"TR: An American Lion" on History Channel NOW (9 pm EST)

The History Channel ^

[condi2008]

Starting this evening on the History Channel and being repeated a few times later this week. One of my "Top 2" Presidents!

[PetroniDE]

The show will air again at 1:00AM EST tonight. That is past my bedtime, but I will tape it. I suspect that this show will repeat later in the week or this weekend.

[Reagan Man]

>>>One of my "Top 2" Presidents!

Whose #1?

[Engine82]

The show is great. On the other hand TR gave us the worst president in our history.

[condi2008]

It would have to be #40; the current one, or the next one:

[Reagan Man]

We shall see.

[x]

Are you watching?

[nicollo]

Thanks for the ping. I don't have cable. I saw the promos for it running around the show on my limousine book. Did you see that one, btw? I re-wrote their script to give Taft a plug.

What have they to say of my man?

[nicollo]

Is this the Morris history of TR?

[Yasotay]

Any man who gets shot in the chest and still makes his speaking engagement has my vote!

[nicollo]

That's exactly what happened. TR's "numbers" (in the modern parlance) were on the down when he was shot. The shooting moved the nation's sympathy to him, and was the single most effective part of his campaign.

It was, of course, entirely unrelated to the radicalism that he was preaching. I'm certain that you would not subscribe to the insanities he preached, such as "direct democracy," which was the essence of his campaign. It was foolish.

[shhrubbery!]

Ecccchhhhh. Too many comments by Bill Clinton. Although I did enjoy seeing what some of TR's present-day descendants look like.

[shhrubbery!]

Almost nothing said about Taft tonight, only alluded to as TR's 'handpicked successor' whom TR would eventually undermine. Second part tomorrow night.

[nicollo]

Oh, Jesus, they brought in x42? That says it all. Thanks for the update.

[motzman]

I don't know about you, but I was tought in school that TR was a "great" President.

After my own independant study, I think TR stunk. A Socialist, class-warfare blowhard.

[x]

I couldn't watch much. I hope to see more later. President Bush introduces the program. Edward Herrmann, whose career got started playing FDR, narrates, and Richard Dreyfuss reads TR's words, which is not such a good idea, because I always think of the Saturday Night Live impersonations of Dreyfuss whenever I hear him talk. Though now that Mel Blanc is dead, Dreyfuss is a good choice if they want to make TR sound like Daffy Duck.

The show is a mixture of old photos, films, and graphics with reenactments by a TR impersonator and words from various talking heads: Morris and his wife, professors, Governor Pataki, Clinton (yes, Bill Clinton), and various Roosevelt decendants. It looked very good -- or rather it is very good for the basic information and the scholars contribute a lot, too. The look of the film is its chief drawback: too many sudden transitions between color and black and white, too many blurry shots, too much jerky camera motion, too many giant labels identifying scholars whose names aren't so important. So I wish the director had taken lessons from Ken Burns, but I definitely want to see more. And the limo show, too.

Sorry I can't help with the content more. I'll get back to you in a few days when I've seen more. One thing I did notice. TR looked to be pretty fat by today's standards, both the actor and the President himself. I don't think he'd pass muster as the picture of vitality today.

I can recommend PBS's Chicago, City of the Century series, though. Fascinating look at old Chicago lore. It peeved me though that, unless PBS is holding back some episodes for the next fundraising, the century in question ends in 1893. PBS will also be having a documentary on the transcontinental railroad next week or so.

[libertyman]

OMG!!! U say that TR is one of your favorite Pressidents? Lord, help us....he was one of our nation's first "Progressive" (SOCIALIST) Presidents; he got us into a war w/ Spain; he placed thousands of square miles of western & State territory into Federal hands; he vastly increased the size of the Federal Regulatory State....sure, he said a lot of great soundbites & was tough as nails, but Constitutionally, his policies were a disaster to the idea of limited government & the rights of States. Personally, I wouldn't shed a tear if TR's & Lincoln's faces were blown off of Mt. Rushmore & replaced with JAMES MADISON & ROBERT E. LEE.

[Yasotay]

OK you are right ....but I'm still impressed with his taking a bullet (even though his speech probably saved him...)

[nicollo]

Oh, no question it was a brave, almost heroic act. And no question it played well in the press. And no question that it was exploited by Roosevelt.

One cannot blame him for taking advantage of it. He can also be credited for not blaming Taft or anyone for the attack. He might have, and I wouldn't be surprised had he done it. Some wanted him to.

In the end, though, the shooting was his best publicity, not his ideas, which stunk.