The Celluloid President

Gary Holmes
  • 4.4 (8)
  • ARTS

Jim Robinson and Gary Holmes met at college and have been talking about politics ever since.  In addition to being presidential history buffs they are former aides to top politicians, and both have written for Ronald Reagan. They're here to discuss movies on American presidents. Each podcast focuses on what Hollywood is trying to tell us about America by using a president as a lead character. Join us for provocative insights, opinions and recommendations as we examine the celluloid president.

  1. Netflix's "Death by Lightning" --The Assassination of James Garfield

    5D AGO

    Netflix's "Death by Lightning" --The Assassination of James Garfield

    "Death by Lightning is a four-part Netflix series about the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881, which despite sounding pretty esoteric, is an absorbing depiction of a moment in time during the Gilded Age.  Jim and Gary discuss whether this event has any lessons for us today and wrestle with the important question: what's up with all the beards?

    1 hr
  2. Peter Sellers in "Being There"

    NOV 19

    Peter Sellers in "Being There"

    In possibly his greatest movie role, Peter Sellers plays Chance, a simple-minded gardener whose mundane observations are taken as oracular epigrams and metaphors that take the political establishment by storm. "Being There" has a lot to say about our gullibility and our habit of hearing what we want to hear. Once widely lauded as a hilarious and biting commentary about politics, the movie is now rarely in the conversation about great political films but it is as timely today as it was in 1979.

    1h 1m
  3. Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in "Seven Days in May"

    OCT 21

    Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in "Seven Days in May"

    Jim and Gary discuss whether a military coup was possible in the early 1960s, as Hollywood seemed to think. "Seven Days in May" is a political thriller that JFK wanted to see made because he was worried about the power of the military. The result is a tense drama in which Burt Lancaster plays a rebellious Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Kirk Douglas as his skeptical senior aide. Will the Constitution be upheld or trammeled?

    1h 4m
  4. Mel Gibson is "The Patriot"

    SEP 4

    Mel Gibson is "The Patriot"

    Gary and Jim discuss the 2000 Mel Gibson film "The Patriot," which depicts the brutal war between the patriots and the British during the War of Independence. They agree that George Washington is a great but remote hero and that the movie itself is rough to watch. War is Hell indeed.

    1h 5m
  5. Hugh Jackman, as Gary Hart, is "The Front Runner"

    AUG 7

    Hugh Jackman, as Gary Hart, is "The Front Runner"

    In 1988, Senator Gary Hart was the front runner to be the next President of the United States until he went for a three-hour cruise on the pleasure craft "Monkey Business."  Hugh Jackman plays Hart in "The Front Runner," which asks an always relevant question: how much of a politician's personal life is relevant to his performance as a public servant?

    1h 4m
  6. Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton"

    JUL 2

    Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton"

    In addition to being a massive hit, "Hamilton" also provides insight into three U.S. Presidents. But more important as we approach July 4, what does the musical say about America and is it still relevant today?

    1h 13m
  7. Otto Preminger's "Advise and Consent"

    JUN 5

    Otto Preminger's "Advise and Consent"

    Jim and Gary discuss the 1962 adaptation of "Advise and Consent," possibly the most popular American political novel of all time, which was turned into movie by the director Otto Preminger. They muse on the meaning of so many conspiracy and paranoid movies from the early 1960s and debate theU.S. Senate's power to advise and consent on a Presidential nomination.

    1h 6m
  8. Daryl F. Zanuck's "Wilson"

    MAY 6

    Daryl F. Zanuck's "Wilson"

    In 1944, Daryl F. Zanuck, the head of Twentieth Century Fox, produced a movie about his political hero Woodrow Wilson. Despite being nominated for ten Academy Awards and the winner of five, the film is now largely forgotten. Jim and Gary discuss its historical and artistic merits, while chewing over what they think about Wilson the president.

    1h 12m
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4.4
out of 5
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About

Jim Robinson and Gary Holmes met at college and have been talking about politics ever since.  In addition to being presidential history buffs they are former aides to top politicians, and both have written for Ronald Reagan. They're here to discuss movies on American presidents. Each podcast focuses on what Hollywood is trying to tell us about America by using a president as a lead character. Join us for provocative insights, opinions and recommendations as we examine the celluloid president.

Information

  • Creator
    Gary Holmes
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    41
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Celluloid President
  • Show Website
    The Celluloid President