"Despite what Hollywood's liberal hacks believe, my father didn't see people in colors. In reality, Allens wife, Helene, did not have a problem with alcohol nor did she have an affair. Thomas Gaines 2/26/12. Yes, Eugene Allens son, Charles, served in the Vietnam War. Gaines was born on April 9, 1943 to Cecil Reginald Montgomery and Margaret Gaines Montgomery in Anniston, Alabama. In real life, Eugene Allen always expressed pride with regard to his job and his time at the White House. These storlines appear to be fictional. Aug 16, 2013. Cecil Gaines: Now you need to stop that, you know that ain't right. Cecil and Gloria Gaines. The butler and Obama It is now the basis for Lee Daniels The Butler (the directors name is included thanks to silly copyright claims made by Warner Bros). Which is why he can speak with authority on the subject. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. I cant tell if Allen ever actually met the president, but he did get a VIP invitation to the inauguration in 2009, and was in attendance on that historical day. Shes mesmerizing and stunningly nuanced as she battles an alcohol addiction, struggles with guilt over an affair, and weathers the emotional torture of a fractured familyher husband devotes his life to the White House, her eldest son joins the front lines of the dangerous civil rights movement, and her younger son is killed in Vietnam. The Butler movie depicts President Ronald Reagan (Alan Rickman) stating that he will refuse to impose sanctions against South Africa for its racist policies. He went on to study at Georgia Tech where he earned a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering. So as time went by, Cecil became the butler for the president. "[5] He was invited to the funeral, but chose to stay at work to prepare for the reception, because "Someone had to be at the White House to serve everyone after they came from the funeral. The film, scripted by Danny Strong (Game Change), is inspired by the life of real White House butler Eugene Allen, who worked at the White House from 1952 to 1986 and whom the younger Reagan knew. In the film, Cecil is in the White House when it happens. 2023 E! He started in the White House in 1952 as a "pantry man", a job which involved basic tasks such as dish washing, stocking and cleaning silverware. While Allen doesnt confirm this story, Johnson reportedly employed the toilet tactic often as an intimidationand time-savingtool. There is no evidence that Eugene Allen's mother was raped or that his father was shot and killed by the plantation owner like in the movie. As Cecils wife, Gloria, Oprah Winfrey gives the films most layered performance. I attribute this affirmative action to be a product of both the NAACP and NOW recognition. Louis grows up under the newly free United States just as the Jim Crow laws fall. No, Cecil Gaines son was not a Freedom Rider. See more of my daily satirical posts here. Yes. Louis, who's ashamed that his father is content with serving white people, is himself present for several important historical moments, including the attack and burning of a Freedom Riders bus in. In all the four years, he wouldnt listen to anyone but the orange man looking back at him in the mirror. Director Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey and South Africa was the only country on the African continent that held a strong anti-communist position. I wasnt that shocked, to be honest, said the 94-year-old Gaines, who was most recently employed as a private quarters assistant to the First Family. Nov 23, 2022 - Louis Gaines is a fictional character in the 2013 film The Butler. After that president had died, the next president was an African American president, and his name was, Louis Gaines from 'The Butler' as a Civil Rights Activist. Even though many leaders made many advances across America, they still had a long way to come before reaching the ultimate goal. Colombians at the Feria de las Culturas Amigas in Mexico City. The movie stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, Oprah Winfrey as Gloria Gaines, and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Louis Gaines. The skills he gained on the plantation prepared him to work as a waiter at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia and then at a Washington, D.C. country club, followed by his position as butler in the White House. Cecil Gaines, who has been serving presidents in the White House since the late 1950s, was fired by Donald Trump on Wednesday for disloyalty. Sadly, Helene did not witness the election. Writer. Because this is not the Eugene Allen story. This site is supported by our readers. -Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life, Yes. A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. He is a butler who has worked in the White House for over three decades. Photos by Kevin Clark/The Washington Post and courtesy The Weinstein Co. A few days after Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, the Washington Post published an article about a black butler who served in the White House for 34 years, under eight presidents, from Truman to Reagan. The Butler, based on the story of long-time White House butler Eugene Allen, hits theaters Friday. He concluded his op-ed by chiding Hollywood for making stuff up to fit what he said was a liberal agenda. The main characters are Cecil Gaines, Louis Gaines, and Charlie Gaines and all three men were victims of violence, unequal rights, and limit resources. No spam, just the good stuff. Write your message of sympathy today. The film opens with young Cecil in Macon, Georgia, in the 1920s, working in a cotton field alongside his father. And heres how this made-for-TV nightmare shouldve ended. Haygoods article only mentions that Eugene left the White House in 1986 and received a sweet note from the president and a tight hug from First Lady Nancy. Cecil is then trained to be a houseman, eventually running away and learning how to become a butler. Cecil Gaines faced what seemed like insurmountable pain and anguish to advance from the son of a sharecropping slave to a professional black domestic. A figure in the tiniest of print. Lihat dokumen lengkap (68 Halaman - 1.57MB). The Allens really were invited by Mrs. Reagan to that state dinner, a memory they fondly recounted in the Post article. He is survived by : his children, Sheri Wood (Steve Drewel) of Lake Ozark, MO, Matthew Gaines (Adrian) of Plattsburg, MO and Chris Gaines (Erica) of New London, MO; his grandchildren, Erin Krupps (Philip), Emily Wood, Kaitlyn Underhill (Joey) and Brooklyn Gaines; his great grandchildren, Crew and Auley; and his friends, Jay and Sue Garrelts of Palmyra. (Answered 2023), What Are Cat and Dog Paws Adapted for? June 25, 2021 While he had continued, there was one president that invited him to a big party in the white house. Reparto: Forest Whitaker (Cecil Gaines), David Banner (Earl Gaines), Mariah Carey (Hattie Pearl), Oprah Winfrey (Gloria Gaines), John Cusack (Richard Nixon), Jane Fonda (Nancy Reagan), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Carter Wilson), Terrence Howard (Howard), Lenny Kravitz (James Holloway), James Marsden (John F. Kennedy), David Oyelowo (Louis Gaines), Vanessa Materials Cotton, wool, silk lapels Credit Courtesy of Western Costume Company Notes Much of the film, though, has been fictionalized, including his name (which was changed to Cecil Gaines) and childhood background. And he doesnt seem to care at all about its people, what with so many getting sick and dying from the Covid. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. The movie starts in Washington, where the elderly Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) is on duty outside a concert where Schumann's Piano Concerto is being played; he hears it but doesn't see it . And just to be around the president and the first lady, every day, it's different from other people. The movie is based off a man named Cecil Gaines who operated from place to place as a butler to support his family, while his oldest son is out protesting for his rights, beliefs, and his culture. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. He believed that because of this, he was now free. ", But what particularly rankled Reagan was the movie's insinuation that his father wanted to veto sanctions on apartheid South Africa when, in actuality, he said "it had to do with the geopolitics of the Cold War. "appropriately and accurately.". One of The Butlers few episodes of broad comedy comes when President Lyndon Johnson (an appropriately boisterous Liev Schrieber) barks orders at his staff while sitting on the toilet with the door open, capping it all off by asking Cecil to pass him a glass of prune juice. Heres your guide. (2023), How Long After Color Remover Can I Bleach My Hair? And, though he's grateful for his opportunities, his older son, Louis (David Oyelowo), is not so content. I want them to see what they have done to Jack." Almost 50 years later, Cecil wears that very tie to the White House when he goes to meet Barack Obama for the first time. It's about several other people I spoke to that worked at the White House as well so that the film would create this universal truth for many people of what that experience was like.". Eugene Allen was actually serving Eisenhower and his advisers on that dramatic daythere are photos to prove itbut his real first day was during the Truman administration. His mother is raped by the white plantation owner and the father is shot dead immediately following. University Louis joins a student program led by Southern Christian Leadership Conference SCLC activist James Lawson, which leads to a nonviolent sit-in at a segregated diner it showed in the picture 19 and He was, after all, the man who stacked the White House champagne. Cecil Gaines' son's transition from the liberal integrationism of Dr. King and mainline civil rights, to his joining the black power movement, to eventually becoming involved in establishment . He knew I loved Michelle and Barack, that I became their most loyal employee when they lived here at the house. [ 9][ 10] Foi o ltimo filme produzido por Laura Ziskin, [ 11][ 12] que morreu em 2011. It is nevetherless estimated that 37% of the Colombian population can be categorized as white, forming the second largest racial group after mestizos (at 49 percent). After his mother (Mariah Carey, in a wordless performance) becomes catatonic after being raped by the plantation owner (Alex Pettyfer) and his father is subsequently murdered, Cecil is essentially orphaned. Mutasim is an author and software engineer from the United States, I and a group of experts made this blog with the aim of answering all the unanswered questions to help as many people as possible. Louis (Hijo de Cecil Gaines y Gloria) Cecil Gaines is the main character of the movie whose father tragically died at the hands of his employer in the cotton fields of the state of Georgia. However, she did suffer from depression and mental health issues, which led to her drinking. 1214 Words; 5 Pages; Decent Essays . He was predeceased by : his parents, George Gaines and Hazel Gaines (Chase); and his wife Barbara Jones. At least one key character, Cecils son Louis (David Oyelowo), is entirely made up. Butler. Movies) Daniels then did an interview with Entertainment Tonight where the interviewer said, "I understand you tried to get Obama to be in the movie," to which Daniels replied, "Yes, we did." The Civil Rights Movement was to give future Generations the opportunity to have their civil rights. [9], Allen died of kidney failure at the Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland on March 31, 2010.[2]. The film follows Cecil Gaines, modeled after Allen, as he witnesses the changes of each administration while his son, Louis Gaines, fights for equality. The Butler is a bit more than 2 hours long, spans several decades, and includes multiple storylines. The Butler tells the story of Cecil Gaines, a black man who rose to become White House butler and served eight presidents, witnessing some of the most tumultuous events in 20th-century America,. the same political rants you see on Facebook, but they're well written. [3] Danny Strong's screenplay was inspired by the 2008 Washington Post article. Check out the hottest fashion, photos, movies and TV shows! During our research into The Butler true story, we quickly learned that the Louis Gaines character, portrayed by actor David Oyelowo, is entirely fictional, as is the subplot involving the character. Despite The movie is The Butler true story reveals that Eugene Allen was working in the White House kitchen on the day that President Kennedy was assassinated. Private Tomie Louis Gaines, 93, one of the last of the Buffalo Soldiers, the black Army men who helped settle the West on horseback and fought in two world wars, was laid to rest Friday at M . Trending. Mr. Allen worked for 34 years in the White House under eight presidents. assistant to Ms. Williams Bianca Arvin . The movie begins with Cecil Gaines working on a plantation in 1926 with his father and mother. The life of that man, Eugene Allen, is the basis for Lee Daniels The Butler, which debuts in theaters this weekend. Cecil confirms hell be there to serve and begins listing all the preparations hes already started marking. (Answered 2023), How Much Food Should My 8 Week Old Puppy Eat? Blacks soon became worried again when Lincoln was assassinated and Johnson took over. He worked for the family as a house boy doing chores such as washing dishes. "[4] Allen never missed a day of work in 34 years.[6]. Eyes watering, he watched the first black man take the oath of office of the presidency, Haygood wrote in his obituary of Allen in 2010. 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