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Every Single Movie That Jimmy Carter Watched at the White House

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D

Dalek

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Every Single Movie That Jimmy Carter Watched at the White House

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I have to be honest-this isn't really a big story or anything, but I find this peek into the life of a President really interesting-plus there were so many great movies released during this era.

After painstakingly going through the President’s daily journal, which outlined his tasks for each day, I’ve made a list of every movie Carter watched while in office from January 20, 1977 until January 20, 1981. And man, he really did watch a lot of films.

Part of my fascination with the movies that presidents watch is just cheap voyeurism. But the other part is an earnest belief that popular culture influences things in the real world. President Nixon was obsessed with the film Patton during the Vietnam War. President Reagan urged Congress to take computer security seriously after seeing War Games in 1983.

So what can we glean from the list I’ve compiled of President Carter’s viewing habits? Well, he certainly watched the major movies of his time that dealt with energy concerns like 1979’s nuclear-phobic The China Syndrome. He was also screening plenty of war films. The former president hosted an early private White House screening of Apocalypse Now with director Francis Ford Coppola and about 75 other people on May 10, 1979. It wasn’t released in theaters until August.

But it wasn’t all modern gloom and doom. Jimmy and the First Lady, Rosalynn, watched plenty of Westerns like Shane and A Fistful of Dollars. And they’d watch a goofy comedy now and again. (Animal House, Airplane, Caddyshack and Meatballs are all on the list). They even watched some films that might be considered horror, like the 1978 film Magic or the 1980 movie The Changeling. And they watched plenty of Humphrey Bogart movies.
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In one of the most interesting screenings I came across, Carter watched Star Wars with Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, on February 4, 1978 at Camp David. That meeting was actually a secret strategy session for peace in the Middle East that would pave the way for the historic Camp David Accords in September of 1978 between Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
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Sometimes President Carter watched movies immediately when they hit theaters. For instance, he watched The Empire Strikes Back five days after it had been released. Other times, there didn’t appear to be much urgency. The first movie Carter saw in the White House theater? All the President’s Men. The night after he lost his re-election campaign to Ronald Reagan he watched the 1967 film The Bandits.
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I'll list the first year here-and you can find the rest at the link. President Carter watched a TON of movies.

Carter is sworn into office January 20, 1977

All the President’s Men (1976) - January 22, 1977

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) - January 28, 1977

Network (1976) - February 5, 1977

Rocky (1976) - February 19, 1977

The Godfather (1972) - March 3, 1977

The Magic Christian (1969) - March 5, 1977

Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976) - March 12, 1977

The Bad News Bears (1976) - March 26, 1977

The Shootist (1976) - March 27, 1977

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - April 2, 1977

Harry and Tonto (1974) - April 7, 1977

Nashville (1975) - April 22, 1977

Chinatown (1974) - April 26, 1977

Blazing Saddles (1974) - April 28, 1977

Lucky Lady (1975) - April 29, 1977

The Island of Allah (1956) and Herbie Rides Again (1974) - May 21, 1977

Zorro (1940 or 1975?) - June 9, 1977

The French Connection (1971) - June 12, 1977

Silver Streak (1976) - June 24, 1977

Rocky (1976) - June 25, 1977

The Caine Mutiny (1954) - June 27, 1977

Camelot (1967) - June 30, 1977

MacArthur (1977) - July 6, 1977

Islands in the Stream (1977) - July 10, 1977

Jaws (1975) - July 22, 1977

Music Man (1962) - July 23, 1977

A Star is Born (1937, 1954, or 1976?) - July 29, 1977

The Deep (1977) - July 31, 1977

Bridge Over the River Kwai (1957) - August 2, 1977

Smokey and the Bandit (1977) - August 12, 1977

High Noon (1952) - August 27, 1977

Gnome Mobile (1967) - August 30, 1977

That’s Entertainment (1974) - August 31, 1977

Cabaret (1972) - September 9, 1977

What’s Up Doc? (1972) - September 11, 1977

The Longest Yard (1974) - September 21, 1977

Sinbad (1977) - September 23, 1977

Sounder (1972) - September 26, 1977

Citizen Kane (1941) - December 3, 1977

Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) - October 6, 1977

The Hustler (1961) - October 15, 1977

The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977) - October 18, 1977

Frankenstein (1931) - October 19, 1977

Bears and I (1974) - October 20, 1977

On the Waterfront (1954) - October 23, 1977

The Wind and the Lion (1975) - October 26, 1977

Three Days of the Condor (1975) - October 28, 1977

Fiddler on the Roof (1971) - November 4, 1977

The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) - November 9, 1977

Man With the Golden Gun (1974) - November 10, 1977

Island at the Top of the World (1974) - November 11, 1977

The Turning Point (1977) - November 13, 1977

Black and White in Color (1976) - November 16, 1977

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) - November 19, 1977

Goodbye Columbus (1969) - November 22, 1977

Funny Girl (1968) - December 8, 1977

New York, New York (1977) - December 12, 1977

The Maltese Falcon (1941) - December 19, 1977

Live and Let Die (1973) - December 26, 1977

Midnight Cowboy (1969) - December 27, 1977
 
D

Dalek

Member
Dicer said:
Carter was an awesome president, and all around nice guy, good taste in movies doesn't shock me...
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I read recently that President Carter put solar panels on the White House because of his belief in renewable energy. As soon as Reagan came into office, he had them ripped down.
 
V

Vincent Alexander

Member
ryutaro's mama said:
Jimmy had no time for Star Wars it would seem.
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Not sure why it isn't on the list, but he watched it (Beaten)

In one of the most interesting screenings I came across, Carter watched Star Wars with Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, on February 4, 1978 at Camp David. That meeting was actually a secret strategy session for peace in the Middle East that would pave the way for the historic Camp David Accords in September of 1978 between Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Click to expand...
 
A

adj_noun

Member
Not nearly enough sequels or remakes. Get with the future times, Jimmy!

...y'know, in retrospect, that Jaws sequel in Back to the Future 2 was kinda accurate.
 
E

Enduin

No bald cap? Lies!
I keep reading the title as Jim Carrey and keep wondering to myself, "Why is Jim Carrey watching movies at the WH?"
 
A

Aaron Strife

Banned
Enduin said:
I keep reading the title as Jim Carrey and keep wondering to myself, "Why is Jim Carrey watching movies at the WH?"
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He just hangs around the White House a lot. Every president is just kind of ok with it. He's like the cousin who shows up every so often to raid your fridge and watch TV.

"What's on the agenda today?"
"Well Mr. President, meeting with the ambassador at noon, speech at 2:30, meeting at 3:30 to discuss the Secretary's energy proposals. Also, Jim's here, he's using the projector."
 
V

Viewt

Member
Rad list for a rad dude. I don't know enough about Carter's presidency to say he was a great president, but he's always seemed like a great person, and certainly very accomplished post-presidency.
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
To be clear, he was having 35mm theatrical prints shipped to the White House, correct? Not 16mm jobbies, and not early era VHS dubs, but actual prints.

Can you imagine being the White House Projectionist? Like that was your government JOB?
 
F

Fine Ham Abounds

Member
BobbyRoberts said:
To be clear, he was having 35mm theatrical prints shipped to the White House, correct? Not 16mm jobbies, and not early era VHS dubs, but actual prints.

Can you imagine being the White House Projectionist? Like that was your government JOB?
Click to expand...

Hey Bobby? Sorry to wake you at 3am, it's Barack. Yeah, everyone's finally asleep, you still got that copy of Antichrist
 
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