August 9, 2007
FDR’s Polio II Posted by Ellen Feldman at 10:45 PM EST Though I have not seen the series Eleanor and Franklin in many years, I agree with John Steele Gordon that it is a superb portrait of the Roosevelts and their brilliant political and less successful personal relationship. It is also, as Mr. Gordon points out, impressive in its accuracy. While I enjoyed HBO’s more recent Warm Springs and greatly admired Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of FDR, I found myself occasionally raging at the inaccuracies on the screen. The movie’s depiction of the Roosevelt marriage is murky at best, misleading at worst. The viewer doesn’t quite understand why these two characters who are so obviously and blissfully in love are always apart. Even worse is the scene when FDR makes his agonizing walk to the podium to nominate Al Smith as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency in 1928. Though few in the audience knew how extensive his paralysis was, they sensed he had pulled off a feat of daring and courage, and went wild with admiration. All that is true, but in this movie, FDR, who was ever the consummate politician, nonetheless takes time before beginning his speech to blow ER, who is sitting in the balcony, a kiss. FDR could be affectionate, but not before thousands of delegates packed into Madison Square Garden. What I found most fascinating about Mr. Gordon’s blog, however, is his quibble with the “production values” in the recreation of Teddy Roosevelt’s house, Sagamore Hill. As he wisely points out, the Roosevelts were “old money” and had no need to impress. His comment reminded me of an interview Richard Heffner, the host of The Open Mind, conducted many years ago with Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt reminisces about turning the house in Hyde Park over to the government after FDR’s death. The Roosevelts were “old money,” but times were changing, and she could not afford to keep up the main house and all the land. She remained in her own cottage on the property, however, and in the interview she speaks of occasionally dropping in at the big house and listening to the comments of visiting tourists. Many were disappointed in, even disdainful of, the beautiful old house, which FDR had helped design and dearly loved. They found the furniture and decor old-fashioned and musty. If they could have afforded to live there, they would have spruced the place up. ER appears not to have engaged any of the visiting critics on the subject, but she does admit in the interview that like her mother-in-law, Sara, who was the mistress of Hyde Park until her death in 1941, she believes in making things last. She never quite says it, but you can tell from her voice that she finds redecorating merely for the sake of redecoration vaguely vulgar. It was probably one of the few opinions she shared with her famously difficult mother-in-law.
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