This Sunday, March 31st, is the 80th anniversary of Hollywood’s love-song to Fascist dictatorship and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gabriel Over the White House.
The movie was based on the book by Thomas Fredric Tweed, who was an advisor to David Lloyd George, the father of the British welfare state. Liberal Democrat Producer Walter Wagner obtained the rights to the story and received funding from William Randolph Hearst, who was a huge backer of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Even back in the ’30’s, the movie was recognized as a call for dictatorship, which was popular with the left back then, as noted by Jonah Goldberg in Liberal Fascism. Roosevelt was reportedly favorable towards the film.
The full plot can be found over on Þe Olde Wikipedia, but will not be repeated here to avoid spoilers. The full movie can be seen below.
The sentiment expressed in this film for a political savior who takes dictatorial power may be 80 years old, but it is hardly out of date…
