The Man (1972)

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

Irving Wallace (novel)
Rod Serling (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It took an accident to make this man President of the United States. What they do to him now won't be an accident.

Plot:

When the President and Speaker of the House are killed in a building collapse, and the Vice-President declines the office due to age and ill-health...

Plot Keywords:

Black President | U.S. President | Black U.S. President | Political | Based On Novel

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

James Earl Jones	...	Douglass Dilman
Martin Balsam	...	Jim Talley
Burgess Meredith	...	Senator Watson
Lew Ayres	...	Noah Calvin
William Windom	...	Arthur Eaton
Barbara Rush	...	Kay Eaton
Georg Stanford Brown	...	Robert Wheeler
Janet MacLachlan	...	Wanda
Martin E. Brooks	...	Wheeler's Lawyer
Simon Scott	...	Hugh Gaynor
Patric Knowles	...	South African Consul
Robert DoQui	...	Webson
Anne Seymour	...	Ma Blore
Edward Faulkner	...	Secret Service Man
Gilbert Green	...	Congressman Hand

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:G

Filming Locations:

Franklin Canyon Reservoir, Santa Monica Mountains, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

ABC Circle Films

Trivia:

Jack Benny's last feature film or cameo appearance.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2009) (TV)

Presidential Succession and Bigotry

The President of the US is killed. So is the Speaker of the House. The Vice President is ill and cannot accept the presidency.

Enter US Senator Douglass Dillman, who is president pro tempe of the senate. He is also black. He accepts the presidency to the discontent of many cabinet officials, especially the secretary of state. He would be president if not for Dillman.

Racial feelings are revealed among several politicians as Dillman sits in the oval office, determined to overcome the bigotry of those around him and to be as good a president as he can be.

An early vehicle for James Earl Jones, who as Dillman, is brilliant. Excellent performances by the supporting cast. Hopefully, this film will one day be on DVD or VHS. It's also a good potential historical lesson to be absorbed by Americans if this situation should ever happen.