Author | Lightnews

All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · 7d

President George H.W. Bush watched Curly Sue (1991) at Camp David on October 26, 1991.

Movie poster for Curly Sue with James Belushi, Kelly Lynch, and Alison Porter. The poster says "from John Hughes"

All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · 8d

Obama wearing the 3D glasses in 2009 really is a great photo to help visualize the theater but it is funny that he was watching the Super Bowl rather than a movie.

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · 8d

RIP

The White House movie theater demolition ends a storied era in presidential history

The vintage movie venue was destroyed this week as part of the Trump administration's plan to build a new $300 million ballroom. Former President Bill Clinton called it the office's "best perk."

www.npr.org

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 5

President Jimmy Carter watched Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) at Camp David on September 4, 1977, according to the White House projectionist's logbook.

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 4

President Bill Clinton watched the movie Space Cowboys (2000) at the White House on September 3, 2000.

Screenshot from Space Cowboys with Clint Eastwood

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 2

President Lyndon B. Johnson watched two documentaries on September 1, 1967:

The President's Country, a propaganda film about LBJ produced by USIA, and Trails Through Texas, produced by the White House Naval Photographic Unit (aka Navy Films) about the First Lady:

Trails Through Texas. MP1091.

YouTube video by TheLBJLibrary

youtu.be

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 1

The press made fun of the incident, like in this cartoon from the Washington Post, which ran Aug. 5, 1970.

There's a paper on the subject titled "Trying to Wear the White Hat: Nixon, the Media, and the Chisum-Charles Manson Imbroglio" (2015) by John Soares.

Source: www.jstor.org/stable/westh...

Political cartoon of Nixon as a cowboy and a reporter with the caption: "You Were Saying That You Saw A Western
Movie The Other Day ..."

Nixon is shooting himself in the foot with smoke coming from a gun that reads "statement on Manson." Nixon's cowboy vest reads "quick-draw attack on the press."

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 1

Charles Manson was then on trial and Nixon accused the press of presenting him as a "glamorous" figure.

But Nixon also called Manson "guilty" which is something that presidents historically don't do because it can prejudice a jury (before Trump, of course).

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 1

Nixon talked about seeing the movie during a press conference on Aug. 3, 1970 while in Denver.

The president got into hot water while bringing up Chisum (1970) in relation to law and order and the popularity of westerns...

From the Nixon Library description: Frame(s): WHPO-4053-02-15, President Nixon speaking and seated while attending a news briefing at Law
Enforcement Assistance Administration meeting. 8/3/1970, Denver, Colorado, US Court Building, Room 571.

https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/forresearchers/find/av/whpo_cs/37-whpo-4053-cs.jpg

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 1

It was actually the second time Nixon watched Chisum (1970) while in office, the first time being July 31, 1970, also at the "Western White House" in San Clemente.

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Sep 1

President Richard Nixon watched the John Wayne movie Chisum at his home in San Clemente, California, on August 31, 1970.

Lobby card for the movie Chisum with John Wayne

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 30

President Richard Nixon watched the film Wilson (1944) at his home in San Clemente, California, on August 30, 1970.

The movie, a biopic of President Woodrow Wilson, was a popular one with presidents. FDR watched it at least twice while in office. Carter also screened it at the White House in 1978.

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 30

President Franklin D. Roosevelt watched the movie Wilson (1944), a biopic about Woodrow Wilson, at the White House on August 29, 1944.

Lobby card that reads Darryl F. Zanukc's Wilson in Technicolor

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 28

The last movie listed in the White House projectionist's logs for Kennedy is 55 Days at Peking (1963) on November 10, 1963.

Every Movie President John F. Kennedy Watched While In Office — Paleofuture

President John F. Kennedy watched at least 66 feature movies during his almost three years in the White House, including the very first James Bond movie, Dr. No (1962) , the Italian classic La Dol...

paleofuture.com

All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 28

President Richard Nixon watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) at his home in San Clemente, California, on August 28, 1970.

Lobby card for the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 28

President Jimmy Carter watched the movie High Noon (1952) at the White House on August 27, 1977.

Lobby card for the movie High Noon showing Gary Cooper staring out of a window holding a gun in a cowboy hat

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 27

President Jimmy Carter watched Dracula (1979) at Camp David on August 26, 1979.

Publicity still from the movie Dracula (1979) showing Frank Langella as Dracula with his arm extended toward the camera

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 23

Nixon missed a long distance call from actor Chuck Connors before watching the movie, according to the White House daily diary.

5:55
6:21
6:25
6:20
R
6:50
7: 30
8:15
The Presidential party motored from Red Beach to the
Residence.
The President went to the swimming pool area. he President was telephoned long distance by television and movie actor Chuck Connors in Los Angeles, California.
The call was not completed.
The President returned to the Residence.
The President had dinner with:
The First Lady
Miss Woods
Mr. Rebozo
The Presidential party saw the movie "El Cid".

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 23

President Richard Nixon watched the movie El Cid (1961) at his home in San Clemente, California, on August 23, 1971.

Publicity photo of Sofia Loren in El Cid (1961)

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 22

President Richard Nixon watched the Alfred Hitchcock movie Dial M for Murder (1954) at his home in San Clemente, California (dubbed the Western White House) on August 22, 1970.

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 22

President Bill Clinton watched the movie High Fidelity (2000) at the White House on August 21, 2000.

Publicity still of High Fidelity (2000) showing John Cusack and Jack Black

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 21

President Dwight Eisenhower watched the western The Brass Legend (1956) at the White House on August 20, 1958.

Lobby card for The Brass Legend (1958) that reads: The Raging, Rawhide Saga Of The "Tin-Star Tornado" Who
Cleaned Out The West's
Dirtiest Killer-Town!

BOB GOLDSTEIN PRODUCTIONS presents
HUGH OBRIAN
TV's WYATT EARP BLASTS THE BIG SCREEN WITH GUN-HOT FURY!
NANCY GATES • RAYMOND BURR
The BrASS LEGEND

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 19

Expresso Bongo (1959) is available to stream for free on Tubi

Expresso Bongo (1959)

An opportunistic talent agent looking for a quick buck discovers a promising young bongo player and convinces him to sign a shady contract.

tubitv.com

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 19

President John F. Kennedy watched the movie Expresso Bongo (1959) at the White House with "1 guest" on August 19, 1961.

Typically, the guests are named in the White House projectionist's log book but this one was anonymous. The First Lady was out of town that night.

Lobby card for the movie Expresso Bongo (1959)

LAURENCE HARVEY IN AN OUTSTANDING AND DIFFERENT MOTION PICTURE
THAT TAKES YOU INTO A WORLD OF
BURLESQUE HOUSES... JAZZ DENS...
AND-FLESH-AND-BLOOD PEOPLE!

LAURENCE HARVEY
SYLVIA SYMS • YOLANDE DONLAN

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All the Presidents' Movies @presidentsmovies.bsky.social · Aug 19

The White House projectionist's notes indicate the film was screened in 16mm and Kennedy was joined by the "Bradley's," most likely a misspelling of Ben Bradlee, the Washington Bureau chief for Newsweek who became friends with the president.

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