Backstairs at the White House

Believe it or not, I just called Borders on a whim, and they actually had a copy. I ran down, bought it, and watched the whole thing that same night. This miniseries was even better than I had remembered. (Of course, I was 9 or so the first time, and watched it with my mommy.) Younger viewers, such as my roommate, have a difficult time looking past the sets, which don't look anything like "The West Wing", but I quickly began to ignore him, and just sat there and soaked it all in.

I feel like there could have been a better attempt to clean up the film from the original airing, but it still was absolutely enjoyable.

All in all, worth the seven and a half hours I spent in front of the TV last Tuesday night!!

Spanning fifty years and eight administrations, -Backstairs at the White House- is the story of the servants, mainly Americans of African descent, who work behind the scenes in the most famous household in the land. The story centers around two maids, mother Maggie and daughter Lillian, who literally spend their lives cleaning, polishing, and mending for the ever-changing employers. Their stories, intermingled with those of the other permanent staff as well as the first family, run the gamut from warmth, high comedy, to deep tragedy, with surprising moments of humanity glimpsed even through those who are most aloof. Like -Roots-, this miniseries is a glimpse at a long span of Americana rarely shown and mostly forgotten, rendered with intelligence, warmth, dignity, and a sense of character that are all too rare on television these days. If you can't see the miniseries, get Bagni/Dubov tie-in novel. It is well worth it.

This was a very good series, based on the memoirs of an employee at the White House from the Taft Administration through President Eisenhower's. It's obvious too that besides the book by Lillian Rogers Parks, there are also bits from other White House books that are frequently used by historians (Leslie Nielson plays White House usher Ike Hoover, who wrote an important volume that is frequently used as a source book). Leslie Uggams plays Lillian, and the film begins with Lillian's mother Maggie (Olivia Cole) starting there in 1911 when William and Nellie Taft are in the White House (or as the unhappy Taft called it, "the great White Jail"). Maggie's daughter Lillian eventually overcomes a physical disability to become a useful member of the staff.

But the most interesting thing in the series was the glimpse into the eight first families who inhabited the building from 1909 to 1961. Interestingly the families preceding and following the framing administrations (Theodore Roosevelt's and John Kennedy's) are better known to most people than some of those in the eight (the Tafts, Hardings, Coolidges, and Hoovers are not all that well known today - although Warren Harding's scandal filled administration is recalled to some extent).

Each administration and the way they handled the White House is different. Taft (Victor Buono, in a rare nice-guy role) is concerned with the health of wife Nellie (Julie Harris) who had a stroke and had to learn how to speak again. He is also upset at how his old friend Teddy Roosevelt has turned against him (in one moment he shows how a reconciliation is impossible, as he is depending on Major Archibald Butt to bring Teddy and him back together - and Butt's returning from Europe on the Titanic). Wilson (Robert Vaughan) has two wives, and the first one (Ellen - Kim Hunter) was better liked than the second (Edith - Claire Bloom) . Later it is Wilson's health collapse in the fight for the League of Nations that is followed, with Edith taking over his office quietly.

Warren and Florence Harding (George Kennedy and Celeste Holms) are stuck with a dimwitted husband (and a corrupt one) learning that his administration has more holes in it than a swiss cheese. His infidelities are revealed (before Kennedy and Clinton Harding was our most priapic President). Also shown is Mrs. Harding playing Warren's favorite song (Carrie Jacob Bond's "The End of a Perfect Day.") on the piano.

But George Kennedy and the script writer has one moment giving some dignity to our 29th President. During the 1920 campaign a nasty smear was thrown at Harding based on rumors that his family was not originally white but African - American (see Francis Russell's THE SHADOW OF BLOOMING GROVE for an account of this). Maggie sees a furious Harding ripping up a "book" about his ancestry by one "Professor" William Estabrook Chancellor that the Justice Department confiscated. Harding sees Maggie, turns to her, and heartily apologizes for the racist piece of garbage directed at all African-Americans. After he leaves, Maggie sees the book and tells another servant to let the book burn.

Ed Flanders shows Coolidge as a businesslike, honest man - a welcome change in terms of abilities to Harding, who is in love with his wife Grace (Lee Grant), and broken - hearted about the death of his younger son Calvin from blood poisoning in a freak accident. Flanders has a great moment telling off (in ironic manner) Cloris Leachman as the snooty head of the staff (leading to her resignation).

The Hoovers (Larry Gates and Jan Sterling) are done too quickly, and one gets the impression they were too aloof from the staff. F.D.R. (John Anderson) and Eleanor (Eileen Heckart) are shown to be sympathetic to the minority groups due to the President's physical condition. The Trumans (Harry Morgan and Estelle Parsons) show that President's feistiness (and Bess's love of mystery novels). And then President and Mrs. Eisenhower (Andrew Duggan and Barbra Barrie) raps things up as we reach fairly modern times.

It was a welcome view of Presidential private lives rarely done before or since on television (except for individual Presidents or events in their administrations). It has not been revived on television since 1979, but now is on video and well worth catching.

This was a wonderful mini-series. I too, am puzzled as to why this was never released on video in one form or another. It was very popular when it was run on television. If you have not read the book, I highly recommend both of them, they are excellent. There are two out there, the one that Mrs. Parks wrote and one Gwen Bagini(?) and Mrs. Parks collaborated on that went along with the mini-series. The producers couldn't have picked a better cast to play the characters. They were all exemplary. The series was pretty accurate historically too, maybe that's why it was never released on video, it insulted someone some how. I too would like to add my voice to the growing number that want to see this mini-series released.

This mini-series needs to be shown in all schools as well as homes during family viewing.

This was one of the BEST shows ever done and I can not wait until November when it gets released on DVD.

It would be nice to have commentaries by the actors who are still living included in the set.

After this series, there never has been another one that is even close to the class of Backstairs at the White House. This series was so fantastic on so many levels and yet, you never got bored ... on the contrary, you couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.