TCM Star O' the Month: Ronald Reagan

There’s much to love about TCM’s Mighty Robert Osborne. His introduction to an evening’s film will frequently offer up an insight that makes a repeat viewing essential, and his summation after the fade is always a perfect capper. Osborne’s warm dignity, passion for classic cinema and film knowledge is second to none, but that wouldn’t mean a thing if he lacked the class required to keep politics out of it.

Reagan, Jane Wyman, and Wayne Morris in Brother Rat

One of the primary elements that makes Turner Classic Movies so special is its lack of politics. Regardless of the film he’s introducing, Osborne keeps everything within a historical context even if what’s on that night’s schedule is political in nature. TCM is one of the great sources of pleasure in my life, and were it to go off on some ideological deep end… I don’t even want to think about it.

And I’m talking about the channel in general. Obviously, with Alec Baldwin co-hosting “The Essentials” for a season (and he’s a great choice) and with other guests, there have been political moments (both conservative and liberal) but overall TCM is a film lover’s oasis free from the nonsense of the day.

For this reason we should appreciate that TCM’s chosen star of the month for March is none other than Ronald Reagan, which means that every Wednesday night’s schedule is packed with Reagan’s films, including tomorrow tonight.

Naturally the Left has worked overtime to diminish and ridicule Reagan as a second-rate actor, but the truth is that he had a respectable career, made a number of very good films, and projected an impressive presence on the screen. No one, including Reagan himself, would argue he was the second coming of Gary Cooper, but had Reagan not gone on to become one of our greatest presidents, his film career would’ve been a respectable life’s accomplishment all on its own — not to mention his important tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Would TCM recognize Reagan as “Star of the Month” had he not been president? Probably not. But that’s what I love about the channel. Reagan was a United States President who happened to star in a number of old films. Republican or Democrat, you honor that, even if the man’s politics aren’t yours.

Tomorrow night TCM airs six Reagan features and a short. If forced to choose one, it would be “Brother Rat” (5pm PST), an energetic and entertaining military comedy starring the gorgeous Priscilla Lane, and in his film debut, Mr. Eddie Albert. The film also co-stars Jane Wyman, an Oscar-winner and future Mrs. Ronald Reagan. They married just two years later and if memory serves, this is how they met.

Reagan’s not the film’s star (Wayne Morris is), but Reagan’s flair for comedy is obvious enough that someone at Warner Bros. must’ve said, “This guy’s got a future.”

If they only knew….