As Tufts students are well aware, we have Monday off. What they may not know is that the reason we have this three-day weekend is so that we may quietly sit in reverence of our beloved Commanders-in-Chief of years past. Since all we care about in the Arts section is fiction, we've compiled our list of our favorite fake presidents (and one real one playing a professor!) in movies and television. Andrew Shepherd, we'd vote for you if we could.
Ronald Reagan in "Bedtime for Bonzo" (1951)
As Professor Peter Boyd, our 40th president kidnaps Bonzo the chimp in a bizarre effort to win the girl of his dreams. In another example of life imitating art, this is how Iran-Contra got started.
Peter Sellers as Merkin Muffley in "Dr. Strangelove..." (1964)
One of Peter Sellers' three great performances in Kubrick's classic, President Muffley makes the decision that no executive wants to face: the prospect of a mine shaft gap with the Russians.
Kevin Kline as Bill Mitchell/Dave Kovic in "Dave" (1993)
Despite the complete and utter lunacy of the plot (no one in America other than Oliver Stone noticed that they'd REPLACED THE PRESIDENT WITH SOMEONE ELSE?), Kevin Kline is as impossible to resist as that damned Kelly Clarkson.
Michael Douglas as Andrew Shepherd in "The American President" (1995)
Members of the Daily staff have been known to scream at the TV in indignation during Bob Rumson's (played by an extra-smarmy Richard Dreyfuss) mud-slinging speech. That's how amazing this early Aaron Sorkin project is. Michael Douglas makes being a widower look good in his role as nice-guy prez Andrew Shepherd. He may be willing to sacrifice the environment to get votes, but he gets points for sending his State Dinner date a Virginia ham.
Bill Pullman as Thomas J. Whitmore in "Independence Day" (1996)
A former fighter pilot who somehow becomes president despite his seeming ineptitude and love for nukes? That's crazy! Bill works the Pullman magic yet again with his stirring "Today is our Independence Day!" speech. Too bad we weren't ever a colony of an alien empire.
Harrison Ford as James Marshall in "Air Force One" (1997)
Get off his plane.
Martin Sheen as Jed Bartlet in "The West Wing" (1999-2006)
Whether stealing a line from "Sports Night" or launching into a stream of impossibly eloquent and thoughtful off the cuff asides, Sheen has never made us so glad to watch the product of heroin addiction in action.
Dennis Haysbert as David Palmer in "24" (2001-2006)
The cool, calm and decisive executive was a perfect foil to Jack Bauer's torture-happy CTU agent. When he was assassinated in the opening scene of this season, it only proved that the presidents with the most promise meet the assassin's bullet. Except for Garfield and McKinley, who no one really missed.
Ossie Davis as JFK in "Bubba Ho-Tep" (2002)
When Clinton left office, he started hanging out with Bush Sr. and playing golf in Kennebunkport. When JFK left office by way of assassination, he lost a piece of his brain and had his skin dyed. Played by the legendary African-American actor Ossie Davis, the elderly JFK teams up with Elvis to solve the mystery of a soul-sucking mummy that is haunting their nursing home.
Billy Bob Thornton as "The US President" in "Love Actually" (2003)
A supposed hybrid of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Thornton's unnamed president is appropriately skeevy and arrogant. Hugh Grant's heroic monologue is the only time in history a foppish English dandy will win out over a good ol' American cowboy.
- compiled by Gregory Connor, Blair Rainsford and Dave Cavell
