Gabriel Over the White House begins on President Judd Hammond's first night in the White House. After being congratulated by other members of his party, Hammond (Walter Huston) is approached by his young nephew Jimmy (Dickie Moore) who is excited that his uncle will "cure" the depression and make America rich again. President Hammond worries about fulfilling the many promises he made to get elected to which a fellow official remarks, "By the time they realize you didn't keep them, your term will be over!"
Franchot Tone is Secretary Hartley Beekman or Beek as the president (who in turn insists on being called Major) calls him. Along with his official secretary, Hammond also takes on a personal secretary Pendola Molloy (Karen Morley). It is unclear what Hammond and Molloy's connection is, but they seem to have had a past.
From the start, it is obvious that President Hammond does not plan to make any waves in his new position. When asked about the rampant unemployment and racketeering in America, Hammond dismisses these issues as "local problems" and makes general promises of future prosperity to the public. When Pendola "Penny" tells her boss that he can do great things with the pen he is using, Hammond calls her an idealist and explains, "See, Penny, the party has a plan. I'm just a member of that party."
There's this really great scene where President Hammond is playing with his nephew in the White House. They're searching around and having such fun and are completely oblivious to the booming voice of John Bronson, the leader of the Army of the Unemployed, on the radio who is publicly pleading with the president to take action. This scene really hits home just how purposeless Judd intends to be as a leader. Shortly after, the carefree president is speeding in his car, trying to push it to 110 miles per hour, when he crashes it and loses consciousness.
Here's where the film takes a strange turn. While he's unconscious, divine intervention occurs. Penny is later convinced this divine intervention is angel Gabriel sent as a messenger from God to President Hammond. Suddenly, Judd Hammond is a changed man. He talks with purpose and actively seeks out meetings with the unemployed and racketeers. He wants to feed, clothe, and shelter the poor. He wants to punish the racketeers. This is all wonderful progress, for sure.
However, when Congress, the Senate, and the Cabinet all question him, the President requests the resignation of all the men who put him in power. Hammond then declares a state of emergency giving him full dictatorship. Hammond declares that he wants to be a dictator for the greater good, but I think most of us can agree that a man, without any checks and balances of any kind, who has sole power over a nation can be a very frightening prospect. In this film, Hammond is able to kill gangsters execution-style because he believes in an eye-for-an-eye. He bombs a ship to show how peace is needed in the world. Hammond certainly has the right ideals, but he gives himself such a position that denies citizens their right to a democracy. In the end, we see that an ailing President Hammond, a hero in the eyes of the public, has initiated the Washington Covenant, a signed treaty across nations, to ensure peace and prosperity for all.
As the film progresses, Franchot's character Beekman develops feelings for Penny and continues to idolize Hammond. When he appoints himself as dictator, Hammond changes Beekman's position of secretary to the President to secretary of war. It's not a large role for Franchot, but it has substance to it and he plays it well.
It's definitely an interesting treatment of politics in film. Because of its turn from democracy to dictatorship, this pre-code film is controversial to today's audience. Watching it, I grew uncomfortable when Hammond declared himself a dictator and obtained full control. Thankfully, he used his power for eventual good, but I was not in agreement with his ways of getting to that final peace agreement. I was astounded when Hammond ordered the execution of the racketeering gang and Beekman oversaw these orders. The scene played like one gang's retaliation on another gang, not a just and fair President's actions. Although I and many other current viewers have some reservations about the film's direction, audiences in 1933 loved the film's message. Desperate for a solution to the depression, hopeful about President Roosevelt, and eager for active change, Gabriel Over the White House was praised by viewers as an "inspiration" and "what the whole world is praying for."
Photoplay Magazine readers wrote letters praising the film.
Marshall Mills of Massachusetts wrote:
Walter Huston always comes through. It doesn't matter which kind of part he is asked to play, a hero or a villain, he is equally successful with either. In "Gabriel Over the White House" we enjoy him as a hero and a villain in the same picture. Nobody could be more the genial politician than the President Hammond we despised before the auto accident, and nobody more the patriotic statesman than the same character after his transformation. If there's a better actor in the business than Walter Huston, who is he?J.L. Norris of Washington, D.C. shared:
The people of this nation are truly indebted to Walter Huston. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the author for their work in putting "Gabriel Over the White House" before the public. It is the greatest and most dynamic hit of good propaganda ever put forth by any agency, including radio and newspapers. Incidentally, after seeing "Gabriel Over the White House" I had occasion to walk past the Executive Mansion on my way home. And somehow it did seem quite plausible that the Angel of Revelation has made his presence known to the head of our country.Alabama native E.B. Harrison, like many others, praised the actual President Roosevelt in his review:
After seeing "Gabriel Over the White House" I can truly say that it is the best picture I have seen in years. It not only shows the greatness of the actors and the director, but it gives the people of the United States a very good idea of the greatness of the man we have in our White House today.The New York Times reviewed:
Mr. Huston gives a vigorous and emphatic portrayal of Hammond. He reveals the man's weaknesses in the beginning and his vision and strength in the latter phases. He delivers the various speeches with vehemence...Franchot Tone is not especially impressive as Beekman and Karen Morley is only acceptable as Beekman's assistant...Gregory La Cava, the director, has handled the incidents in the Senate and in the open air with the desired imagination and forcefulness. The attack on the gangsters is set forth in a somewhat unbelievable and melodramatic manner, but the general effect of the meeting of the representative nations in the penultimate episode is depicted quite cleverly.In a more modern description of the film for its 1998 film series, the Library of Congress summarized:
The good news: he reduces unemployment, lifts the country out of the Depression, battles gangsters and Congress, and brings about world peace. The bad news: he's Mussolini. Gabriel Over the White House is a delight precisely because of its confused ideology. Depending on your perspective, it's a strident defense of democracy and the wisdom of the common man, a good argument for benevolent dictatorship, a prescient anticipation of the New Deal, a call for theocratic governance, and on and on.Gabriel Over the White House is available on DVD. Stay tuned for next Friday's continuation of the Franchot and Politics series!
Sources:
- Photoplay Magazine. June 1933; July 1933.
- Hall, Mordaunt. "Walter Huston as a President of the United States Who Proclaims Himself a Dictator." The New York Times. April 1, 1933.
- Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/films.html
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