Teddy the Rough Rider

Probably one of the most written about, discussed, admired, and despised in some quarters, presidents we've ever had was the many sided Theodore Roosevelt. Each generation brings forth new biographies and historical reassessments of his career. The same man who made conservation a personal cause, who passed the Pure&Food and Drug Act, who won a Noble Peace Prize for mediating a settlement of the Russo-Japanese War was also one of the most belligerent men who ever occupied the White House.

But in 1940 with another Roosevelt in the White House, a little of that belligerency might have gone a long way in limiting the ambitions of some megalomaniacs across the pond. It was with that in mind that Warner Brothers made this short subject giving a superficial, but effective treatment of TR's life.

Sidney Blackmer who made a small career within a career of playing Theodore Roosevelt stars in this film which won an Oscar for Best Short Subject. Theodore Roosevelt's career just like his cousin Franklin's would require a nine part mini-series, but the highlights are touched on and the character comes through.