Ronald Reagan -- Star of the Month on TCM

TCM.com ^ | Unknown

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Asked by Bob Hope what it felt like to be president, Ronald Reagan replied, "it's not a lot different than being an actor, except I get to write the script." The leading man in that script was similar to many of the screen roles Reagan played during his Hollywood career - decent, optimistic, a bit of a square, a believer in God, family and country. As a recent book of the diaries Reagan kept as president shows, he was ever mindful of the Production Code, avoiding swear words, and writing "hell" as "h__l" and "damn" as "d___".

Born in 1911 to working class parents in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Wilson Reagan had a typical Middle American childhood and youth, working as a lifeguard and playing football. As a student at Eureka College, he developed interests in both politics and acting, becoming a leader in a student strike against the school administration's plans for cutbacks, and joining the dramatic society. After graduation, he landed a job as a radio sportscaster in Des Moines, Iowa.

During a trip to California to report on the Chicago Cubs spring training in 1937, Reagan was introduced to an agent, who got him a screen test at Warner Bros. His film career took off with unheard-of ease and speed. The studio immediately signed him to a seven-year contract, and just as quickly cast him as the lead in a B film, Love Is on the Air (1937). The role was not much of a stretch - he played a crime-solving radio announcer - and the trade papers called the newcomer "likeable," and "pleasing."

[rightwingintelligentsia]

I'm not a promoter of TCM, but just a heads-up that they are featuring Ronald Reagan films during the month of March.

Tonight (March 4) they are showing the following:

Secret Service of the Air (1939)

Code of the Secret Service (1939)

Smashing the Money Ring (1939)

[NavyCanDo]

TCM has featured Ronald Reagan before on several occasions. They are choosing tonight to show some rare ones that I haven’t seen on TCM before.

[Bluegrass Conservative]

As a recent book of the diaries Reagan kept as president shows, he was ever mindful of the Production Code, avoiding swear words, and writing "hell" as "h__l" and "damn" as "d___".

Thank goodness they got rid of that s__t.

[Niteranger68]

In times like this, when our collective patriotic spirit is in the tank, I recommend the following:

Reagan In His Own Voice - by Ronald Reagan
(Audio Book)
5 CD’s
6+ Hours

I got it for Christmas and have listened to it 3 times already. Good stuff!