Backstairs at the White House (1979)
- Directed by
- Michael O'Herlihy
- Genre
- drama film
- Country
- United States
- Length
- 1 season, 4 episodes
- Rating
- 6.1 of 10 from 5 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
This miniseries shows the daily work of White House staff across several presidential administrations. It follows the lives and service of the people who keep the White House running, from maids and cooks to butlers and doormen, as they interact with the first families.
behind-the-scenesnostalgicdignifiedslice-of-lifequietly compellingensemble-drivenrespectful
What happens
Backstairs at the White House is a 1979 NBC television miniseries based on the 1961 book My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks (with Frances Spatz Leighton). The series, produced by Ed Friendly Productions, is the story of behind-the-scenes workings of the White House and the relationship between the staff and the First Families. This mini-series was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards in 31st Primetime Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Achievement in Make-up (Mark Bussan, Tommy Cole and Ron Walters) and nominated for Outstanding Limited Series (Ed Friendly, Executive Producer; Ed Friendly, Producer; Michael O'Herlihy, Producer), Best Actress (Olivia Cole), Best Actor (Louis Gossett Jr.), Best Supporting Actress (both Eileen Heckart and Celeste Holm), Best Supporting Actor (both Ed Flanders and Robert Vaughn), Outstanding Teleplay (Part 1) (Gwen Bagni and Paul Dubov), Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration (Part 1) (Richard Y. Haman, Art Director; Anne D. McCulley, Set Decorator), and Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling (Susan Germaine, Lola Kemp and Vivian McAteer). The series was notable for its all-star cast: Leslie Uggams starred as Lillian Rogers Parks and Olivia Cole played her mother Maggie Rogers. Other White House staffers were played by Louis Gossett Jr., Robert Hooks, Cloris Leachman, Leslie Nielsen, and Hari Rhodes. The first episode featured Paul Winfield as Emmett Rogers Sr. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
The West Wing (1999)
Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977)
The Oval (2019)
Freedom Road (1979)
Pilot (1999)
The Facts of Life (1979)
Once an Eagle (1976)
Bracken's World (1969)- More like this series, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.