# Female US Presidents in lit/film. What was earliest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558 "2018-02-25T18:19:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/1 "2018-02-25T18:19:55Z")
I went to a silent film festival last night. The final film, titled The Last Man on Earth" is a comedy much of which takes place after a plague has killed all men under fourteen. So women are police, soldiers, and politicians. The US president is female, her name is Alice Pratt. Granted. she was president pretty much because there were no men. But would this be the earliest depiction of a woman as POTUS? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/2 "2018-02-25T18:29:47Z")
[Moderating] I’m assuming that the title was supposed to say “US Presidents”, not “IS Presidents”. I’ve fixed it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/3 "2018-02-25T18:39:16Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/4 "2018-02-25T18:45:16Z")
It’s probably a good idea to note that [that movie was released in 1924](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Man_on_Earth_(1924_film)). ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/5 "2018-02-25T18:49:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s probably a good idea to note that [that movie was released in 1924](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Man_on_Earth_(1924_film)). Dang, I thought I’d done that!:smack: Thanks, it seems I can’t get this thread started without a lot of help!:o ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/6 "2018-02-25T18:57:55Z")
Also, [here](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-women-presidents-film-180959899/) is an article from [Smithsonian.com](http://Smithsonian.com) on “The History of Women Presidents in Film”. The author doesn’t even seem to be aware of the film you mentioned (given that’s it’s only mentioned in a editor’s note) and starts with Project Moon Base from 1953. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/7 "2018-02-25T19:50:14Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I went to a silent film festival last night. Topeka? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/8 "2018-02-25T22:21:49Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Topeka? Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/9 "2018-02-27T18:30:33Z")
Well, it certainly wasn’t Toheara. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2018, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/10 "2018-02-27T18:54:07Z")
Nice one! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/11 "2018-02-28T04:48:56Z")
And did you also mean “all men OVER fourteen”? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/12 "2018-02-28T11:40:48Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > And did you also mean “all men OVER fourteen”? No, the movie didn’t mean fourteen _years_. The sole survivor was John Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-us-presidents-in-lit-film-what-was-earliest/809558/13 "2018-02-28T19:55:44Z")
I seem to remember a movie with Burt Lancaster addressing someone as “Madame President.” Can’t think of which picture, though, or who the actress was. Or maybe it’s just a false creation of my fevered brain? :dubious: ☹