Transcript
Museum of the Moving Image
The Living Room Candidate
"Nixon the Man," Nixon, 1972
MALE NARRATOR: The 38th President of the United States is Richard Nixon. Most of us see him only as a public figure. In this film, we can glimpse the private man, at work and in his relaxed moments, the man so few people know.
(Audience applause and cheers)
NIXON: Now ladies and gentlemen—
(Audience laughter)
Please don't go away.
(Audience laughter)
Duke, Duke was asking earlier if I would play, and I said I had never done so yet in the White House, but it did occur to me as I looked at the magnificent program you prepared for us that one number was missing. You see, this is his birthday. Now-
(Audience laughter)
Duke Ellington is ageless, but would you all stand and sing Happy Birthday to him and please in the key of G?
(Audience laughter)
(Nixon playing piano)
Audience (singing): Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear...
MAN: We don't have any assurance that if we put federal money into that reform that property taxes are going to go down in the localities.
NIXON: Well, then, we won't accept it.
MAN: But I want just-
NIXON: No. What's the matter with these clowns? The whole purpose of this is to get property taxes down, not to increase the budgets for local officials to continue to raise property taxes.
MAN: Well, that's what I thought you'd say.
NIXON: And, and unless you put the heat on these local officials, they'll just take the money and pour it into all their pet projects and not get the project that's-
MAN: Well, that's, that's what's happening-
NIXON: That's not the way it's going to be.
MAN: Okay. Good.
NIXON: That's not the way it's going to be.
(Wedding music)
(Wedding reception music)
NIXON: On that thing we were discussing this morning, I wanted to be sure that you got off a, a telephone call preferably, a message if necessary, to Connally. Right, what did he, what did he, think about the, the, the British action and so forth, and what did he think about the possibility of a European block? I suppose he went up the wall, no? ... The other thing, too, is, he's got to think of the Latin Americans. If he cancels his trip because of this little blip - it could be a very big one in the international monetary thing - it'll be again, well, here the Americans only care about Europe and don't care about us. I told him it would be a very grave mistake for him to cancel his trip or to postpone it at this point. He ought to go down there, and then if something else develops, we'll bring him back.
NIXON: I expressed my appreciation to my Chinese voice, to Mrs. Chang. I listened to her translation. She got every word right.
(Audience laughter and applause)
NIXON: No, you typed it. Come on. Mrs. Chang.
(Chang speaking in Chinese)
MALE NARRATOR: Richard Nixon, a man of compassion, courage and conscience, a man America needs, now more than ever.
[TEXT: PRESIDENT NIXON. NOW MORE THAN EVER.]
