The Little White House newsletter, 2016 Summer

The Little White House NEWSLETTER

Roosevelt's Little White House - 706-655-5870 - 401 Little White House Rd. - Warm Springs, Ga. 31830

Summer Quarter 2016

FDR in Books, Movies, and Television In the past century, it is safe to say that no other president has been more scrutinized, written about, and argued over than Franklin D. Roosevelt.

For nearly 12 years FDR led the nation through some of our nations most desperate times: The Great Depression, World War II, and the polio epidemics. All of these were major events that can make or break one president alone, but Roosevelt guided us through those dark days leaving a legacy that will be discussed for decades.

movies so far that depict FDR's disability and begins where Sunrise at Campobello ends in 1924.

Researchers had poured over the most minute details of FDR's and Eleanor's complex lives to produce an untold number of articles for print. Hundreds, if not thousands, of books, movies, television shows, and documentaries have been created about our 32nd president. Why? Because he changed the world in such a dramatic way that presidents today are measured by his successes and failures.

Because of polio, Ralph Bellamy portrayed FDR in the critically acclaimed film Sunrise at Campobello. Kenneth Brannagh did an excellent job in the HBO film Warm Springs that was released in 2005.

Even with these movies, and they have been viewed by millions, there are many that still don't not know that Roosevelt could not walk or how bad polio affected him. Warm Springs has been one of the best

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Roosevelt in the movies, and TV
Movies with FDR as a character or movies about FDR have been produced as early as the 1930s. The most recent was Hyde Park on the Hudson starring Bill Murray. Below are some photos of actors who have portrayed Roosevelt over the years.

Bill Murray Hyde Park on the Hudson

Edward Herrmann Annie - Franklin and Eleanor

John Lithgow World War II: When Lions Roared

Jon Voight Pearl Harbor

Jason Robards FDR: The Last Year

Robert Vaughn - FDR

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Roosevelt in books
New political books are published daily. Especially this year. For decades, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the subject of thousands of books and countless articles. Authors researching his personal papers and official documents have produced volumes of work. Many are inspiring, such as Turnley Walker's Roosevelt and the Warm Springs Story, and others are controversial such as Jim Bishops FDR: The Last Year. Today, one can read about FDR and polio, or his decisions to go to war, programs of the New Deal, extramarital affairs, and a host of other subjects. Below are just a few of the books written about our 32nd President, most within the two decades, that if you have not read you may want to pick up a copy.
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Roosevelt in the newreels
Before the internet, social media was experienced at the theater. Citizens went to the movie houses not to just see the latest film Hollywood was producing, but to "see" what was going on in the news. At that time, all we had was radio for our daily news and newsreels of the day provided visual highlights to the headlines we were reading and hearing about. The president and his policies were featured weekly in the newsreels. From his first inauguration to the the famous third and fourth inaugurations, through the war and to his death, the nation kept up by watching the news reels as these screen clips reflect.
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Roosevelt: The first on TV Today, FDR can be seen everywhere. Did you know that in April of 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first President of the United States to appear on television? The setting was the 1939 World's Fair in New York. His appearance was broadcast to a handful of TV sets in New York (below). As the Second World War loomed ahead, production of the new technology was halted and television would not become popular until the late 1940s and into the 1950s Today, with PBS airing Ken Burns' recently produced The Roosevelt's a resurgence of interest in Warm Springs and the Little White House has grown. Their previously released FDR by David Grubin is still one of the most popular videos that PBS sells.
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