Rachel talks about Andrew building her a home "with six columns" and we see the house, named The Hermitage.
The house had three main iterations.
The first was a simple New England style two-story wood frame home.
That was later remodeled with the addition of wings and a wide veranda.
The iconic image we have today (and how it still looks) was the third remodeling - but it was done after Rachel's death.
Rachel may have involved in the plans for the renovations, but she didn't live to see the finished product.
Susan Hayward, as Rachel Jackson, narrates most of the film, even though her character dies before the movie ends.
This fine film of the love affair and marriage of our seventh president Andrew Jackson and his soul mate Rachel Donelson Robards might not be entirely factual but is a showcase for a beautiful Susan Hayward performance as well as one of Heston's better acting jobs.Using Irving Stone's bestseller as its basis the film covers the couples event filled lives from first meeting to Rachel's passing.
Seeing how I had just started my usual Epics marathon a little earlier than Easter time this year and that it happened to be Andrew Jackson's birthday yesterday, I made it a point to catch up with both the original 1938 Cecil B. De Mille production of THE BUCCANEER as well as Charlton Heston's first stab at the role (the second would, of course, occur in the 1958 remake of the latter) in the film under review which, incidentally, I have missed out on several times on Italian TV over the years thinking it more a "woman's picture" than a historical epic.
I'm delighted to see so many favorable reviews for this excellent picture. Released the same year CinemaScope made its splashy debut, 'The President's Lady' is a mid-sized production in b&w of typically high 20th-Fox quality.
Despite my brother's endless supply of interesting presidential trivia, I'm not always able to remember everything he teaches me. With regards to Andrew Jackson, I knew about the War of 1812 and the Trail of Tears, but nothing more.
I keep waiting to see this again on TMC. I wish I had been around to see these movies when they were first released, on the big screen.
I want to watch The President's lady, but I don't know where I can rent it or buy it. I have heard of the movie and people say it is really good so I would really like to see it and if I don't see it soon I will not be able to see it because I will be leaving town for a while.
This film is only about a small portion of Jackson's life--when he met, courted and married his wife, Rachel. It doesn't talk about his career as a general, the Trail of Tears, the Battle of New Orleans, his invasion of Spanish Florida, his closing the National Bank or many of his other exploits and only BRIEFLY talks about the rest of his exciting life.
I was surprised by Chuck Heston in this movie because I've mainly seen his post-Moses/God complex performances and thought he was a big bag of wind, but he was pretty good here. Susan Hayward was excellent as Rachel and gave this pretty standard biopic some heart.
Surprisingly entertaining effort, with Charlton Heston once again rising to the occasion as Andrew Jackson. Susan Hayward meets him half way, and together they waltz arm-in-arm through trial and tribulation.
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