# US Presidents in the cinema **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442 "2005-07-14T01:26:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/41 "2005-07-14T18:54:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Martin Van Buren (The Gorgeous Hussy As noted above, Vam Buren was portrayed (although as a candidate ) in **Amistad**. I have to admit that I never heard of “The Gorgeous Hussy”. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/42 "2005-07-14T18:55:43Z")
> [@snorlax](#): > > Dan Hedaya does a great turn as Nixon in _Dick_, a comedy concerning the identity of Deep Throat. Let me just say that a movie named _Dick_, with Kisten Dunst and Michelle Williams? That features something called Deep Throat? I was SO expecting something else. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/43 "2005-07-14T19:40:35Z")
The movie _Dick_ does not neglect the penis/oral sex double entendres. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/44 "2005-07-14T19:49:06Z")
In the TV movie “Tecumseh: The Last Warrior”, David Clennon potrays General William Henry Harrison. And Ed Sala portrays Colonel Richard Johnson. Harrison of course would go on to become president and Johnson would go on to become Van Buren’s vice-president and the only one ever selected by the Senate because he failed to win a majority of the electoral vote. People didn’t like Johnson much. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/45 "2005-07-14T20:13:24Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > So far as I know, there have been no screen portrayals of James Madison, . There’s been at least [one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0038715/). It starred Burgess Meredith as Jemmy, Ginger Rogers as Dolly, and David Niven as Aaron Burr. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/46 "2005-07-14T20:30:09Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > As noted above, [Van] Buren was portrayed (although as a candidate ) in **Amistad**. Actually, Van Buren was the sitting president at the time of Amistad’s events, and so Hawthorne’s portrayal should count for the OP. Later on in the movie he was running for _re-election_, in the election of 1840. (He lost, though we don’t see that happen in the film.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/47 "2005-07-14T20:41:39Z")
Basil Ruysdael (who?) plays Andrew Jackson in the Disney **Davy Crockett** : > **[Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047977/)** > > Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier: Directed by Norman Foster. With Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, Basil Ruysdael, Hans Conried. American frontiersman Davy Crockett fights in the Creek Indian War, is elected to the U.S. Congress and fights for Texas... Irecall several U.S. Grant portrayals through the years. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/48 "2005-07-14T20:43:25Z")
David Hemmings plays Andrew Jackson in the TV movie of Davy Crockett: > **["The Magical World of Disney" Davy Crockett: Rainbow in the Thunder (TV...](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094953/)** > > Davy Crockett: Rainbow in the Thunder: Directed by David Hemmings. With Cheryl Arutt, Johnny Cash, Brenda Crichlow, Tim Dunigan. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/49 "2005-07-14T20:46:12Z")
Actually, you can taop into the IMDB under “Characters” and get listings. I tried “John Adams” and got this (William Daniels played him even more times than I’d remembered): [http://www.imdb.com/Find?select=Characters&for=John+Adams](http://www.imdb.com/Find?select=Characters&for=John+Adams) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/50 "2005-07-14T20:48:28Z")
Heck, even James K. POlk gets three entries: [http://www.imdb.com/Find?select=Characters&for=James+K.+Polk&Go.x=14&Go.y=8](http://www.imdb.com/Find?select=Characters&for=James+K.+Polk&Go.x=14&Go.y=8) ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/51 "2005-07-14T21:09:44Z")
Alan Cummings played FDR in [Reefer Madness: The Musical](http://imdb.com/title/tt0404364/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9MXxmYj11fHBuPTB8cT1yZWVmZXIgbWFkbmVzcyBtdXNpY2FsfGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=9;fm=1). Relevant hijack: Who has done the best on-screen portrayal of an actual president? I don’t have an answer, off the top of my head, but I thought I’d throw it out there while I cogitated. Actually, i have fond memories of watching Henry Fonda in [Young Mister Lincoln](http://imdb.com/title/tt0032155/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxxPXlvdW5nIG1pc3RlciBsaW5jb2xufG14PTIwfGxtPTUwMHxodG1sPTF8bm09MQ__;fc=2;ft=5;fm=1) on TV with my grandfather, but I haven’t seen it in years. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/52 "2005-07-14T21:14:50Z")
**The Right Stuff** also had Ike in it. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/53 "2005-07-14T21:21:12Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > **The Right Stuff** also had Ike in it. Donald Moffat does a great LBJ in _The Right Stuff_, too, but I think it’s before he’s president. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/54 "2005-07-14T21:51:09Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > Donald Moffat does a great LBJ in _The Right Stuff_, too, but I think it’s before he’s president. See Post #3. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/55 "2005-07-14T22:11:48Z")
Cliff Robertson played a WWII-era JFK in _PT-109_. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442/56 "2005-07-14T22:18:44Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > Relevant hijack: > > Who has done the best on-screen portrayal of an actual president? > > I don’t have an answer, off the top of my head, but I thought I’d throw it out there while I cogitated. Of the ones I’ve seen, I’d nominate Anthony Hopkins in **Nixon**. I never believed for one second that I wasn’t watching Nixon, which suprised me, seeing as how Hopkins looks nothing like him, and they didn’t make too much of an effort to hide that fact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-presidents-in-the-cinema/312442.md?page=2)