Commentary
Who is the most famous or beloved president of all time? Judging by Hollywood’s Golden Era, I would wager that Abraham Lincoln was the most revered former president in the 1930s-50s. Countless movies refer to Honest Abe as a role model and inspiration of determination. Depictions of the sixteenth president were also very common in films, often as little more than “cameo” appearances. Lincoln’s film depictions far surpass those of George Washington, probably because there were far more Civil War movies than Revolutionary War movies.
Two movies centered on Abraham Lincoln’s life were made within a year of each other. I included the second one, “Abe Lincoln in Illinois” (1940), in an article I wrote a couple of years ago about three movies focused on U.S. presidents. This movie starred Raymond Massey in the title role and covered Lincoln’s life from the early 1830s until his presidential election. Massey would immerse himself into the role so deeply that he identified strongly with Lincoln for the rest of his life, becoming synonymous with the sixteenth president….