When The President Is Just “The President”

As Election Day is coming up soon, let’s take a look back at Presidents in the movies. Specifically how in many films fictional Commander in Chiefs aren’t given names, they’re simply “The President.” Sometimes it makes sense as the President is a minor character who doesn’t need to be identified further. Other times, the leader of the free world gets enough screen time that it seems that the writers should’ve named the character. So let’s take a look at some significant examples of both kinds in this handy listicle:

Henry Fonda 

This legendary actor is a good one to start with as apparently he was seen as Presidential early in his career with his role in John Ford’s YOUNG MR. LINCOLN in 1939. Fonda also portrayed a Presidential candidate in Franklin J. Schaffner’s THE BEST MAN (1964), but it was the two times he played “The President” in Sidney Lumet’s FAIL SAFE (also 1964), and Ronald Neame’s METEOR (1979) that put him on top here. It would be wrong to think he’s playing the same President in both films as one is a critically acclaimed cold war thriller, and other is poorly rated schlocky disaster flick, but it’s still tempting. Incidentally Richard Dreyfus played the role in the 2000 TV movie version of FAIL SAFE, and he didn’t have a name either.

Bruce Greenwood 

The distinguished Greenwood played President John F. Kennedy in Roger Donaldson’s 2000 historical thriller THIRTEEN DAYS, and it looks like that groomed him to portray “The President” in Jon Turteltaub’s NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007), and “President of the United States” (that’s how he’s credited) in KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017).

Stanley Anderson 

Both of Michael Bay’s bloated ‘90s action thrillers, THE ROCK (1996), and ARMAGEDDON (1998) featured character actor Stanley Anderson as “The President,” which makes an argument for both movies being set in the same world. Can’t say that really matters though, as I doubt I’ll revisit them anytime soon to see if there are other clues as to whether this is true.

E.G. Marshall 

This Presidential part in Richard Lester (and Richard Donner’s) SUPERMAN II (1981) is too substantial to not be named. Marshall, sporting a toupée so obvious that he was depicted with a price tag hanging from his hair in the Mad Magazine satire of the movie, has a considerable amount of screen-time, so what’s the deal with not giving him a name? In the fourth installment of the series, SUPERMAN IV (1987), Robert Beatty performed the duty of “The President” as well, so it seems that the makers of the Superman series just aren’t into naming Presidents.

Tim Robbins 

Robbins is included here because his brief scenes in Jay Roach’s AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (1999) makes a good case for why “The President” doesn’t always need a name. His character is Commander in Chief in the late ‘60s in the movie’s universe, and is there to negotiate with Michael Myer’s Dr. Evil over what amount of money would stop the villain from destroying all of America’s major cities. Dr. Evil asks for “one hundred billion dollars,” an amount that Robbins’ President tells him “doesn’t exist” in 1969. “That’s like saying ‘I want a kajillion bajillion dollars.” You see, people are going to be more likely to remember this wacky dialogue than they are whether the President has a name.

Ronny Cox 

Possibly best known for his roles in ROBOCOP, TOTAL RECALL, and BEVERLY HILLS COP I & II, Cox has played the president four times, but in three of them – CAPTAIN AMERICA, MURDER AT 1600, and NADIA’S PROMISE – he had names. So maybe it’s fitting that in MARTIANS GO HOME, a crappy 1989 sci-fi comedy starring Randy Quaid, he was just “The President.” I mean, why in such a dumbass project as that would any effort be needed to give the guy a name?

Jonathan Pryce 

In G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA (2009), and its sequel, G.I.JOE: RETALLIATION, Welsh born thespian Jonathan Pryce portrayed “The President,” I don’t have anything to say here as I haven’t seen these films, and didn’t know he was in them. Just seems like if they bring the character back for a second go around, a name would’ve been nice to add. Probably wouldn’t matter much to the movies though.

Gregory Peck 

It was surprising for me to learn that this ace actor only played “The President” (credited here as just “President”) once and it was in such a minor movie, Mike Newell’s AMAZING GRACE AND CHUCK (1987). Peck’s immense gravitas has graced many roles as authority and historical figures, and even narrated a 1964 documentary on JFK (JOHN F. KENNEDY: YEARS OF LIGHTNING, DAYS OF DRUMS) so it would seem he’d be visiting the Oval Office multiple times. Alas it was not to be.

Eddie Albert 

Another guy who could’ve taken on the part more than once, Albert had a memorable turn as “The President” in Joseph Ruben’s largely forgotten 1984 sci-fi horror flick DREAMSCAPE (wait, is it forgotten? I forgot it at least).

Billy Bob Thornton 

He may be the least Presidential actor here, but as “The President” in Richard Curtis’ 2003 rom Com LOVE ACTUALLY, Thornton cleans up real good. The Commander in Chief here is a creepy combination of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, something that the Arkansas born actor shows he can pull off effortlessly. Still, this is a character that just begs to have a name. I’m going to make one up – Maximillian Travis. How’s that?

Other actors who’ve been through a movie as a President with no name: Forrest J. Ackerman, Alan Alda, Michael Belson, James Caan, Roger Cross, Robert Culp, Jim Curley, William Devane, Sam Douglas, Tom Everett, Roy Gordon, Jimmy Hayward, Charles Macauley, Christopher McDonald, Zero Mostel, Michael Pate, Gordon Pinsent, William Prince, Chris Shields, John Wesley Shipp, Josef Sommer, Rod Steiger, Lewis Stone, Franchot Tone, Ivan Volkman, Sandy McCallum

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A Couple Of New Release DVDs: SECRET WINDOW, BAD SANTA, & 50 FIRST DATES

Now out on DVD:

SECRET WINDOW
(Dir. David Koepp, 2004)

Johnny Depp plays a tortured suspense novelist named Mort Rainey (credit there for having a protagonist named Mort) accused of plagiarism in this adaptation of a Stephen King short story. 

A strange hillbilly character (John Turturro) shows up at Depp's door claiming that Mort stole his story and threatens Mort's and his love one's lives if he doesn't change the ending and give him proper credit. Mort (sorry I just love typing that name) is tortured because his wife of 10 years (Maria Bello) left him for a straight laced never smiling Timothy Hutton who himself played a tortured writer in King's THE DARK HALF but I digress.

So Mort's dog is found dead and he goes to the local police who of course are ineffective and he wanders around his cabin in the woods overreacting and over-acting to every startling sound. I'm not going to give anything away but the resolution of this is so contrived and ridiculous that it brought back memories of IDENTITY or as I like to call it, A NIGHT AT THE RED HERRING MOTEL.

It's getting harder and harder to accept movie premises in which any given character may be a figment of someone's imagination and that certain incidents may never have occured at all. "The ending is the most important part" Mort says at one point and he's he right - it surely was important to me when this piece of derivative doggerel was going to end.

Special Features: Commentary by Director Koepp, trailers, deleted scenes, a few featurettes, and storyboards.

BAD SANTA
(Dir. Terry Zwigoff, 2003)

Director Zwigoff and star Billy Bob Thornton are slumming it here, but, oh, what a glorious slum it is. 

Thornton plays a boozing foul-mouthed department store Santa who with his little person partner in crime (Tony Cox) have a consistent seasonal scam going in which they break into the safes of the stores that employ them. When Thornton befriends a chubby brain-dead rich kid (Brett Kelly out credited as "The Kid") who believes he's the real Kris Kringle, our perpetually pissed-off title character finds that his heart grows a half a size bigger.

John Ritter, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, and an un-credited Cloris Leachman provide ample comic support, in this funny film that shows that Twigoff's  first foray into more commercial territory has just as much edge as his earlier artsier efforts (CRUMB, GHOST WORLD). No doubt the Coen brothers, who executive produced and reportedly did some script doctoring, helped with that transition.

BAD SANTA is good crude stuff that brings to mind other enjoyable lowbrow fare like SHAKES THE CLOWN and RUTHLESS PEOPLE. It's a future cult movie if there ever was one.

The bonus material on the DVD is basic but welcome: a behind-the-scenes feature, deleted & alternate scenes, and outtakes. An "Unrated Edition" is also available.

50 FIRST DATES
(Dir. Peter Segel, 2003)

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore try to work their WEDDING SINGER-style magic in this tropical romantic comedy about a guy having to re-win the heart of his love every day as her memory is erased every night while she sleeps. It's a convoluted premise with very little imagination and the usual cheap humor (sloppy scatalogical gags, strained physical antics, Rob Schneider, etc.) found in a Sandler flick. It does have some genuine heart to it so there are people who may like it but to most film buff folks it will be erased from memory while they sleep.

Special features: Gag reel, deleted scenes, "Making of" featurette, music videos, and Talkin' Pidgin featurette (whatever that is).

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