thefilmarchive.org The 1996 State of the Union address was given by President Bill Clinton to a joint session of the 104th United States Congress on January 23, 1996. The speech was the last State of the Union address of President Clinton’s first term. This speech occurred shortly after the federal government shutdown of 1995 and 1996 which had resulted from disagreements on the 1996 United States federal budget. President Clinton discussed the economy and declared that “the era of big government is over,” and continued, “but we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves. We must go forward as one America, one nation working together, to meet the challenges we face together. Self-reliance and teamwork are not opposing virtues — we must have both.” The president discussed welfare reform, the V-chip, education, community policing, crime and the environment. The president also discussed foreign relations and the federal budget. The Republican Party response was delivered by Senator Bob Dole of Kansas. He stated that “[President Clinton] is the chief obstacle to a balanced budget and the balanced budget amendment…. While the President’s words speak of change, his deeds are a contradiction. President Clinton claims to embrace the future while clinging to the policies of the past.” Donna Shalala, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, served as the designated survivor. en.wikipedia.org
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The Great Gildersleeve (1941–1957), initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, was one of broadcast history’s earliest spin-off programs. Built around Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve, a character who had been a staple on the classic radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly, first introduced on Oct. 3, 1939, ep. #216. The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest success in the 1940s. Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in a quartet of feature films released at the height of the show’s popularity. On Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary’s Gildersleeve was a pompous windbag who became a consistent McGee nemesis. “You’re a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!” became a Gildersleeve catchphrase. The character was given several conflicting first names on Fibber McGee and Molly, and on one episode his middle name was revealed as Philharmonic. Gildy admits as much at the end of “Gildersleeve’s Diary” on the Fibber McGee and Molly series (Oct. 22, 1940). He soon became so popular that Kraft Foods—looking primarily to promote its Parkay margarine spread — sponsored a new series with Peary’s Gildersleeve as the central, slightly softened and slightly befuddled focus of a lively new family. Premiering on August 31, 1941, The Great Gildersleeve moved the title character from the McGees’ Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where Gildersleeve now oversaw his late brother-in-law’s estate and took on the rearing of his …

thefilmarchive.org The 1994 State of the Union address was given by President Bill Clinton to a joint session of the 103rd United States Congress on January 25, 1994. The speech was Clinton’s first official State of the Union address, although he had similarly addressed a joint session of Congress a year prior shortly after taking office. The president discussed the federal budget deficit, taxes, defense spending, crime, foreign affairs, education, the economy, free trade, the role of government, campaign finance reform, welfare reform, and promoting the Clinton health care plan. President Clinton threatened to veto any legislation that did not guarantee every American private health insurance. He proposed for policies to fight crime: a three strikes law for repeat violent offenders; 100000 more police officers on the streets; expand gun control to further prevent criminals from being armed and ban assault weapons; additional support for drug treatment and education. The president began the speech with an acknowledgment of former Speaker Tip O’Neill, who died on January 5, 1994. While discussing additional community policing, the president honored Kevin Jett, a New York City cop attending the address who had been featured in a New York Times story in December 1993. The speech lasted 63 minutes and consisted of 7432 words. It was the longest State of the Union speech since Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1967 State of the Union Address. Republican Representative Henry Hyde criticized …
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