On the Trail
Many snickered when Ronald Reagan, 54 years old at the time, announced in early 1966 that he would seek the governorship of California. Reagan had never been a big star, he had not appeared on the big screen since 1957, and his political experience was very limited — he had served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and on a pair of corporate boards. But after hearing Reagan speak in support of Barry Goldwater, a number of powerful state Republicans felt he was the ideal candidate to put up against the two-term liberal incumbent California governor, Edmund "Pat" Brown.

• Grace Under Fire