Hail

Hail is a scathing political satire about a presidential administration gone mad with power and paranoia. A Nixon-type president becomes involved in political assassinations and establishing detention camps for "subversives" for the good of the nation. Richard Shull is brilliant as the Secretary of HEW and the president's most confidential advisor. Many other familiar faces appear here: Dick O'Neill (Barney Miller), Phil Foster (Laverne & Shirley), and Gary Sandy (WKRP in Cincinnati). I've watched this film again as the US is preparing for war in Iraq (3/03). Amazing connections to real life appear in this film. For instance: blaming the "liberal media" for dissent and detaining "undesireables" without due process. Leaning close to heavy handed at times, Hail nonetheless makes its point in a hilarious and chilling way. Hunt this one down.

I was lucky to have attended the Premier because the picture didn't hang around too long. Hail was written and released months before Nixon's downfall. The writers must of had an inside line to the White House. Scene by scene, Hail to the Chief is a complete story of the nuts we elect to save our country. I loved the men's room scene. Dan Resin makes a good president. Get a copy, if you can and compare to George. It was rather unfortunate that picture was not picked up for general distribution. There was probably too much realism in the picture as compared to the actual picture on Capital Hill. The uniforms for the White House Guards, the paranoia that surrounded Nixon and his military hit unit that was all around him, was presented in a very laughable manner. Still and all, Hail to the Chief continues to be a good picture to enjoy. The simple fact that this Commander-in-Chief satire, still rings true in our current events makes the picture almost timeless. Hopefully, only the comedy aspect will be timeless.

Great use of actors you've seen plenty of places before, but never in starring roles. The disclaimer / warning at the beginning seems a bit heavy handed, but as a whole, the film works on a great anti-establishmentarian level. Richard Schulla and Gary Sandy (WKRP) are stand outs.