost. Jim and Gary take the movie on its own t...Show More
8) A Complete Unknown -- The Bob Dylan Origin Story
Jim and Gary discuss "A Complete Unknown," the Oscar-nominated biopic of Bob Dylan, which explores the cultural and social politics of the early 1960s. And, yes, there is a reference or two to the US ...Show More
9) John Ford's "Young Mr. Lincoln"
As they look forward to Lincoln's Birthday, Gary and Jim discuss John Ford's "Young Mr. Lincoln," the 1939 classic tale of Abe Lincoln as a young aspiring lawyer in Springfield, Illinois. Henry Fonda ...Show More
10) Dave
Gary and Jim discuss the 1993 political comedy "Dave," in which a Presidential lookalike assumes the powers of the Chief Executive when the real President has a stroke. And what do you know, the impos...Show More