Potus Geeks Summer Reruns: Theodore Roosevelt Played By Brian Keith
Originally posted on May 19, 2018 as part of our series on "Movie and TV Presidents".
In an earlier post in this series, I opined that actor Brian Keith gave one of the worst on-screen performances as a President of the United States when he was cast as William McKinley in the mini-series Rough Riders. Keith is best known for his performances in films such as Disney's "The Parent Trap", the 1966 comedy "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" and for his television role of bachelor-uncle-turned-reluctant-parent Bill Davis in the 1960s sitcom "Family Affair". His role in Rough Riders came shortly before his death by a self-inflicted gunshot, at a time when he was in poor health and suffering from severe depression.
Keith gave one of his best performances in the role of President Theodore Roosevelt in the 1975 MGM film The Wind and the Lion in which he plays Roosevelt seeking re-election in 1904. The film is based on something known as "The Perdicaris Incident". On May 18 1904, wealthy Greek-American businessman Ion Perdicaris and Cromwell Varley (the son of Perdicadis's lady-friend Ellen Varley) were kidnapped from their home in Tangier Morocco by members of a group led by Moroccan tribal leader Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli. Several of Perdicaris's servants were injured and Ellen Varley was left behind. Perdicaris broke his leg in a horse fall in the incident. Raisuli held Perdicaris for ransom and demanded that Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco pay him $70,000 ransom and give him control of two of Morocco's wealthiest districts.
In an earlier form of Stockholm Syndrome, Perdicaris befriended Raisuli, and the latter promised to protect his prisoner. Perdicaris later said of Raisuli: "He is not a bandit, not a murderer, but a patriot forced into acts of brigandage to save his native soil and his people from the yoke of tyranny."
But in the United States President Theodore Roosevelt was angered by the kidnapping. Secretary of State John Hay called the ransom demands "preposterous". Roosevelt dispatched seven warships under the command of Admiral French Ensor Chadwick, and several Marine companies, commanded by Major John Twiggs Myers, though the military leaders were unsure what could be accomplished on such hostile foreign soil. The plan for using them was to seize the custom-houses of Morocco, which supplied much of its revenue, if the Moroccan government did not do whatever it took to persuade Raisuli to release Perdicaris. They were also instructed to attack Raisuli if Perdicaris was killed. A small detachment of a dozen Marines actually landed on shore, carrying only sidearms, to protect the Consulate and Mrs. Perdicaris.
On June 1, Roosevelt's learned that Perdicaris had actually renounced his U.S. citizenship and forfeited his American passport for a Greek one forty years earlier, but this did not weaken his resolve to teach the Moroccan trial leader that he could not trifle with persons Raisuli believed to be American citizens. Roosevelt tried to convince Britain and France to join the U.S. in a combined military action to rescue Perdicaris, but the two countries refused. The two powers covertly attempted to pressure the Sultan to accept Raisuli's demands, which he later agreed to do on June 21.
John Hay issued a statement to the Republican National Convention in which he said "This government wants Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead. Delegates at the Convention supported the position. One Kansas delegate was quoted as saying, "Roosevelt and Hay know what they're doing. Our people like courage. We'll stand for anything those men do." It is unclear how much of an issue this was in the 1904 election, but it reinforced Roosevelt's reputation as a man of strong will. The detailed facts of the incident, including the fact that Perdicaris was not an American, remained secret until 1933, when historian Tyler Dennett reported the incident in his biography of John Hay.
In the movie account of the incident, Morocco is shown as a target sought by the great powers of the day, Germany, France, and the British Empire. Raisuli (played by Sean Connery) is the commander of a band of Berber insurrectionists opposed to the young Sultan Abdelaziz and his uncle, the Pasha of Tangier. Raisuli considers the Pasha to be corrupt and in the pocket of the Europeans. In the movie, Raisuli kidnaps a woman named Eden Pedecaris and her children, William and Jennifer. Sir Joshua Smith, a British friend of Eden's, is killed. In the film Raisuli issues his ransom demand with the goal of provoking an international incident in order to embarrass the Sultan and start a civil war. Meanwhile, in the United States, President Theodore Roosevelt is seeking election to a full term and decides to use the kidnapping for political purposes, coining the phrase "Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead!" He used the incident to demonstrate America's military strength as a new world power, despite the protests of his cautious Secretary of State, John Hay (played by John Huston).
The American Consul to Tangier, Samuel Gummere, is unable to negotiate a peaceful return of the hostages, so Roosevelt sends the South Atlantic Squadron, under the command of Admiral French Ensor Chadwick, to Tangier, either to retrieve Pedecaris themselves or to force the Sultan to accede to Raisuli's demands. As the incident progresses, Roosevelt finds himself gaining respect for Raisuli, thinking him an honorable man who just happens to be his enemy.
The Pedecarises are kept as hostages by Raisuli in the Rif, far away from their potential rescuers. The Pedecaris children admire Raisuli, but Eden (played by Candace Bergen) does not. An attempt at escape fails as the family is betrayed and given to a gang of desert thieves. Raisuli comes to their rescue and Eden gains new respect for Raisuli.
The Americans decide to engage in "military intervention" to get the Pasha to accede to the Raisuli's demands. Further complications arise due to the intervention of German and Moroccan troops leading to a climactic confrontation. In the film, Roosevelt later reads a letter he received from Raisuli, comparing the two men "I (Raisuli), like the lion, must remain in my place, while you, like the wind, will never know yours".
Here is a video clip of Keith's performance as Roosevelt.
In an earlier post in this series, I opined that actor Brian Keith gave one of the worst on-screen performances as a President of the United States when he was cast as William McKinley in the mini-series Rough Riders. Keith is best known for his performances in films such as Disney's "The Parent Trap", the 1966 comedy "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" and for his television role of bachelor-uncle-turned-reluctant-parent Bill Davis in the 1960s sitcom "Family Affair". His role in Rough Riders came shortly before his death by a self-inflicted gunshot, at a time when he was in poor health and suffering from severe depression.
Keith gave one of his best performances in the role of President Theodore Roosevelt in the 1975 MGM film The Wind and the Lion in which he plays Roosevelt seeking re-election in 1904. The film is based on something known as "The Perdicaris Incident". On May 18 1904, wealthy Greek-American businessman Ion Perdicaris and Cromwell Varley (the son of Perdicadis's lady-friend Ellen Varley) were kidnapped from their home in Tangier Morocco by members of a group led by Moroccan tribal leader Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli. Several of Perdicaris's servants were injured and Ellen Varley was left behind. Perdicaris broke his leg in a horse fall in the incident. Raisuli held Perdicaris for ransom and demanded that Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco pay him $70,000 ransom and give him control of two of Morocco's wealthiest districts.
In an earlier form of Stockholm Syndrome, Perdicaris befriended Raisuli, and the latter promised to protect his prisoner. Perdicaris later said of Raisuli: "He is not a bandit, not a murderer, but a patriot forced into acts of brigandage to save his native soil and his people from the yoke of tyranny."
But in the United States President Theodore Roosevelt was angered by the kidnapping. Secretary of State John Hay called the ransom demands "preposterous". Roosevelt dispatched seven warships under the command of Admiral French Ensor Chadwick, and several Marine companies, commanded by Major John Twiggs Myers, though the military leaders were unsure what could be accomplished on such hostile foreign soil. The plan for using them was to seize the custom-houses of Morocco, which supplied much of its revenue, if the Moroccan government did not do whatever it took to persuade Raisuli to release Perdicaris. They were also instructed to attack Raisuli if Perdicaris was killed. A small detachment of a dozen Marines actually landed on shore, carrying only sidearms, to protect the Consulate and Mrs. Perdicaris.
On June 1, Roosevelt's learned that Perdicaris had actually renounced his U.S. citizenship and forfeited his American passport for a Greek one forty years earlier, but this did not weaken his resolve to teach the Moroccan trial leader that he could not trifle with persons Raisuli believed to be American citizens. Roosevelt tried to convince Britain and France to join the U.S. in a combined military action to rescue Perdicaris, but the two countries refused. The two powers covertly attempted to pressure the Sultan to accept Raisuli's demands, which he later agreed to do on June 21.
John Hay issued a statement to the Republican National Convention in which he said "This government wants Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead. Delegates at the Convention supported the position. One Kansas delegate was quoted as saying, "Roosevelt and Hay know what they're doing. Our people like courage. We'll stand for anything those men do." It is unclear how much of an issue this was in the 1904 election, but it reinforced Roosevelt's reputation as a man of strong will. The detailed facts of the incident, including the fact that Perdicaris was not an American, remained secret until 1933, when historian Tyler Dennett reported the incident in his biography of John Hay.
In the movie account of the incident, Morocco is shown as a target sought by the great powers of the day, Germany, France, and the British Empire. Raisuli (played by Sean Connery) is the commander of a band of Berber insurrectionists opposed to the young Sultan Abdelaziz and his uncle, the Pasha of Tangier. Raisuli considers the Pasha to be corrupt and in the pocket of the Europeans. In the movie, Raisuli kidnaps a woman named Eden Pedecaris and her children, William and Jennifer. Sir Joshua Smith, a British friend of Eden's, is killed. In the film Raisuli issues his ransom demand with the goal of provoking an international incident in order to embarrass the Sultan and start a civil war. Meanwhile, in the United States, President Theodore Roosevelt is seeking election to a full term and decides to use the kidnapping for political purposes, coining the phrase "Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead!" He used the incident to demonstrate America's military strength as a new world power, despite the protests of his cautious Secretary of State, John Hay (played by John Huston).
The American Consul to Tangier, Samuel Gummere, is unable to negotiate a peaceful return of the hostages, so Roosevelt sends the South Atlantic Squadron, under the command of Admiral French Ensor Chadwick, to Tangier, either to retrieve Pedecaris themselves or to force the Sultan to accede to Raisuli's demands. As the incident progresses, Roosevelt finds himself gaining respect for Raisuli, thinking him an honorable man who just happens to be his enemy.
The Pedecarises are kept as hostages by Raisuli in the Rif, far away from their potential rescuers. The Pedecaris children admire Raisuli, but Eden (played by Candace Bergen) does not. An attempt at escape fails as the family is betrayed and given to a gang of desert thieves. Raisuli comes to their rescue and Eden gains new respect for Raisuli.
The Americans decide to engage in "military intervention" to get the Pasha to accede to the Raisuli's demands. Further complications arise due to the intervention of German and Moroccan troops leading to a climactic confrontation. In the film, Roosevelt later reads a letter he received from Raisuli, comparing the two men "I (Raisuli), like the lion, must remain in my place, while you, like the wind, will never know yours".
Here is a video clip of Keith's performance as Roosevelt.