''Richard'' is a 1972 film co-directed by

Harry Hurwitz Harry Hurwitz (January 27, 1938 – September 21, 1995) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. Biography Hurwitz attended The High School of Music & Art and New York University, where he received a B.S. in 1960 and an ...

and Lorees Yerby. The film was notable as it was a lampoon of President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

before the

Watergate scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

Plot

In order to earn his wings, a

Guardian Angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...

(Rooney) comes down from heaven to train Richard (Dixon) to be

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. He wins the 1968 presidential election, which was, in reality, sponsored by a group of Irishmen on a bet.

Cast

* Mickey Rooney as Guardian Angel * Imogene Bliss as Mother * Marvin Braverman as Hardhat *

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later Jo ...

as Plastic Surgeon * Richard M. Dixon as Richard *

Paul Ford Paul Ford Weaver (November 2, 1901 – April 12, 1976) was an American character actor who came to specialize in authority figures whose ineptitude and pompous demeanor were played for comic effect, notably as Mayor Shinn in ''The Music Man (196 ...

as Washington Doctor *

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Majority Leader under spea ...

as Washington Doctor *

Vivian Blaine Vivian Blaine (born Vivian Stapleton; November 21, 1921 – December 9, 1995) was an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Miss Adelaide in the musical theater production of ''Guys and Dolls'', as well as appearin ...

External links

* * 1972 films 1972 comedy films Films directed by Harry Hurwitz Films about Richard Nixon 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{1970s-comedy-film-stub