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.

Table of Contents


Preface     

Introduction     


1. George Washington (1789-1797)     

2. John Adams (1797-1801)     

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)     

4. James Madison (1809-1817)     

5. James Monroe (1817-1825)     

6. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)     

7. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)     

8. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)     

9. William Henry Harrison (1841)     

10. John Tyler (1841-1845)     

11. James K. Polk (1845-1849)     

12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)     

13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)     

14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)     

15. James Buchanan (1857-1861)     

16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)     

17. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)     

18. Ulysses Simpson Grant (1869-1877)     

19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)     

20. James A. Garfield (1881)     

21. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)     

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

23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)     

25. William McKinley (1897-1901)     

26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)     

27. William Howard Taft (1909-1913)     

28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)     

29. Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921-1923)     

30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)     

31. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)     

32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)     

33. Harry S Truman (1945-1953)     

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)     

35. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1963)     

36. Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1969)     

37. Richard Milhous Nixon (1969-1974)     

38. Gerald Ford (1974-1977)     

39. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)     

40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)     

41. George Herbert Walker Bush (1989-1993)     

42. Bill Clinton (1993-2001)     

43. George W. Bush (2001-2009)     


Chapter Notes     

Bibliography     

Index     

Sarah Miles Bolam has worked in journalism and taught for the State University of New York system. She divides her time between New York and Texas.