The Many Faces of Reagan

Tracing the major periods of Ronald Reagan's life, Eugene Jarecki's film "Reagan," sheds light on some of the hats Reagan wore on his way to the Oval Office, including the

actor, the union leader, the corporate spokesperson, the angry governor, and more.

Local Lifeguard

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. After moving several times, the family set its roots in Dixon, where teenage Reagan took strong interest in his faith, theater, and sports. Captain of the football team, art director of the yearbook, and president of the drama club, Reagan also spent seven summers as a lifeguard from 1926 at Lowell Park.

Amiable Sports Announcer

At Christian liberal arts school Eureka College, Ronald Reagan's extracurricular activities again centered around sports and theater, and about a year after graduating he was able to combine these toward a minor break in entertainment, working as a radio sports announcer for radio stations in Iowa and eventually as a nationally syndicated announcer out of WHO in Des Moines.

The Gipper

Reagan packed his car and moved to California to follow his Hollywood dreams, making the most of a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers as a successful and promising B-list celebrity. In his most famous role, he played George Gipp, "the greatest football player of all time" in the 1940 film "Knute Rockne All American." He would appear in 53 films from 1937 to 1964.

Military Propagandist

Reagan joined the Army Enlisted Reserve and was called for active duty in 1942. He was quickly assigned to the US Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, which produced over 400 films to train, recruit, document, and promote American military efforts. As part of the Provisional Task Force Show Unit in Burbank, Reagan starred in World War II morale-booster "This Is the Army," directed by Michael Curtiz.

Union Leader

Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952. Although he was still a registered Democrat, his tenure was far from the image of radical labor solidarity. An FBI collaborator and fervent anti-communist, he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the times of Hollywood blacklisting.

Corporate Spokesman

Starting in 1953, Ronald Reagan hosted CBS' "General Electric Theater" for TV and radio and toured the country as a General Electric spokesperson, meeting the company's blue collar workforce. During this time he became more conservative and more vocal about his politics, leading to GE firing him in 1962 over criticism of the federal Tennessee Valley Authority.

Unapologetic Conservative

One of Reagan's most famous speeches was "A Time for Choosing," in which he stressed his vision for reduced government as a principal value. Although the 1964 speech was in support of Barry Goldwater's failed Republican presidential campaign, it is remembered as Reagan's explosive entry onto the national political platform and the beginning of his road to presidency.

Angry Governor

Ronald Reagan's legacy centers around his 1980s presidency and his "Shining City upon a Hill" optimism, but he also served as Governor of California during historic counter-culture student movements. In response to activist appropriation of University of California land in the creation of a "People's Park," Governor Reagan sent California Highway Patrol and local police officers to disrupt the development. The situation escalated to the use of tear gas and buckshot and eventually the deployment of over 2000 National Guard troops. Following the events of what came to be known as "Bloody Thursday," Reagan hosted a contentious press conference, and the above clip gives a small sample of the mood and manner of the proceedings.

The Feelgood President

President Reagan promoted American exceptionalism. He oriented his persona and rhetoric around a feel-good image of strength and optimism, portraying the United States as the "City upon a Hill" from the Sermon on the Mount. Providing a contrast to President Carter's introspective "crisis of confidence," Reagan paternally simplified the nation's problems and inspired confidence in the active electorate.