3 LIVE POLL, 1 PS: [4/25] U.S. First Lady or First Gentleman Movie, TV & Streaming Portrayals (First Lady Day)

National First Ladies Day is an American observance that celebrates the women who have served as First Ladies of the United States. It is observed annually on the last Saturday in April to coincide with the anniversary of the first inauguration of George Washington, at which time Martha Washington became the nation's inaugural First Lady. In honor of those who have served as America's hostess during its first 250 years and in the modern era, spotlighting causes that otherwise might not have had such a high-profile champion.

Theatrical & TV Movies (part1&part2)

Part One: Biographical U.S. First Lady Movie Portrayals

Which select theatrical, television, and streaming movie biographical depiction of a real-life First Lady is your favorite portrayal?

Live Poll: https://www.imdb.com/poll/EFjrluB0xIyS7BZXz-5ERg/

Poll List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4159197206/

QuickView List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4159197206/copy/

Part Two: Fictional U.S. First Lady or Gentleman Movie Portrayals

Which select theatrical, television, and streaming movie depiction of a fictional First Lady or First Gentleman is your favorite portrayal?

Live Poll: https://www.imdb.com/poll/Y9ckOuGWuHl7BD_Ij_ZRYw/

Poll List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4159302162/

QuickView List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4159302162/copy/

Television & Streaming Series (part3&part4)

Part Three: Biographical U.S. First Lady Television & Streaming Series Portrayals

Which select television and streaming series biographical depiction of a real-life First Lady is your favorite portrayal?

Live Poll: https://www.imdb.com/poll/ICuORa1Ln8ROtAUanHgsIQ/

Poll List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4176505103/

QuickView List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4176505103/copy/

Part Four: Fictional U.S. First Lady or Gentleman Television & Streaming Series Portrayals

Which select television and streaming series depiction of a fictional First Lady or First Gentleman is your favorite portrayal?

Live Poll: TBD

Poll List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4176087427/

QuickView List: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls4176087427/copy/

Responses

Oldest First

Selected Oldest First

Jessica

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12.4K Messages

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223.9K Points

10 days ago

Part One, please correct:

#2: Diana Scarwid

#19: Olivia Colman

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urbanemovies

10.9K Messages

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174.2K Points

@Jessica Thanks, both corrected.

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9 days ago

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urbanemovies

10.9K Messages

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174.2K Points

9 days ago

Honorable Mentions

Movie, Television & Streaming FLOTUS/FGOTUS

Biographical

# Elizabeth Hoffman – "War and Remberence" TV Miniseries HM FLOTUS FS as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (fictional portrayal of a real-life First Lady)

# Caroline Corrie – "John Adams" TV Miniseries HM FLOTUS BS as First Lady Louisa Catherine Adams

# Barbara Barrie – "Backstairs at the White House" TV Miniseries HM FLOTUS BS as First Lady Mamie Eisenhower

# Kim Hunter – "Backstairs at the White House" TV Miniseries HM FLOTUS BS as First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson

# Roma Downey – 'Woman Named Jackie' TV Miniseries HM FLOTUS BS as First Lady Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy

Fictional

# Tish Graves-Dawkins – "Veep" TV Series HM FLOTUS FS as the First Lady Annette Splett (current First Lady)

# Paris Jefferson – "Y: The Last Man" TV Series HM FLOTUS FS as Marla Campbell (former First Lady)

Movie FLOTUS/FGOTUS

Biographical

# Ruth Nelson – 'Wilson' HM FLOTUS BM as First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson

# Stephanie Romanov – 'Thirteen Days' HM FLOTUS BM as First Lady Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy

# Rosemary Murphy – 'The Tuskegee Airmen' TV Movie HM FLOTUS BM as Eleanor Roosevelt (future First Lady)

# Jeanne Tripplehorn – 'Grey Gardens' TV Movie HM FLOTUS BM as Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis (former First Lady)

# Susan Brown – 'The Final Days' TV Movie HM FLOTUS BM as First Lady Thelma "Pat" Nixon

# Kat Steffens – 'Parkland' HM FLOTUS BM as First Lady Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy

Fictional

# Jane Wheeler – 'Exploding Sun' HM FLOTUS FM as Simone Mathany (current First Lady)

# John Getz – 'Majority Rule' TV Movie as Paul Taylor (future & current First Gentleman)

# Donna Cherry in Most Wanted (1997) 33. Donna Cherry Donna Cherry – 'Most Wanted' as Bonnie Anne Hartfield (current and former First Lady)

# Marla Adams – 'The President's Man' HM FLOTUS FM as the First Lady Mathews (current First Lady)

(edited)

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Peter_pbn

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16.3K Messages

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350.7K Points

6 days ago

* She served in the role of White House hostess for eight full years [2 terms] for her widowed father, Thomas Jefferson.

This seems to be disputed.

"Contrary to popular belief, Martha Jefferson Randolph was not the primary White House hostess throughout Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. She was present in Washington only twice for extended periods - during the winter of 1802 and again in the winter of 1806."

https://firstladies.org/home/first-ladies/martha-randolph

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urbanemovies

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174.2K Points

@Peter_pbn I would disagree it is disputed, but do agree she did not carry out the role in-person for the entire two terms. I would agree it is an over simplification at a time when the office of the first lady official did not exist and even the term "First Lady" wasn't coined until Dolley Madison, who served as White House hostess after her. Moreover, she served as hostess when he was an ambassador to France and "she was in regular correspondence with her father when they were not together. She provided emotional stability for Jefferson, which helped him weather his tumultuous political career."

The goal is too explain that she is not the president's spouse, and that she was the one who served in the role, since he was widowed, despite tapping others to pinch hit for her a sense or going without at official functions. Both, the website you cite and the First Ladies Commission credit her years of service as from 1801 through 1809 and the only one who was labeled as such over those eight years. Furthermore, the First Lady Day Commision does not designate all the surrogates who served as first lady on their "official" First Lady list and gave the designation to only a select few outside of spouses, with Martha Jefferson Randolph as one of their few non-spouse exceptions.

Regardless, I changed the note to be less disputable: "as Martha "Patsy" Jefferson (Martha "Patsy" Randolph (née Jefferson)) * She served as surrogate hostess and confidant for her widowed father, Thomas Jefferson."

(edited)

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6 days ago

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urbanemovies

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@Peter_pbn,

FYI, Intestestingly, according to dgranger, "Jefferson .... was a widower by the time he was president and ... let Dolly Madison, the wife of one of his cabinet members, fill most of that role before her husband actually became president after Jefferson."

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6 days ago

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rubyfruit76

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8.7K Messages

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207K Points

6 days ago

Hi Urb, good poll. Below are a few suggested edits to the intro. The paragraph about National First Lady Day and the office of First Lady is very well written, by the way. Kudos.

Which of these select biographical theatrical, television, or streaming movie depictions of real-life U.S. First Ladies is your favorite portrayal?

I suggest omitting the "a" (in "a real-life") and making "Lady" plural because the depictions aren't just of a single First Lady but of several different First Ladies.

I also suggest omitting "future, current, or former" — when I first read it, I assumed by "current" you meant Trump and was confused by "future." When I looked through the answer options, I figured out what you meant but that clause isn't necessary so I'm thinking just remove it to avoid confusion.

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urbanemovies

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174.2K Points

@rubyfruit76, I corrected both. I agree with having the singular and plural versions changed to one or the other and thus being in agreement.

I removed the "future, current, or former" because I agree it can read wrong and be confusing, even though this is an answer pool of depictions of characters who will become a U.S. first lady, are a U.S. first lady, or were a U.S. first lady. I can make my point in the individual notes.

It is meant to be clearer as the term of first ladies covers only a four to eight year period, while more often than not these example depictions cover periods that are longer and outside thier term as first lady (as well as depicting the period during their term). Plus, there are a dozen and a half answer choices that the depictions almost exclusively covers a period when they were not the first lady or first gentleman among the four poll suggestions, even though we know they will become or were first ladies, historically or as part of their fictional backstory.

For example, Sarah Michelle Gellar's biographical depiction only covers the pre-White House period as a teenage Jacqueline "Jackie" Bouvier in the TV mini-series, 'A Woman Named Jackie' or Patty McCormack's biographical portrayal as Thelma "Pat" Nixon, which depicts her post-White House years as a former first lady in the movie, 'Frost/Nixon'.

Likewise on the fictional side, Seth Rogen in 'Long Shot' as Fred Field (né Flarsky) aka "First Mister" depiction is almost entirely pre-White House and Shirley MacLaine's depiction in 'Guarding Tess' as Tess Carlisle, a former First Lady is 100% post-White House.

(edited)

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6 days ago

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