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 The Real Reagan
Think you know what made him tick? His letters may surprise you |
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E-mail your letter to the editor
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| THE GEORGE C. MARSHALL RESEARCH LIBRARY |
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| When Dirty Words Tell the Truth |
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Reagan was against crude material in movies, but in a 1970 letter to his friend Frank McCarthy, a retired brigadier general who as a
producer for 20th Century Fox championed the movie Patton, Reagan
explains his philosophy about when it's acceptable to push the
boundaries of taste. |
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Dear Frank:
... Nancy and the Skipper [his son Ron, age 11] and I saw Patton
Saturday night. I told you once I would hate anyone who ever played
that role other than myself. Now I hate George Scott for proving that
no one in the world but him could ever have played the part.
Frank, it is a magnificent piece of picture making and it says some
things that very much need saying today. I have been greatly
disturbed for some time over the pernicious and constant degrading of
the military. This picture restored a great deal of balance. I don't
know whether Patton would ever be the kind of man you'd want to take
on a picnic, but I do thank God that when trouble came, there were
men like him around. I'm really too full of the picture yet to make
specific comments other than to say it has been many years since I
have so completely lost myself in a picture and have actually
forgotten, while viewing it, that it was a picture. It was so real.
I have long been an opponent, as you know, of vulgarity, obscenity,
and profanity on the screen as we are seeing it in so many pictures.
On the other hand, I've never believed that I was a total square and
have never been opposed to the use of anything absolutely essential
to the telling of the story. It did not offend me in the slightest
that you had Patton talking as Patton talked. In fact, before going,
I gave the Skipper quite a lecture on the man and the history
surrounding him, and then told him that he would be hearing this kind
of language which didn't make it right for him or me to use, but that
this was a part of the man and his character. Therefore, we sat
through the movie and I had no embarrassment whatsoever about the
language. It definitely belonged.
Once again, just know that all of us were tremendously entertained
and impressed, and loved every minute of the picture. Thank you for a
real contribution to our nation at this time. Nancy echoes and
seconds all of this.
Best regards,
Ron
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