Richard (1972)
7/10
Extremely obscure pre-Watergate satire
29 May 2011
I had the pleasure of seeing this satiric portrait of Richard Nixon, released before the Watergate scandal, when it first came out. Since then, it seems to have vanished off the face of the Earth. I'd love to find a copy of it. Richard M. Dixon (a guy whose entire career was based on his resemblance to Nixon) stars in this fictional biography of the President, which takes the form of old movie clichés. Included are a "young Abe Lincoln" type of movie (complete with log cabin), an old World War Two movie, a mad scientist/horror film, and a direct parody of "A Clockwork Orange." You also get to see the infamous Checkers speech. (If memory serves, you also get to see the dog itself, which is not seen in any version of the speech I have been able to find.) Not all the comedy works, but it's mostly quite amusing. Watch for such unexpected guest stars as Mickey Rooney and John Carradine.
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