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John Glenn phone

John Glenn passed away today on December 8, 2016 at the age of 95. The former NASA astronaut and Senator is one of the few people who could accurately be described as an American hero.

An American Hero

Glenn served his country well in a number of ways. He left college to join the service after Pearl Harbor, eventually serving in the Navy and then the Marines. He served in the Korean War and later as a test pilot and as an astronaut.

As a Marine Corps pilot, he broke the transcontinental flight speed record. In 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth. In 1998, at age 77, he became the oldest man in space as part of the crew of the shuttle Discovery.

In politics, Glenn represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate for 25 years. During that period, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination and was often considered for a place on the ticket as vice president.

The Right Stuff

But of all his accomplishments, one scene about his life stands out for me. In the movie The Right Stuff (1983) about the original Mercury 7 astronauts, Ed Harris plays Glenn as a somewhat moralizing goody two shoes, who still comes across as admirable.

One scene in the film centers on events from January 27, 1962 after Glenn’s flight is postponed due to weather conditions. Vice-President Lyndon Johnson and the press are outside Glenn’s house wanting to talk to Glenn’s wife, Annie. Annie, upset and not wanting to meet with the press or the vice president, talks to Glenn on the phone.

In the scene, Glenn is aware of the political and media pressure on the space program. And he is pressured to tell his wife to talk to the vice president. But instead, he backs his wife “100%.” The other astronauts also come off well in the scene, putting aside any differences to back up Glenn.

The incident and Glenn’s response is a true story, even if a bit stylized with a humorous take on LBJ for the big screen. Johnson and the media were pressuring Annie, and Glenn backed up his wife all the way.

Glenn later explained, “She said she was tired, she had a headache, and she just wasn’t going to allow all those people in her house … I told her whatever she wanted to do, I would back her up 100 percent.”

There would be a few more delays due to a fuel leak and weather problems. But of course, Glenn did get off the ground on February 20, 1962 in Friendship 7, becoming the first American to orbit the earth. But he was already a hero to those who knew him.

Godspeed John Glenn.

Apollo 11 Lands On the Moon

Bryan Cranston As LBJ in “All the Way” (Short Review)

Astronauts on Space

The Sky is Deep Black: RIP Neil Armstrong

Mars is Now Streaming Live

Hail Atlantis!

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

LBJ Bryan Cranston HBO’s movie adaptation of Robert Schenkkan’s play about the early presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson is worthwhile viewing for largely one reason, Bryan Cranston in the lead role. With some help from make-up designer Bill Corso, Cranston gives the viewer what it might have felt like to have been around Johnson while he struggled with the major issues of those years.

The movie begins with Johnson’s rise to the presidency when John F. Kennedy is killed, focusing on Johnson’s advocacy for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the escalating war in Vietnam amidst his worries about the next election. As Johnson, Cranston captures the brilliance, vulnerability, insecurities, compassion, and vulgarity of Johnson, one of the most complex people to have ever lived in the White House.

All the Way features a number of outstanding performances, such as Frank Langella as Senator Richard Russell, Antony Mackie as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Stephen Root as J. Edgar Hoover, Melissa Leo as Lady Bird Johnson, and Bradley Whitford as Hubert Humphrey. One criticism, which others have noted too, is that there is too much material and too many interesting characters for one 132-minute movie. Other important people come and go in the story, but director Jay Roach remains focused on LBJ while viewers may also want more.

Ultimately, it is not Roach’s fault that this era was rich in important events and people. As in the case of Daniel Day-Lewis’s portrayal in Lincoln (2012), Cranston’s portrayal of Johnson is so compelling that it made me wish for a much-longer mini-series that revealed more details of events and more layers to the former president.

Yet, for a one-shot movie that tries to convey the essence of the time and LBJ’s years between Kennedy’s assassination and Johnson’s election as president in his own right, All the Way is worth your time, even if sometimes it deviates from the historical record for dramatic effect. Cranston’s portrayal of Johnson will be remembered as one of the great presidential roles, and the movie does an excellent job at making Johnson a three-dimensional character with the mix of both majestic strengths and deep flaws.