Inherit the Wind

The real William Jennings Bryan ran for President three times: 1896, 1900, and 1908. Bryan was the first Presidential candidate to extensively barnstorm during a Presidential campaign in an era when most candidates did not. Although it's suggested that he might be contemplating a run in the next election, which would have been in 1928, it's highly unlikely. He did serve in public office twice - as Congressman from Nebraska from 1891 to 1895 and as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915, when he resigned over the country's policy toward Germany after the Lusitania was sunk. Despite his fundamentalist Christian beliefs, he was considered as Liberal and Progressive, supporting anti-Imperialist policies and trust-busting.

Actor Kyle Secor, as Bertram Cates, wears glasses of which the frames are historically incorrect. In the 1930s, the frames would be metal. Additionally, the handles of the frames would curl and hook around each ear instead of the modern-day version which only slightly hooks around the back of the ear. While the "Ful-Vue' shape of the lenses is correct, 1930s glasses did not have the nose bridge comfort pads of modern-day glasses. And while tortoiseshell frames were just beginning to come into style, it is doubtful that a young man during the Great Depression would be able to afford tortoiseshell frames on a teacher's salary and would opt for the gold metal frames which were more popular and readily available. In this film, Secor wears modern frames that appear to be tortoiseshell with modern-day handles.

Featured in The 40th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1988)