Thirty years ago, actor James Whitmore did a one-man show called “Give ’em Hell, Harry,” about President Truman. It was a fascinating tribute to a man who left the White House unpopular over a war that everyone said was unnecessary. The vindication of Truman came as the Vietnam War wound down.
Will Ferrell is preparing to do a show mocking President Bush. I guess Farrell is afraid that 30 years from now, Bush too will be vindicated. Ferrell will re-package old “SNL” skits for his show, “You’re Welcome, America. A Final Night with George W. Bush,” which begins previews on Inauguration Day.
Ferrell told the New York Times that he suffers BDS — Bush Derangement Syndrome.
“There are people who are going to be, ‘Enough already, leave him alone.’ Or, ‘I don’t care if it’s funny, I don’t want to even think about that guy anymore.’ Or — and I hope this is the case — people who think, ‘This is cathartic, this is good,’ ” Ferrell told the Times. “At first I thought, I don’t know about a Broadway show. I don’t want to be just known as the guy who did Bush. But then I thought, what am I talking about? This is a great way to hang that character up, not even so much as a political statement, but to send him off into the sunset.”
He ought to listen to those people who tell him to let it go. Hate can eat a man alive.
Politics aside, is it funny? Here is the sample of Ferrell’s humor that the New York Times shared with readers:
Q: Former presidents have worked on their memoirs; have you thought about how you’re going to tell your story, when you’re going to begin writing it?
A: I actually finished mine, Jon. They will be sold only as a book on tape narrated by Vin Scully and Joe Morgan. I don’t want to ruin the ending, but let’s just say, Osama gets what’s coming to him.
Q: Sir, you wrote your memoirs, and they’re fiction? It’s a work of fiction?
A: Yes, yes, it’s fiction, Jon. If people want to read what actually happened, they can go to the library and read the micro-fish.
Q: Uh, I believe, sir, fiche. Microfiche.
A: Are you cursing at me in Jewish? Listen, Jon, just shut up. This book is going to make a great movie. It’s like a cross between ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Die Hard’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ — only with e-mails being deleted, and torture.
This goes on for 75 minutes without an intermission. He even said he wants the theater kept dark so he does not see the people leaving.
I don’t think many will enter.
I’m curious as to who Ferrell thinks will see his show. Certainly not the 62 million of us who voted to re-elect Bush in 2004. So who does he expect to show up? Al Gore voters? John Kerry voters? I think they have moved on to the new president.
Ferrell hasn’t.
James Whitmore got a lot of praise for his one-man show. It was a tribute to Truman, not a put-down. Whitmore and his writers were smart men.
Nobody does tributes to presidents in Hollywood anymore. Are you kidding? Ferrell is going to be Chevy Chase to Jerry Ford. Chase mercilessly mocked Ford on “SNL” some 30 years ago. He even mocked the two assassination attempts on President Ford. Chase was quite proud that Ford was not elected in 1976.
But President Ford lost in 1976 because he pardoned Richard Nixon. Ford would rather be right than president. On May 21, 2001, Ted Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy bestowed the Profile in Courage award on Jerry Ford.
A year later, Comedy Central did a roast of Chevy Chase. It was not light-hearted, but mean. A reviewer said, “Jeez. I had been ready to laugh, but I eased off as Chase, in sunglasses, brooked the insults — and a full, tragic portrait of the enigmatic wastrel emerged. Arrogant young comic, former addict, maker of failed family movies: The shards of Chase’s persona almost seemed too negligible to put together, much less take apart again. But then I began to wonder if there were any way, in light of the fact that so many people now openly revile him, to admire Chevy Chase again — if for no other reason than that someone ought to.”
Ferrell might want to re-think this whole BDS thing. Give the guy 30 years and see what happens.