Challenges the popular opinion of historians that the Coolidge Prosperity led inevitably to the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression of the 1930's. I European recovery, and prominence in worldwide economic and cultural development during the 1920's. Inspires viewers to give open minded consideration to the political beliefs, moral character and spiritual values of perhaps our most misunderstood President, Calvin Coolidge. That view was confirmed at an early showing of work in progress during a Coolidge Symposium at the Library of Congress in Washington. More recently, a preview of edited episodes was screened for a seminar at the John F. Kennedy Library.
Preview screenings continue with test audiences.
Vermont Public Television serves as development partner and non-profit fiscal agent for the completion phase of the project. During research and production we discovered a wealth of archival film material to illustrate and, at times, tell our stories. Archival images will fill over half the film's three hour running time. Because no fully researched film has ever been made on Presidents Harding or Coolidge, most of these archival scenes remain on decomposing nitrate film. Much of our completion budget is directed toward rescuing and incorporating this irreplaceable visual evidence of Coolidge's life and times while it still exists.