LBJ: The Early Years (1987)

Director:

Peter Werner

Stars:

Randy Quaid, Patti LuPone, Morgan Brittany

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Randy Quaid	...	Lyndon Baines Johnson
Patti LuPone	...	Claudia Alta 'Lady Bird' Taylor Johnson
Morgan Brittany	...	Alice Glass
Pat Hingle	...	Sam Rayburn
R.G. Armstrong	...	Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr.
Barry Corbin	...	Judge Alvin J. Wirtz
Robin Curtis	...	Jacqueline Kennedy
Charles Frank	...	John F. Kennedy
James F. Kelly	...	Bobby Kennedy
Kevin McCarthy	...	Joseph Kennedy
Jack Blessing	...	Billy Bob
Tony Frank
Jack Garner
Anne Haney	...	Rebekah Baines Johnson
Jerry Hardin	...	Earl

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

u.s. president | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

LBJ - A Conquista do Poder

Company Credits

Production Co:

Louis Rudolph Films, Brice Productions, Fries Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Uses actual recordings and arrangements of music from Wild Rovers for opening titles music.

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Goofs

When LBJ goes to the hospital to visit his sick wife and is speaking to Sam Rayburn, there are MasterCard and Visa stickers on the glass door behind him. These credit cards did not exist in the 1940s.

User Reviews

The man who really fought against Two Americas

Oscar-nominated star Randy Quaid (The Last Detail) won a Golden Globe for this performance, and it was an easy one to hand out. Quaid WAS LBJ. There was no doubt about it. He had the character nailed and gave such a good performance that you almost felt you were watching a documentary.

Before Barack Obama was born, and before he ever thought about giving a speech on the Two Americas, LBJ was fighting for legislation (1960 Civil Rights Act) to help end the fact that there were two Americas -- and he actually used those words. Four years later (after this movie) he passed the historic Civil Rights acts of 1964 and 1965, while he was President. Lincoln may have freed the slaves to end a war, but LBJ was responsible for truly giving the Black Americans their full rights, and moving us toward the end of the Two Americas.

For those that do not know the story of LB and how he was the most powerful and successful Congressman ever in the history of the US, and how he was the person who made Kennedy's dreams a reality, this is an excellent film to find out.

Patti LuPone was the best of a lot of stars that contributed to this movie. She played Lady Bird to a T. I just hope I will one day see her performance of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert.