Author. assistant: Mr. Cusack Kim Bailey . In real life, Jackie insisted on wearing the suit for the swearing in of Lyndon B. Johnson that took place aboard Air Force One, the same flight that transported her husband John F. Kennedy's body back to Washington, D.C. In 1952, the real Cecil Gaines, Eugene Allen, was working as a waiter at a Washington D.C. country club. [3], Allen was born in Buckingham County, Virginia and raised on Shirland Farm near Scottsville. And, though he's grateful for his opportunities, his older son, Louis (David Oyelowo), is not so content. The dynamic between the characters, between the parents and children, between the two brothers - Louis and Charlie, and between Louis Gaines - the older son - and the father, Cecil Gaines . Cecil's youngest son, Charlie Gaines, is struggling to find his identity and decides to join the military and fight for his country. He was a remarkable husband, father, son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend. Cecil is a very private person who does not share much about his personal life with his colleagues or friends. But perhaps the racial progress made over those decades was made through both menand both types of men. Not much. The tragic twist, however, happened just as its portrayed in the movie. cecil gaines salarydoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by Still, some of the most remarkable episodes are true. -The Washington Post. There was no indication in Haygood's article or book that Eugene had any sort of realization during the state dinner. Louis, whos 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 1961; hes also imprisoned in the same jail as Martin Luther King, Jr. after a protest. The central character, Cecil Gaines, is only loosely based on the real Allen. 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. ^ a b Haygood, Wil And that scene where Cecil lands his first job as a waiter after being caught stealing food by a sympathetic senior butler who helps him turn his life around? I thought me and the president, we were on good terms, but he turned out to be a real bastard from hell, pardon me for saying so., After the election, according to Gaines, the president he was cursing and swearing and kicking the furniture in the Oval Office, looking for someone to blame for his defeat. Much of the film, though, has been fictionalized, including his name (which was changed to Cecil Gaines) and childhood background. Cecil would tell them the truth and what was right for everyone, and the presidents were actually agreeing with Cecil. The film also gives the butler a second son who is a civil rights activist, and who, in real life, did not exist. It created the rights that said the difference of skin color between black and white people made no difference, both races deserved the same treatment. The Butler, with its Forrest Gump-like ambition to touch on every significant moment and movement in the countrys 20th century racial history, begins by showing Cecil Gaines on a Georgia plantation picking cotton with his father (David Banner). Looking for info on Louis Gaines & descendents, died in Mobile, AL. 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. (Theyre played by Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.) How the butler got his job at the White House So how much of Allens real-life experience actually made it into the film? Gaines, who grew up on a cotton plantation in Macon, GA, first entered the White House in 1957 as President Eisenhower's wardrobe organizer. This moment, along with Cecil overhearing Reagans promise to veto the sanctions against apartheid-ridden South Africa, prompts the butler to hand in his resignation. Seeing him standing there, it's been worth it all. He loved his time at Anniston High and forged lifelong friendships there. Despite In the movie, Cecil asks for equal pay among the black and white service staff, who each perform the same level of duties. Menu. John Cusack as Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States. Proving Descent from Henry Gaines/Isabella Pendleton. He begins working in the White House under Eisenhowers administration, in 1957. Over the years Allen rose in his position, becoming the butler to the president. Colombia is considered to have the third largest Black African population in the western hemisphere, following Brazil,Haiti and the United States. 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. Civil rights are the freedoms and rights that a person may have as a member of a community, state, or nation. However, she did suffer from depression and mental health issues, which led to her drinking. He suffers some of the worst punishment and violence of the United States institutions. Satirist. The civil rights were more inspired by, By that, I mean Louis dad 's name, Cecil Gaines. ", 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. In 1957, the president was Dwight D. Eisenhower. Nancy Reagan interrupts him, informing him that he and his wife are coming to the state dinner as guests of President Reagan and myself. Cecil attends with Gloria; the pride that fills her eyes is one of the films biggest tear-jerking moments. But those presidents that agreed with Cecil would die the same day or the next day, from the other white people because they don 't think African American should have the same rights as them. Gaines sends his son down south to college, only to find that Louis has dropped his studies to devote all of his attention to the struggle for racial equality: He takes a seat in the whites. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. The minority-minority relationship between the two organizations raised enough attention that it gained affirmative action. 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. [6] He retired in 1986, after he worked for Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, a total of eight presidents. Cyclist. PHOTOS: 10 Presidents and Their Famous Hollywood Pals The Butler, based on the story of long-time White House butler Eugene Allen, hits theaters Friday. Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. (2023), Are Catalpa Trees Poisonous to Dogs? Cecil and Gloria have two sons named Louis and Charlie What is the first question that the White House matre d' (Freddie Fallows) asks Cecil when he interviews him? Allen was particularly affected by the murder of President Kennedy in 1963. (Answered 2023), What Are Cat and Dog Paws Adapted for? Starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Mariah Carey, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, We were hoping to capture the essence of Eugene Allen, and I think we did. Jackson made it where common people could vote, and thats why he won the elections. Wearing the tie given to him by Jackie Kennedy and a tie clip he received from Lyndon Johnson, Cecil is last seen making the same walk he made nearly 60 years earlier when he first interviewed for his job at the White House. Thomas Gaines 2/26/12. "[4], Allen and other workers who served presidents were featured in a 32-minute documentary, Workers at the White House, directed by Marjorie Hunt and released on a 2009 DVD, White House Workers: Traditions and Memories by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.[10]. He began working there in 1952, during the Truman administration, but didnt get promoted to butler until several years later. Who was Louis Gaines? Well, I been in the White House near 75 years, so I clearly knew my way to the door., Gaines first entered the White House in 1957 as President Eisenhowers wardrobe organizer. on Forest's performance in the movie and Blacks soon became worried again when Lincoln was assassinated and Johnson took over. We are sad to announce that on June 25, 2021, at the age of 82, Cecil Gaines of Hannibal, Missouri passed away. NEWS: Oscar bait: What you should know about Lee Daniels' The Butler. June 25, 2021 No, the story is not based on a true story, but it is inspired by the real life of Eugene Allen, who served as a butler in the White House for over three decades. The plantation matriarch (Vanessa Redgrave) then decides that Cecil should leave the fields to become a house nigger and learn to serve her family. They were not allowed to vote, which brought them back to the same place they were before. The true story behind Eugene Allen verifies that he was born on a plantation in Virginia (not Georgia). He turned down a personal invitation to President John F. Kennedy's funeral, instead devoting himself in another way, "Somebody had to be at the White House to serve everyone after they came from the funeral," says Eugene. 0:56. Cecil Gaines faced what seemed like insurmountable pain and anguish to advance from the son of a sharecropping slave to a professional black domestic. Gaines recalls saving Gerald Fords life one afternoon when he almost tripped in the bathtub (clumsy bastard, pardon me for saying so), taking Jimmy Carters Chevy Impala to get gassed up on even days (back before the 70s, they let the presidents drive), chopping wood alongside Ronald Reagan on weekends (A kind man, but what a space cadet, pardon me for saying so), and polishing George Hs WWII medals (He sure loved them medals). Watch The Butler movie trailer below and view a featurette that includes interviews with the director, Oprah Winfrey and the son of the real butler. 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). The president had invited him and his wife, he was shocked, but then he and his wife went to it and every white people that were at the party treated them equally. He was, after all, the man who stacked the White House champagne. Allen finally attained the most prestigious rank of butlers serving in the White House, Matre d'htel, in 1981, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Yes. 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 . Allen learned of a job at a country club in Washington, D.C., a fact that aligns with Cecils move to the nations capital. The gut-punch of a kicker to Haygoods article: The butler cast his vote for Obama on Tuesday. Mr. Allen worked for 34 years in the White House under eight presidents. The Butler, from The Weinstein Co. and starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, is based on Eugene Allen, a White House butler who served eight presidents from 1952 to 1986. He shuffled around to her side of the bed. In a personal essay for the fall issue of Magnolia Journal, out Friday, the 44-year-old Fixer Upper star reflected on nearly 20 years of . job he works nearly 34 years to serve the presidents in the White House. Columbia Pictures bought the film rights to Allen's life story, and he was invited to Obama's inauguration, where he commented, "That's the manWhew, I'm telling you, it's something to see. Theres a particularly stirring moment in The Butler when Nancy Reagan (Jane Fonda, of all actresses) intercepts Cecil in the halls of the White House to remind him about an upcoming state dinner. While Daniels had some input as to the script, Strong is credited as the sole writer. The movie was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana. [1] He worked as a waiter for many years, in "whites-only resorts and country clubs", including The Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, and a club in Washington.[4]. assistant to Ms. Williams Bianca Arvin . Loosely based on the real life of Eugene Allen, who worked in the White House for decades, the film stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, an African-American who is a witness of notable political and social events of the 20th century during his 34-year tenure serving as a White House butler. "appropriately and accurately.". It's considered the number one house in the world. At least one key character, Cecils son Louis (David Oyelowo), is entirely made up. DISCRIMINATION TOWARDS AFRICAN AMERICAN IN THE BUTLER FILM BY LEE DANIELS - Diponegoro University | Institutional Repository (UNDIP-IR), Purpose of The Study Scope of The Study Method of The Study, Gloria Gaines Louis Gaines Charlie Gaines, Cecil s conflict with Gloria Cecil s conflict with Louis, Salary Discrimination towards African-American, Employment Opportunities Education Discrimination towards African-American. Spoilers follow. * Eugene Allen was born in 1919, and, like Cecil, he grew up on a plantation (in Virginia, not Georgia). Michael Reagan then went on to list a number of biographical tidbits about his late father that he accused Strong of dismissing, including the fact that the president appointed African-Americans to positions of power when he was governor of California. He was a plantation houseboy in Virginia and did, as Cecil does in the film, leave in the pursuit of better employment. "Jack Kennedy was very nice," says Eugene. No. Some people who are Latino/Latina are also Hispanic and some Hispanics are also Latino/Latina but some people are only one or the other. When Jackie Kennedy returns, she gives Cecil the tie her husband was wearing, which he brings home and presents to his family. Louis and Charlie. Sadly, Helene did not witness the election. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. The film opens with young Cecil in Macon, Georgia, in the 1920s, working in a cotton field alongside his father. Loosely based on the real-life of Eugene Allen, the film stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, an African-American who eyewitnesses notable events of the 20th century during his 34-year tenure serving as a White House butler. Because The Butler is a historical drama, you brace yourself for the brutal moments you know are coming nextsuch as the Kennedy assassination. Cecil is then trained to be a houseman, eventually running away and learning how to become a butler. In reality, Allens wife, Helene, did not have a problem with alcohol nor did she have an affair. Reagan attacked Tinseltown for making what he called "a clichd 'message movie'" particularly given the liberties director Lee Daniels and Strong took with Allen's life, such as giving Gaines a second son the real butler never had and depicting him as joining the Black Panthers. During the time period of 1954-1968 African Americans tried to fight for racial equality. March 31, 2022 by joe biddens But the names have been changed: Allen and his wife, Helene, are called Cecil and Gloria Gaines. Civil rights are the freedoms and rights that a person may have as a member of a community, state, or nation. 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.J.. According to Daniels foreword in The Butler: A Witness to History, a book by Haygood published to accompany the film, the movie is set against historical events, but the title character and his family are fictionalized. The skeleton of Allens story is there: the childhood on a plantation in the early 1920s, the interactions with several presidents. Gaines served in the early twentieth century with the last of the Buffalo Soldiers, the nineteenth century regiments commissioned immediately after the Civil War. I hope she grow out of it. Heres your guide. Louis, the older son in The Butler and a Freedom Rider and early member of the Black Panther Party, is the lens through which much of the film's depiction of the civil rights movement is. The father and son relationship at the heart of Lee Daniels' The Butler nearly eclipses the story proper, which concerns African-American Cecil Gaines, a longtime White House butler who served during eight administrations over 34 years. on a real person, Forest emphasizes that 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. It is implied that this realization is what causes him to make the decision to retire. Joanna Gaines is having her first baby leave the nest. 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. Gloria Gaines: Don't you think she look a little like Louis around the mouth? Allen, however, was born in Virginia, and, according to Haygood, never spoke bitterly about his upbringing or hinted at the monstrosities depicted in the film. I worry a lot for America right now, said Gaines. Allens son survived the war, while his fictional counterpart does not. -The Butler: A Witness to History "It's important to understand," says Danny Strong, who penned The Butler script, "there's a reason why the character's name is Cecil Gaines. For this film's Cecil Gaines, the evening triggers a crisis of confidence. Cecil's son, Louis, becomes part of the civil rights movement against his father's wishes. FilmsPresidentActorFilmAbraham LincolnBenjamin WalkerAbraham Lincoln: Vampire HunterDaniel Day-LewisLincolnTom AmandesSaving LincolnBilly CampbellKilling Lincoln. However, others may say it was justified for trying to force a nation into a new way of life. It is now the basis for Lee Daniels The Butler (the directors name is included thanks to silly copyright claims made by Warner Bros). His character is a composite of all those who participated in sit-ins; rode the bus during the Freedom Rides; walked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and later became members of the Black Panther Party. All rights reserved. "Guess which one had a happy, quiet life and was married to the same woman for 65 years? Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruled that slaves could not use the court systems so he was sent back to his master., The message of unity, celebrating and preserving the cultural, social, and historical achievements of those of African descent spoke to the hearts and minds of a people who had been subjected to centuries of violence, brutality, and oppression. Urban professionals from the Andean interior tend toward conservative, dark-colored suits, while farmers and members of the lower classes prefer loose skirts or pants [source: rquez and Roadfield]. Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, will have spent eight years in the Oval Office when he leaves the White House in January 2017. (I have emailed Haygood and will update the post if he provides additional information.) He was correct. Cecil never did quit when the presidents had died, he continued his job as being the butler. It ended with the story of how the couple intended to vote for Obama together but Helene died just before the election, They talked about praying to help Barack Obama get to the White House. 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. 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