AS SEEN ON TV: PRESIDENT PAUL ROUDEBUSH

I don't care who you vote for*, I just want you to get out there tomorrow and exercise that right for which others gave their lives so you could do so.....

PRESIDENT PAUL ROUDEBUSH

AS SEEN IN:

"Vanished"

CREATED BY:

Fletcher Knebel

PORTRAYED BY:

Richard Widmark

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time/MOTW

From the IMDb.com:

A movie about the sudden disappearance of a top Presidential adviser. Grilled by the media, the President's press secretary reveals very little, simply because he knows very little. But the chief executive himself has more information than he's willing to make public; the FBI has proof that the vanished adviser was homosexual, and subject to blackmail. Written by Ørnås

From the blog "Shatner's Toupee":

Vanished is a 1971 made-for-TV political thriller starring Richard Widmark as fictional US president Paul Roudebush and featuring a slew of supporting star character actors from that era, including Larry Hagman, Tom Bosley, E.G. Marshall, Murray Hamilton, Betty White - and, of course, William Shatner, who plays relentless and intrepid reporter Dave Paulick.

The movie, directed by Buzz Kulik, was originally aired in two parts (each 90 around minutes, plus commercials), making it the first ever mini-series.

From Jack Jacoby at TCM.com:

Richard Widmark plays the President of the U.S., in this, the very first made for TV movie "mini series" released in 1971. Widmark is solid and received an Emmy nomination for his performance in this political thriller.

"Vanished" takes place in the alternate TV dimension known as Earth Prime-Time/MOTW. The line of succession for the President of the United States is vastly different from that found in the main Toobworld and in the real world. It consists of Presidents - dating back to at least the 1930s - who can only be found in TV movies, one-off specials, and a few mini-series.

For the most part, they all line up pretty logically, even if most of them were one-term Presidents......

Somebody should get this forgotten classic into the DVD market!

BCnU!

*  I lied.  I do care who you vote for.......