Everybody Loves Lincoln

Posted by medusamorlock on February 12, 2007

It would be impossible for me not to honor my favorite President on his birthday today. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, and is by far the most-popular President in terms of movie and television appearances. And how could it be otherwise? His life was the stuff of movies before they were even invented, a tale of adventure, struggle, unimaginable tragedy, brilliance, poverty, domestic strife, domestic bliss, humor, kindness, respect, honor, and finally transcendence and immortality. Not bad for a poor boy from Kentucky.

A string of interesting actors have portrayed Honest Abe over the years, many of them during the silent movie years, because, amazingly enough, at the time these were being made – starting around 1911 or so — Lincoln had only been dead a little over forty years. As we have experienced with JFK, it’s curious how close forty years ago can seem, and America’s obsession and love for Abraham Lincoln had continued to grow since his assassination. (In 1901, his tomb was being refurbished, and his coffin was opened to confirm that indeed it was Lincoln in there. The still-well-preserved body was viewed by a delegation of officials, and they reported that he was quite recognizable. The coffin was soon after buried under tons of concrete, forever encasing our most charismatic president).

Apart from the very well known Lincoln movies, such as Raymond Massey’s stage to screen Oscar-nominated turn in Abe Lincoln in Illinois, or Henry Henry Fonda as Young Mr. Lincoln Fonda as Young Mr. Lincoln, there were a handful of character actors who repeatedly played Lincoln in short Frank Glynn in The Littlest Rebel subjects and movies. Actor Frank Glynn seems to be the winner with around 14 performances as Abe, including with Shirley Temple in The Littlest Rebel, in C.B. DeMille’s The Plainsman, and other historical films during the 1920s and 1930s. Actor Ralph Ince was the Lincoln of choice during the silent years, with a string of performances in the second decade of this century. Charles Middleton, better known as Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon serials played Abe several times, as did Ford Rainey.

Captain Kirk and His Hero Abraham Lincoln Television was a gold mine for Lincoln-inclined actors, with the President showing up in every kind of program, from documentaries to science fiction. It is a fitting comment on the lasting significance and affection for both Star Trek and Abraham Lincoln that the recent obituaries for actor Lee Bergere, who famously played a simulacrum of Kirk’s hero Lincoln in an episode of the original series, mentioned that this one guest role got him more attention than anything else he had ever done.

The other thing that continues to put Lincoln on top of the show business dead president heap is the aura of humor that surrounds him; actor Robert Barrone made a number of appearances as a comic Lincoln, most famously in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and a number of sitcoms. Despite being one of the most eloquent men — no, clearly the most – ever to hold the office, Abraham Lincoln knew how to take a joke, and how to tell one. No quality is perhaps more cherished these days, and this one aspect of Lincoln will keep his star high when other more sedate Presidents have ceased to inhabit the public imagination. (Unfortunate, perhaps, for the state of the nation, but true, I think.)

I highly recommend spending some time reading Lincoln, reading about Lincoln, or watching what Hollywood has done with him. We perhaps have Steven Spielberg’s version of Abraham Lincoln to look forward to in the future, with Liam Neeson as set as these things ever get to play Abe. Could be interesting, but never as interesting as the real thing. Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln!

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9 Responses Everybody Loves Lincoln

Posted By Jeff : February 12, 2007 4:43 pm

Hey Medusa, I recall an episode of "The Rifleman" – it was directed by Joseph H. Lewis - when Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) had a visit from Honest Abe (played by Royal Dano) and they got into a wrestling match! I think Abe popped up in a bunch of TV series back then.

Posted By LORI8990 : February 12, 2007 7:41 pm

YOU SAID IT ALL!!AND WHAT A MARVELOUS PRESIDENT HE WAS AND WILL FOR EVER BE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE…THANKS FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE BEST MAN EVER!!!

Posted By lori8990 : February 12, 2007 7:50 pm

THERE IS AN EPISODE OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE, ITS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR IS OVER AND ALL THE SOLDIERS ARE WALKING DOWN A DIRT ROAD GOING HOME AND THE WHOLE TIME A LITTLE OLD LADY WAS SITTING ON HER PORCH WATCHING ALL OF THEM WALKING AND LIMPING DOWN HER DIRT ROAD.THEN YOU THINK THER ALL GONE BY WHEN OL ABE COMES TAILING IN BEHIND ALL HIS SOLDIERS. AS IF HE MADE SURE THEY ALL MADE IT HOME SAFELY…EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS JUST A SHOW I GOT THE SENSE THAT HE WAS REALLY THAT WAY.GOTTA LOVE HIM!!!!

Posted By RHS : February 12, 2007 11:02 pm

On this day we celebrate not only Lincoln's achievements as a statesman and emancipator but also for helping Kirk, Spock and the great Vulcan Surak hold the line against those emissaries of evil, Genghis Khan, the tyrant Colonel Green, the murderous scientist Zora and legendary Klingon Kahless.

Posted By kimpunkrock : February 13, 2007 12:16 am

I think that Lincoln and Kennedy were two of the greatest presidents we ever had and they were both shot. Kennedy was also a freedom fighter president, it is one of the reasons he was gunned down. I really love Raymond Massey's protrail of old honest Abe. LIncoln still pops up in todays TV shows-including Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Futurama and the Simpons to name a few.

Posted By eltone : February 13, 2007 10:35 am

I agree with the accalades given to the best president this country has ever seen. I don't think J.F.K. would be remembered in such a good light, what with his drug use due to illnesses, he was getting methadone in the early 60's just before they opened that drug up for use to heroine addicts. Kennedy took it for pain. Plus his womanizing might have come out to hurt him. Back then the press had respect for privacy, not now. Anyway it wasn't that he was doing anything wrong, except possibly the womanizing, I mean if he was addicted to any drug it came from medical use as opposed to drug seeking behavior. He was a good president while he had the chance, but some of his behaviors would not be accepted today, me thinks. My favorite Lincoln movie was the one with Raymond Massey, I think that was "Young Mr. Lincoln in Illinois," but I could be wrong about the title, but I don't think so. Peace to all you film noir lovers.

Posted By Frostbite : February 13, 2007 1:12 pm

Lincoln on Star Trek? I think I've seen everything now… ;)

Posted By Medusa : February 14, 2007 10:11 am

I mean, look at Lincoln's face — what a guy…! Is he not everything we have all said, and more? I love that pic of Abe because he has the beginnings of a wry smile (at a time when nobody smiled in pictures) and his eyes are so kind and wise. Sheesh…I just love him.Obviously time has allowed us to even make jokes about his assassination, and we would like to believe that even he would have joined in the merriment. Perhaps in a hundred years we'll have similar yuks over JFK, but the only contemporary comedic media treatment of the events in Dallas (that I can recall at this time) is a tremendous episode of the Brit space comedy Red Dwarf that probably could not have been made here in the U.S.. (RD also has an episode with Lincoln who, along with a bunch of other historical figures in the form of living wax beings, wage hilarious war against each other.)Frostbite, watch for the third season "The Savage Curtain" episode of original Star Trek to see Abe on the Enterprise. I also recall that Lincoln was a childhood hero of Gene Roddenberry (his mail order Trek memorabilia business was called Lincoln Enterprises), hence his visit to the ship. And right now there's an insomnia medicine commercial using Abe entreating the non-sleeper to take the medicine so that they can get back to their dream poker games. The image of Lincoln is so human and humane that who wouldn't want to play a game of cards with him, eh? He's the greatest!

Posted By RHS : February 15, 2007 1:10 pm

Some years ago I was outlining a possible TV series about a character who is able to go back in time and insinuate himself into past events (sort of like Quantam Leap but without all the cross dressing– really, Scott Bakula, what was up with that?) with the express purpose of answering lingering questions. One episode involved the Lincoln assassination and a glitch in the time travel mechanism that keeps making the hero revisit the killing over and over again from different perspectives and vantage points. Our hero gets so caught up in the event that he actually tries to prevent John Wilkes Booth from shooting Abraham Lincoln but with each glitch he winds up farther and farther away from the Ford Theater and arrives later and later, forced to witness and rewitness the death of Lincoln a dozen times. (At one point, he actually trumps Secretary Stanton with the immortal "Now he belongs to the ages.") In the end, he is called back, the mission a failure, but the life of the hero is now inexorably changed.

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