'Kisses for My President' (1964) – Starring Polly Bergen and Fred MacMurray.
I watched this today again on TCM. It's a funny, if dated, spoof about the first woman president, Leslie McCloud (Polly), and the role of her husband, Thad McCloud (Fred). The story is good at first showing a woman can be a strong very competent leader for the country. It seems especially timely now when we just had our first female democratic presidential candidate in the last election. We almost had a long overdue female president. In the film the women of the country had united to elect a woman. Fred MacMurray gets a chance to show off his impressive comic talents in his role as her husband. He's especially funny in one scene where he's nervous about doing a white house tour before millions of TV viewers. To help relieve his nerves he's given pills and drinks by various people in order to relax him for the camera. None of them realize he's already been given something to relax him. By the time he has to appear for the show he's totally plastered. I found myself laughing out loud more than once at his physical antics. An early scene where he gets seasick during a romantic excursion on the presidential yacht is also very funny. So as a comedy the movie is pretty darn good. The problem for me is the almost sickening ending. ****** warning ending spoiler ahead***** Things are going well with Leslie McCloud's presidency and her husband is finally not such a bumbler in his role as 'First Husband'. At a public hearing meant to embarrass the president Thad is even able to finally bring down a sly windbag of a senator played by well known comedy character actor Edward Andrews. Later, all is going well till the president passes out and it's discovered she is...gasp... pregnant. Of course now she must resign from her strenuous duties or maybe lose the baby. The early 1960s message here is obviously that a woman is not physically able, due to her sex, of being president. It's also pointed out that her other two children are getting into trouble due to lack of proper parental guidance...why her husband isn't doing the guidance himself while she runs the country isn't explained well. The final insult was this line from Thad to his wife as they are leaving the White house following her resignation...Thad says that he has proved male superiority. He explains that it took many millions of women to put her in the white house and only one male to remove her from it, meaning himself of course since he had gotten her pregnant. Of course that line was said in a joking way yet the message to the audience was obvious. This could have been a much better all-around film if it had not fallen into preaching that sickeningly outdated early 60s message that a women's place is at home with the children caring for her husband. If only they had ended it differently this film could have been a timeless comedy. I'll give it a 6 out of 10 stars for the comic movements and what came before the ending.
I watched this today again on TCM. It's a funny, if dated, spoof about the first woman president, Leslie McCloud (Polly), and the role of her husband, Thad McCloud (Fred). The story is good at first showing a woman can be a strong very competent leader for the country. It seems especially timely now when we just had our first female democratic presidential candidate in the last election. We almost had a long overdue female president. In the film the women of the country had united to elect a woman. Fred MacMurray gets a chance to show off his impressive comic talents in his role as her husband. He's especially funny in one scene where he's nervous about doing a white house tour before millions of TV viewers. To help relieve his nerves he's given pills and drinks by various people in order to relax him for the camera. None of them realize he's already been given something to relax him. By the time he has to appear for the show he's totally plastered. I found myself laughing out loud more than once at his physical antics. An early scene where he gets seasick during a romantic excursion on the presidential yacht is also very funny. So as a comedy the movie is pretty darn good. The problem for me is the almost sickening ending. ****** warning ending spoiler ahead***** Things are going well with Leslie McCloud's presidency and her husband is finally not such a bumbler in his role as 'First Husband'. At a public hearing meant to embarrass the president Thad is even able to finally bring down a sly windbag of a senator played by well known comedy character actor Edward Andrews. Later, all is going well till the president passes out and it's discovered she is...gasp... pregnant. Of course now she must resign from her strenuous duties or maybe lose the baby. The early 1960s message here is obviously that a woman is not physically able, due to her sex, of being president. It's also pointed out that her other two children are getting into trouble due to lack of proper parental guidance...why her husband isn't doing the guidance himself while she runs the country isn't explained well. The final insult was this line from Thad to his wife as they are leaving the White house following her resignation...Thad says that he has proved male superiority. He explains that it took many millions of women to put her in the white house and only one male to remove her from it, meaning himself of course since he had gotten her pregnant. Of course that line was said in a joking way yet the message to the audience was obvious. This could have been a much better all-around film if it had not fallen into preaching that sickeningly outdated early 60s message that a women's place is at home with the children caring for her husband. If only they had ended it differently this film could have been a timeless comedy. I'll give it a 6 out of 10 stars for the comic movements and what came before the ending.