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Jimmy Carter: Jimmy Who?
An evocative two-part profile of Jimmy Carter explores how his career has been shaped by what former speechwriter Hendrik Hertzberg calls his “moral ideology.” Produced by Adriana Bosch ( “American Experience” biographies of Reagan and Grant), the film features comments by Carter’s wife, Rosalynn, and son Chip, as well as historians, former Vice President Walter Mondale and a number of key Carter aides. Part 1ends just after the 1976 campaign, which put Carter in the White House. He was, says Hertzberg, “exactly what the American people would say they want.” Linda Hunt narrates., On January 20, 1977, president-elect Jimmy Carter surprised onlookers by walking the length of Pennsylvania Avenue to his inauguration. To many this offered the perfect symbol for the former peanut farmer who would be president. James Earl Carter, Jr. was born in Plains, Georgia on October 1, 1924. A hardworking student, he received an appointment to the United States Navel Academy during World War II. After graduation, he married Rosalynn Smith and pursued a career in the Navy. Following Earl Carter’s (Jimmy’s father) death in 1953, the couple returned to Plains where they rebuilt the family business into a successful peanut farm. Highly driven, however, Carter soon became restless and decided to run for public office for the first time in 1962. Jimmy Who? offers a fluid overview of these events by combining rare film footage and interviews with friends, colleagues, and historians. The segment climaxes with Carter’s attempts to pass legislation during his first year as president., An evocative two-part profile of Jimmy Carter explores how his career has been shaped by what former speechwriter Hendrik Hertzberg calls his “moral ideology”.
