Gaines was born on April 9, 1943 to Cecil Reginald Montgomery and Margaret Gaines Montgomery in Anniston, Alabama. He was predeceased by : his parents, George Gaines and Hazel Gaines (Chase); and his wife Barbara Jones. [6] He retired in 1986, after he worked for Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, a total of eight presidents. The movie is Blacks soon became worried again when Lincoln was assassinated and Johnson took over. Alison Gaines 7/27/12. White House butler Cecil Gaines's son Louis and his girlfriend Carol join the Panthers, and explain to Cecil and his wife over dinner that, yes, the movement does have radical political motives . He believed that because of this, he was now free. When he is employed as a butler in the White House, he is given the opportunity of a . Cecil had a wife, Gloria Gaines, and two sons, Louis and Charlie Gaines that were with him after he became a butler in a Washington Hotel. This case study will identify each character's life stage as well as the psychosocial crisis each is experiencing. (They're played by Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.) Colombia is considered to have the third largest Black African population in the western hemisphere, following Brazil,Haiti and the United States. I was the one who taught little John John how to salute like that., Gaines trimmed Lyndon Johnsons ear hairs as a full butler and remembers rewinding Richard Nixons tape recording machine every evening. Because this is not the Eugene Allen story. Here, he learns how to serve and be a proper house slave. Your source for entertainment news, celebrities, celeb news, and celebrity gossip. Louis Gaines represents the radical voice in the fight for social justice. Cecil Gaines is the protagonist of "The Butler." He is a widower and father of two sons, Louis and Charlie. He turned down a personal invitation to President John F. Kennedy's funeral, instead devoting himself in another way, "Somebody had to be at the White House to serve everyone after they came from the funeral," says Eugene. "I think it's gonna have to be somebody who is capable of delivering a nuanced performance, and Forest is more than capable." In the Washington Post article, Eugene and Helene talk about praying for Obama to win the White House. Over the years Allen rose in his position, becoming the butler to the president. Civil rights include freedom of speech, of the press, and of religion. Cecil confirms hell be there to serve and begins listing all the preparations hes already started marking. Shes mesmerizing and stunningly nuanced as she battles an alcohol addiction, struggles with guilt over an affair, and weathers the emotional torture of a fractured familyher husband devotes his life to the White House, her eldest son joins the front lines of the dangerous civil rights movement, and her younger son is killed in Vietnam. Cecils character arc is complete when Nancy Reagan invites him to the state dinner as a guestthe first black butler to receive such an invitation in the history of the White House. The man in the kitchen.. He worked for the family as a house boy doing chores such as washing dishes. "And so was Mrs. In reality, Allens wife, Helene, did not have a problem with alcohol nor did she have an affair. Throughout the film Cecil and his family encounter many of the changes that the U.S. faced after the 1930's Gloria Gaines, thebutlerswife, hasan affair with a neighbor (Terrence Howard) and struggles with alcoholism. In real life, Eugene Allen always expressed pride with regard to his job and his time at the White House. He worked for the family as a house boy doing chores such as washing dishes. Also know, what presidents did Cecil Gaines serve? All rights reserved. Eyes watering, he watched the first black man take the oath of office of the presidency, Haygood wrote in his obituary of Allen in 2010. Still, some of the most remarkable episodes are true. He begins working in the White House under Eisenhowers administration, in 1957. He was, after all, the man who stacked the White House champagne. But theres one black man who spent nearly four times that34 yearsin the White House, watching as eight presidents filed in and out and witnessing the country change from within the walls that were changing it. Both radical and reforms were fighting for the same cause; even though they had different ideas to meet its end., Did you know the civil rights was a time of racism, discrimination, protests for equality, and gained momentum to overcome horrific obstacles ? The movie begins with Cecil Gaines working on a plantation in 1926 with his father and mother. The film also gives the butler a second son who is a civil rights activist, and who, in real life, did not exist. It ended with the story of how the couple intended to vote for Obama together but Helene died just before the election, They talked about praying to help Barack Obama get to the White House. He began as a pantry worker in 1952, and was promoted to butler years later. Gaines served in World War II from March 1943 to December 1945 with the 27th . And, though he's grateful for his opportunities, his older son, Louis (David Oyelowo), is not so content. He started in the White House in 1952 as a "pantry man", a job which involved basic tasks such as dish washing, stocking and cleaning silverware. Cecil Gaines in his later years, waiting for Ronald Reagan to finish his lunch so he could step in and wipe spittle from the president's chin. No spam, just the good stuff. The film, scripted by Danny Strong (Game Change), is inspired by the life of real White House butler Eugene Allen, who worked at the White House from 1952 to 1986 and whom the younger Reagan knew. Cecil is a person who really loves his family and also his job because he works hard to support his families, and for the love of the "White House butler Eugene Allen's humility recalled at funeral", Washington Post, April 9, 2010. . The Butler director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Danny Strong injected these events into the movie in order to create the fear that builds subservience into Cecil's DNA. Writer. The true story behind Eugene Allen verifies that he was born on a plantation in Virginia (not Georgia). He went on to study at Georgia Tech where he earned a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Cecil Gaines' son's transition from the liberal integrationism of Dr. King and mainline civil rights, to his joining the black power movement, to eventually becoming involved in establishment . This did, in fact, happen to Allen, but the cinematic version unfolds quite differently. Louis, whos ashamed that his father is content with serving white people, is himself present for several important historical moments, including the attack and burning of a Freedom Riders bus in 1961; hes also imprisoned in the same jail as Martin Luther King, Jr. after a protest. I thought me and the president, we were on good terms, but he turned out to be a real bastard from hell, pardon me for saying so., After the election, according to Gaines, the president he was cursing and swearing and kicking the furniture in the Oval Office, looking for someone to blame for his defeat. We may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through links. He, too, became a house boy for a white family. In a personal essay for the fall issue of Magnolia Journal, out Friday, the 44-year-old Fixer Upper star reflected on nearly 20 years of . When he retired after 34 years, President Reagan wrote him a tender note and Nancy Reagan tightly hugged him. Its not surprising that some broad creative license was taken with Allens life. But even today, where skin color should make no difference, black people still experience segregation., Stop sweet-talking him (Bagwell n.pag.). No. Allen was married to his wife, Helene, for 65 years. Cecil Gaines: But in the hallway, he fell against the wall and started crying. No, the story is not based on a true story, but it is inspired by the real life of Eugene Allen, who served as a butler in the White House for over three decades. The Allens really were invited by Mrs. Reagan to that state dinner, a memory they fondly recounted in the Post article. Aug 16, 2013. The film ends with Cecil returning to the White House to meet President Obama. He began working there in 1952, during the Truman administration, but didnt get promoted to butler until several years later. The latter penned a scathing editorial for conservative website Newsmax titled "The Butler from Another Planet," in which he blasted the historical drama's suggestion that his father was racist. At least one key character, Cecils son Louis (David Oyelowo), is entirely made up. anthony lewis 7/01/13. To begin with, Dred Scott was an African Slave that had spent time in a free territory. "If you knew my father, you'd know he was the last person on Earth you would call a racist.". 2023 E! Gaines sends his son down south to college, only to find that Louis has dropped his studies to devote all of his attention to the struggle for racial equality: He takes a seat in the whites. -WorldandFilm.com, Yes. Theyd go vote together. [9], Allen died of kidney failure at the Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland on March 31, 2010.[2]. Cecil Gaines Obituary We are sad to announce that on June 25, 2021, at the age of 82, Cecil Gaines of Hannibal, Missouri passed away. Nancy Reagan interrupts him, informing him that he and his wife are coming to the state dinner as guests of President Reagan and myself. Cecil attends with Gloria; the pride that fills her eyes is one of the films biggest tear-jerking moments. ^ a b Haygood, Wil Allen was the first White House butler ever to be invited as a guest to a state dinner. black man be elected to the White House. This crooked fella, Trump, he doesnt seem to know a thing about the country, its laws, the Constitution. Author. Indigenous peoples of Colombia, or Native Colombians, are the ethnic groups who have been in Colombia prior to the Europeans in the early 16th century. This movie was filming about the life of a sharecropper's son, Cecil Gaines' life. Im glad hes finished.. Cecil and Louis, the warring father and son played by Whitaker and Oyelowo . That tie, however, Allen had framed. Colombian Mexicans. Is the movie The Butler based on a true story? Still, some of the most remarkable episodes are true. Cecil was an Uncle Tom, Louis believed, a simpering servant who refused to fight for change. Gloria Gaines: Don't you think she look a little like Louis around the mouth? Not many African Americans can do what Cecil does, which was not getting beaten up even if he was a different color, and white people treated him equal because he was a good nigger butler. 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