Paul Greenberg: The Music Man – How a B-Movie Actor Changed the World

Even in his death he strengthened us. The news that his long struggle was finally over has given us permission to celebrate his pivotal role in our history the way we should. With pomp and circumstance and gratitude.

Ronald Reagan himself had drifted away from us years ago into a twilight world of dreams and clouds, but his book of life couldn't be closed properly till now. At last, Nancy's long ordeal has been concluded.

To appreciate what Ronald Reagan achieved, you'd have to conjure up more than his genial smile and always upbeat presence. You'd have to go back to the drifting, demoralized America of the 1970s, the one that had made its peace with Detente and Decline, the America of stagflation at home and drift abroad, of gas lines and double-digit interest rates, and a general, even un-American defeatism. The challenge had become how to stave off defeat as long as possible, just to survive, not how to triumph. The spirit of that pre-Reagan America was as unnatural, as ungainly and as unflattering as its fashions.

If it can ever be said that one man changed everything, he was the one man. And he did it the way he did everything — dramatically. There was something almost B-Movie about his story: Actor Changes World.

No wonder Ronald Reagan drove his biographer, Edmund Morris, to distraction. There was no conventional way to explain so unconventional a turn of events. It's as if the actor had decided to rewrite the script. Ronald Reagan just imagined America the way he'd always thought it was on the back lot, and, sure enough, it still was. It was like … a movie.

Specifically, a musical. Once upon a very different time, The New York Times decided to have a little fun with Ronald Reagan after one of his of State of the Union addresses. The good gray Times' idea of fun was to picture him in a musical comedy — namely, Meredith Willson's "The Music Man." Complete with all seventy-six trombones. Only this time with Ronald Reagan instead of Robert Preston in the leading role. It was the perfect role for him when you think about it. Listen to the patter that introduces him:

Reagan was never 'The Music Man'. The Music Man was a huckster who later saw The Light. Reagan was always a man of high principle- no matter how the left tries to tear him down.

Typically, I get Freepmails from closet leftists for a post like this. Well, I ain't answering any of them. Too bad.

I am glad that he and family are free from pain, and sad to know that he isn't here anymore. 'Nuff said.

Riley wrote: Reagan was never 'The Music Man'. The Music Man was a huckster who later saw The Light. Reagan was always a man of high principle- no matter how the left tries to tear him down.

You didn't read the article did you?

If you had you wouldn't have replied as you did.

Even though Ron and I parted ways on quite a few issues, I was still a keen ally. I moved from a visceral bystander to an educated conservative under his watch and, like a mentor, his mark will remain with me to my grave.

In spite of the lickspittle media's sneering treatment of Mr. Reagan both in and out of office, his status as a B-Movie actor is about as false a personna as John Kerry the tough guy. What Mr. Reagan did in the 40's and 50's had as much to do with his presidency as my paper route experience as a boy have to do with this post.

The plain fact is that the Reagan man was a do-er and achiever. In spite of the climb to the NYT or the Washington Post, most journalists never have done anything of merit in their entire lives. They simply write witty paragraphs for their friends, kiss @ss and eat canapes at parties.

Like President Bush now, Reagan had a life of achievement before taking office. Reagan saved lives, led a union and governed a state. Bush had a Harvard MBA, flew combat jet aircraft and ran companies. Even so, I listen to leftist sh*theads in academic circles that believe him to be little more than an idiot savant. Of course, these are people that have done nothing in their lives but write witty paragraphs for their friends, kiss @ss and eat canapes at parties.

So, in the end, if the great sins of Reagan, Bush and those like them is that their prior lives were not devoted to paragraphs, @sses or canapes, I hardly think that that is a failing. Being working class filth myself, I happen to think a whole lot of value could come from the merit and honor of hard work. Maybe even a presidency...

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