Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Daniel Petrie

Writers:

James Costigan (writer)
Joseph P. Lash (book)

Release Date:

13 March 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during their 12-year stay at the White House. |

Plot Keywords:

U.S. President | Political | Sequel | Based On Book

Awards:

Won 7 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jane Alexander	...	Eleanor Roosevelt
Edward Herrmann	...	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Priscilla Pointer	...	Missy LeHand
Walter McGinn	...	Louis Howe
Rosemary Murphy	...	Sara Delano Roosevelt
Blair Brown	...	Anna Roosevelt
David Healy	...	Theodore Roosevelt
Peggy McCay	...	Grace Tully
Donald Moffat	...	Harry Hopkins
Toni Darnay	...	Malvina Thompson
John Beal	...	Dr. Carr
Barbara Conrad	...	Marian Anderson
Morgan Farley	...	Bill Plog
Mark Harmon	...	Robert Dunlap
Anna Lee	...	Laura Delano

Runtime:

180 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Fenye Mansion - 470 W. Walnut Street, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Talent Associates

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the opening scene when the horse carriage is entering the White House drive, the year is suppose to be 1905, yet modern automobiles can be seen across the park on another street.

Movie Connections:

Follows Eleanor and Franklin (1976) (TV)

Very Affecting View of History

I am a fan of this period of US history, so I should state that at the outset. This was, for me, a very touching and intimate view of the closest thing the US ever had to a royal family. The period elements were wonderful and I even enjoyed the faux Andrews Sisters at one of the White House parties.

Perhaps the reason why this elegant work got to me is that this was a portrait of a time when this country lost its youth -- literally and figuratively. I remember my father, who was in the Army Signal Corps during WWII, telling me that the only thing he wanted back from "those days" was his youth. We who view it as history tend to romanticize the times and events. It must have been hell for those who lived it, though.

The treatment of the funeral train and procession was particularly poignant for me. I heard from my parents how sad that time was.