And then President Truman stepped in and offered the position of United States Representative to the United Nations to former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. It's quite a shock for her to realize how beloved she is in addition to how despised she is. John Foster Dulles (E. G. Marshall) in particular feels that she is wrong for the position, and when she realizes that, she sets out to prove him wrong. Jean Stapleton, having already conquered TV audiences as one of the most beloved housewives ever, later conquered audiences at the star of some terrific TV movies, and this is Stapleton at her best. She utilizes her stage training in recreating a part that she had done on stage and she certainly is perfectly cast.
Joyce Van Patten is sensational as Eleanor is very loyal secretary, and Gail Strickland as Anna Roosevelt perfectly explores the resentment of a daughter who always felt overlooked. Eleanor gives more love openly to her grandson at a birthday party then Anna ever felt from her mother all her life, revealing how difficult it was to realize that she had never seen her mother cry. In fact, it's the moment that Anna walks out of the room that Eleanor is able to break into tears over the sadness of the estrangement. The great Coral Browne is excellent as an English aristocrat who is highly involved in aid for refugees, a refreshing viewpoint of the upper class.
It seems in the past year before viewing this, I had seen more films about the Roosevelt's than any other president in my lifetime, and that includes the 1976 miniseries that starred Edward Herman and Jane Alexander. Not every film or play has told the entire story, simply because there was too much to tell. Had Stapleton not played Edith, it would have been difficult for her to have gotten this project off the ground, and that would be a loss to history. This movie is amazing from start to finish, funny at one moment and sad in another, with Stapleton trying to get a little girl to smile by making funny noises and then seeing the numbers on her arm. Television movies over the years have captured many important moments of history, as well as portraits of the fascinating people who have guided our world in positive ways, and this one certainly is a classic that deserves to be seen again and again.
Joyce Van Patten is sensational as Eleanor is very loyal secretary, and Gail Strickland as Anna Roosevelt perfectly explores the resentment of a daughter who always felt overlooked. Eleanor gives more love openly to her grandson at a birthday party then Anna ever felt from her mother all her life, revealing how difficult it was to realize that she had never seen her mother cry. In fact, it's the moment that Anna walks out of the room that Eleanor is able to break into tears over the sadness of the estrangement. The great Coral Browne is excellent as an English aristocrat who is highly involved in aid for refugees, a refreshing viewpoint of the upper class.
It seems in the past year before viewing this, I had seen more films about the Roosevelt's than any other president in my lifetime, and that includes the 1976 miniseries that starred Edward Herman and Jane Alexander. Not every film or play has told the entire story, simply because there was too much to tell. Had Stapleton not played Edith, it would have been difficult for her to have gotten this project off the ground, and that would be a loss to history. This movie is amazing from start to finish, funny at one moment and sad in another, with Stapleton trying to get a little girl to smile by making funny noises and then seeing the numbers on her arm. Television movies over the years have captured many important moments of history, as well as portraits of the fascinating people who have guided our world in positive ways, and this one certainly is a classic that deserves to be seen again and again.