Wednesday, January 14, 2015

January 14 - George Wallace

Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on January 14. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

GEORGE WALLACE             

In 1972 Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who’s running for the Democratic presidential nomination travels to Laurel, Maryland and is paralyzed in an assassination attempt. Back in 1955 Wallace was “Big” Jim Folsom’s successful gubernatorial campaign manager. Folsom is a liberal on race matters and Wallace is his political heir.  In 1958 Wallace runs an economically progressive campaign, but the KKK supports the other more racist candidate and he loses and to top it off his wife, Lurleen, wants to leave him. We flash forward to Wallace’s inauguration as governor on January 14, 1963 where he says, “Segregation Today, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever”. [1:01:17 to 1:14:20] Wallace became the pro-segregation candidate and convinced his wife to stay. He calls out state troopers against demonstrations led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Birmingham. Wallace tells the US Attorney General “Bobbie” Kennedy that he will oppose the integration of the University of Alabama and makes his infamous ‘stand in the doorway’.  His speech at Harvard University causes a riot. Wallace thinks the Sixth St. church bombing was caused by civil rights agitators, not the KKK. He calls out the troopers to stop marchers at the Raymond Pettus Bridge. His wife gets cancer. Wallace asks for a constitutional amendment so he can run again, but this is refused, so his wife runs for governor and wins, but dies in office. In 1970 he meets Cornelia Spivey whom he marries and Wallace is elected governor again. After he is paralyzed Wallace and his wife argue and later divorce. However, being shot causes him to have a change of heart and revert back to his earlier views on race. Wallace tries to apologize to “Big” Jim Folsom, whom he had spurned, but is refused. He does go to the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church,  the biggest African-American church in Montgomery, and apologizes.

A good although somewhat sanitized biopic of this controversial figure.

Carry Me Home by Diane McWhorter (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001) at page 311 gives the date of his inauguration.

Awards - The film won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (Sinise), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Winningham) and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Frankenheimer) Emmys. It was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Jolie), Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Movie, Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie, Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special and Outstanding Miniseries at the 50th Primetime Emmy Awards.   

Producers - John Frankenheimer and Julian Krainin

Director - John Frankenheimer                   

Running Time – 2 hours 58 minutes      
Released - August 24, 1997                

Cast - 

Gary Sinise as George Wallace
Angelina Jolie as Cornelia Wallace
Mare Winningham as Lurleen Wallace
Joe Don Baker as “Big’ Jim Folsom

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.






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