Backstairs at the White House

Backstairs at the White House
by Michael O'Herlihy

Backstairs at the White House
List Price: $59.99
Our Price: $36.63
You Save: $23.36 (39%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Leslie Nielsen, Leslie Uggams, Louis Gossett Jr., Olivia Cole, Robert Hooks
Director: Michael O'Herlihy
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 444 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media

Movie Reviews of Backstairs at the White House

Movie Review: Unforgettable!
Summary: 5 Stars

I first saw this mini-series back in 1979 when it first aired. I was 10-years-old. I never ever forgot it (or the historical tidbits I learned from it), and I'm thrilled to now have a chance to view it again. This should be a must-see for all kids, especially those of middle school age. It makes a lasting imprint.

Summary of Backstairs at the White House

From the golden age of television miniseries comes this prestigious 1979 production based on Lillian Rogers Parks's memoir, My Thirty Years at the White House, a real-life American Upstairs/Downstairs that chronicles her family's tenure on the White House servant staff through eight presidential administrations. Emmy nominee Oliva Cole stars as Maggie, a proud matriarch with "indomitable spirit and unfailing spunk," and who is determined that her children "are not going to have street ways." She becomes the first colored maid on the presidential family floor, beginning with the William Howard Taft administration. Her polio-stricken daughter, Lillian (portrayed as an adult by Leslie Uggams) eventually joins her during Herbert Hoover's administration and likewise rises through the ranks to to become a trusted confidante of the First Families.

Backstairs at the White House works on several levels. It is the inspiring personal story of two extraordinary women who had a unique and privileged perspective of the people and events that shaped the first half of the 20th century. It also presents vivid snapshots of the presidents and their families in all their quirks (Mrs. Taft felt that bearded servants brought bad luck), failings, and greatness, as well as such now-obscure personages as New York critic Alexander Woolcott. The stellar cast is comprised of stage and screen veterans and TV favorites. Robert Vaughn (as Woodrow Wilson), Celeste Holm (as Florence Harding), and Ed Flanders (as Calvin Coolidge) were nominated for Emmys, as was Roots costar Louis Gossett Jr. as houseman Levi Mercer. Also notable are a pre-Airplane Leslie Nielsen as chief White House usher Ike Hoover, Cloris Leachman as the chilly supervising housekeeper Mrs. Jaffray, Victor Buono and Julie Harris as reluctant president William Howard Taft and his more formidable wife "Nellie," Eileen Heckart as energetic Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harry Morgan, giving 'em hell as Harry Truman. Backstairs at the White can be melodramatic ("You're not married to me, you're married to the White House," Lillian's estranged husband tells her at one point), but it never descends to soap opera. The Emmy-winning makeup is convincing, and the Emmy-nominated screenplay does an admirable job of compressing more than 50 years of history. "What is heard within the walls of the White House is to be forgotten," Maggie is instructed early in her employ. Luckily, daughter Lillian ignored this directive to create a compelling document that puts a human face on the occupants of the real West Wing. --Donald Liebenson


The classic miniseries about two remarkable women and the eight First Families they served
Their unrivaled behind-the-scenes access gives White House staff a uniquely personal view of history in the making. Two remarkable women in one family served as White House maids over a period spanning five decades and eight administrations—from Taft to Eisenhower. Their story and a half-century of American history unfold in this star-studded drama, nominated for 11 Emmy? Awards.

Drama DVD Video

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in Favorite Biopic Films
Anne of The Thousand Days ImageAnne of The Thousand Days
Universal Pictures; Release date: 1995-02-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $23.99
World War II - When Lions Roared ImageWorld War II - When Lions Roared
Koch International; Release date: 2007-02-13; DVD
Best price: $13.67
Price in other shops: $29.98
A Woman Called Golda ImageA Woman Called Golda
Paramount; Release date: 1998-11-11; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $100.00
Lady Jane ImageLady Jane
BONHAM-CARTER,HELEN; Release date: 2003-02-18; DVD
Best price: $8.90
Price in other shops: $14.98
Truman ImageTruman
Release date: 2000-02-29; DVD
Best price: $6.32
Price in other shops: $14.98
A Thousand Heroes ImageA Thousand Heroes
New Concorde; Release date: 1996-10-29; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $149.95
The Queen ImageThe Queen
MIRREN,HELEN; Release date: 2007-04-24; DVD
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops: $19.99
Becket ImageBecket
Release date: 2007-05-15; DVD
Best price: $13.45
Price in other shops: $24.98
The Missiles of October ImageThe Missiles of October
Release date: 2001-06-26; DVD
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops: $14.98
Murrow ImageMurrow
Warner Home Video; Release date: 1992-10-14; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $24.99
Similar DVD Movies
Cranford ImageCranford
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-05-20; DVD
Best price: $25.82
Price in other shops: $34.98
Alex Haley's Queen ImageAlex Haley's Queen
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-01-15; DVD
Best price: $17.56
Price in other shops: $24.98
Fall of Eagles ImageFall of Eagles
Koch International; Release date: 2006-05-02; DVD
Best price: $24.32
Price in other shops: $49.98
Anne of the Thousand Days / Mary, Queen of Scots ImageAnne of the Thousand Days / Mary, Queen of Scots
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.; Release date: 2007-09-18; DVD
Best price: $11.91
Price in other shops: $19.98
Centennial: The Complete Series ImageCentennial: The Complete Series
CENTENNIAL: THE COMPLETE SERIES (DVD MOVIE); Release date: 2008-07-29; DVD
Best price: $34.99
Price in other shops: $59.98
Holocaust ImageHolocaust
PARAMOUNT PICTURES; Release date: 2008-05-27; DVD
Best price: $18.95
Price in other shops: $39.99
Echoes From the White House ImageEchoes From the White House
Release date: 2005-02-15; DVD
Best price: $11.48
Price in other shops: $19.99
Truman ImageTruman
Release date: 2000-02-29; DVD
Best price: $6.35
Price in other shops: $14.98
Sally Hemings: An American Scandal ImageSally Hemings: An American Scandal
NEILL,SAM; Release date: 2005-02-08; DVD
Best price: $3.54
Price in other shops: $6.99
Eleanor and Franklin Double Feature (The Early Years / The White House Years) ImageEleanor and Franklin Double Feature (The Early Years / The White House Years)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-05-01; DVD
Best price: $7.85
Price in other shops: $14.98
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners