MOVIE OF THE DAY: "THE PRESIDENT VANISHES" (1934)

There was plenty of political upheaval in early '30s America, reflected in the previously-discussed Washington Merry-Go-Round (the story of a freshman senator out to clean up the capitol) and Gabriel Over the White House (a crooked president awakens from a coma as a populist/fascist). Then there's The President Vanishes, which is far better than its cheesy, 1970s-TV movie title would have you think. 

As war breaks out in Europe, President Craig Stanley is adamant on America keeping out of it. The captains of industry, however, know a good thing when they see it, and decide that the country must get involved no matter what Stanley says. As one of them orates:

"Munitions is our business. And it's up to us to make it America's business. What good are steel, shells and shrapnel if there's nothing to shoot at? There's too much sentimental talk about the last war. What did it really cost us? Four hundred thousand casualties -- nothing! It gave us the greatest deal of prosperity any nation's ever had! But that war is worn out. There's another war in Europe now. And every day we delay getting into it is costing us a million dollars! Gentlemen, we have got to protect our industries!"

So cut the guy some slack, OK?

The President gets word that Russia has
invaded -- oops, wrong European war.

Congress, already bought and paid for by the industries, is ready to declare war. The Grey Shirts, a proto-fascist group secretly financed by oilman Richard Norton, march through cities breaking up anti-war speeches. This makes President Stanley even more determined to stay out of Europe. To quote Rocket J. Squirrel, "But that trick never works!" 

Actor Edward Arnold looks like he could be the
Secretary of War.

Just as Stanley is to appear before Congress, he vanishes from the White House grounds. Secretary of War Lewis Wardell, placed in charge of the investigation into the disappearance, brings in Lincoln Lee, the public face of the Grey Shirts, for questioning. Lee scoffs at being the kidnapper, admitting, however, that he'd be proud to have it known if he  assassinated Stanley instead. Now there's someone who knows where he stands.

Your tax dollars at work.

White House assistant Alma Cronin is approached by a shady character willing to pay good money for the  First Lady's diary, which he believes holds the key to the kidnapping. Alma's boyfriend, Secret Service agent Chick Moffat, urges her to go through with it, so he can arrest the suspect. The ruse almost works, until the guy slugs Moffat and takes off without the diary. Alma discovers the president's watch on the floor, assumes the guy dropped it, and tries to call the authorities. Moffat stops her by knocking her out with a punch to the jaw. A simple "Let me handle this" would have sufficed, but I'm not a federal agent.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm safe at home again.
Just don't ask for details."

After stuffing Alma into the back seat of the car -- remember, they're an otherwise happy couple -- Moffat goes to his apartment and sneaks out... President Stanley! They go to Grey Shirts headquarters, where Moffat ties up Stanley to a chair. Lincoln Lee, arriving after having been released from questioning, is of course a little surprised to see Stanley there. But not as surprised as when Moffat shoots him to death.

 That's right: The President of the United States, with the help of a small group of insiders, faked his own kidnapping and framed a political group so that the country would turn against them! The murder of its leader was just gravy. Bloody gravy.

The President Vanishes is jolting on many levels, and not just that whole President-faking-his-own-kidnapping angle. First, it's about a war in Europe that someone was predicting would happen five years hence. Second, the sheer cynicism regarding the human cost of war vis-a-vis its financial profits is echoed today by talking heads on the news promoting, yes, American involvement in a new European war as they sit on the boards of directors of munitions factories. (See Glenn Greenwald for details.) 

Don't look now, Mr. Anti-War Artist, but your
fellow Americans are coming for you.

Then there's the proto-fascists running riot in the streets, beating up anti-war activists and destroying art, all with the backing of the press barons, who come up with a slogan that people can latch onto: SAVE AMERICA'S HONOR. It's a little zippier than MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, I guess. 

Although they were 2/3 of The President Vanishes' writing team, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur kept their name off the credits. They were following the lead of Rex Stout, who wrote the novel on which it was based under the name Anonymous. C'mon guys, what are you afraid of, a visit from the Grey Shirts?

As with many indie productions released by a studio -- in this case, Paramount -- The President Vanishes is available only in one cruddy-looking, public domain print. Maybe some of those captains of industry can stop trying to overthrow  the government for a minute and pay for a restoration. It's cheaper than creating a bunch of baseball caps plastered with SAVE AMERICA'S HONOR.

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To read about Washington Merry-Go-Round, go here.

To read about Gabriel Over the White House, go here.