The Phantom President is a 1932 American pre-Code musical comedy and political satire film. It was directed by Norman Taurog, starred George M. Cohan, Claudette Colbert, and Jimmy Durante, with songs by Richard Rodgers (music) and Lorenz Hart (lyrics).[1]
| The Phantom President | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Norman Taurog |
| Written by | Walter DeLeon Harlan Thompson George F. Worts (novel) |
| Starring | George M. Cohan Claudette Colbert Jimmy Durante |
| Cinematography | David Abel |
| Edited by | LeRoy Stone |
| Music by | Richard Rodgers Rudolph G. Kopp (uncredited) John Leipold (uncredited) |
Production company | Paramount Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
According to Rodgers, Cohan deeply resented having to work with Rodgers and Hart on the film. Cohan was bitter that his type of musical theatre had gone out of fashion, supplanted by the more literate and musically sophisticated shows of Rodgers and Hart, among others. During the filming, Cohan would sarcastically refer to Rodgers and Hart as "Gilbert and Sullivan".
However, in 1937 Cohan starred in I'd Rather Be Right, a musical with songs by Rodgers and Hart. (In the Cohan biopic Yankee Doodle Dandy, the segments dealing with I'd Rather Be Right only mention librettists George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, not Rodgers and Hart.)
Plot
editThe Phantom President tells the fictional story of American presidential candidates, based on the novel by George F. Worts. A colorless stiff candidate for President is replaced in public appearances by a charismatic medicine show pitchman, from the day when the show included blackface makeup and eccentric dancing.[2]
Cast
edit- George M. Cohan as Theodore K. Blair/Peeter J. 'Doc' Varney
- Claudette Colbert as Felicia Hammond
- Jimmy Durante as Curly Cooney
- George Barbier as Boss Jim Ronkton
- Sidney Toler as Prof. Aikenhead
- Louise Mackintosh as Sen. Sarah Scranton
- Jameson Thomas as Jerrido
- Julius McVicker as Sen. Melrose
- Charles Middleton as Abraham Lincoln (uncredited)
- Alan Mowbray as George Washington (uncredited)
Quotes
edit- Prof. Aikenhead: "Blair lacks political charm. Blair has no flair for savoir faire."
- Peeter J. 'Doc' Varney: "I'm just trying to figure out which one of us looks the most alike."
References
edit- ^ "The Phantom President". AFI Catalog of Featured Films. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ Green, Stanley (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 0-634-00765-3 page 18
External links
edit- The Phantom President at the TCM Movie Database
- The Phantom President at IMDb
- The Phantom President at AllMovie
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