Being the president is a tough job. Looking over millions of people in the United States can be exhausting, and just like everyone else, presidents need time to unwind. Thankfully, The White House includes multiple amenities that allow presidents to relax, ranging from a bowling alley to a built-in movie theater. Quite a few presidents have spent many hours in The White House movie theater, but the 39th president, Jimmy Carter, had a greater love for the theater than the others.
Jimmy Carter, who died December 29, 2024, at the age of 100, watched hundreds of films in the presidential theater. Having established a film commission in Georgia when he was governor a few years before his presidency, Carter had quite the love for movies. He saw his favorite film, Rocky, while he was in office, and he screened many films for friends and political peers. He pushed boundaries for what kinds of films were shown in The White House theater and showed his taste for all sorts of genres.
Jimmy Carter Watched an Impressive Number of Films for a President
Not every president has a comprehensive list of movies they watched in office, but Matt Novak at Gizmodo compiled lists for a few presidents based on their presidential diaries. Ronald Reagan, having been a movie star before becoming president, seems like he might have watched the most movies as president, but he only saw about 350 across his two terms. Richard Nixon’s list of more than 500 films beats Reagan, but Jimmy Carter saw more than 400 films in only one term, averaging two films a week.
His list begins with the political film All the President’s Men, which Carter watched two days after taking office. He likely chose it to give him a reminder of the importance of his decisions, as the film showed how The Washington Post covered the Watergate scandal involving the last-elected president, Richard Nixon.
Jimmy Carter’s viewings often included guests, like his family, his staff, or sometimes guests. On February 4, 1978, Carter and his wife watched Star Wars at Camp David with the former president of Egypt, Anwar al-Sadat, and his wife. This was during the time period where Jimmy Carter was facilitating meetings between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries and a Nobel Peace Prize for Egypt and Israel’s leaders.
As president, Carter had access to all sorts of movies, including newer ones. Sometimes, he got to see movies before they were shown to the public, like Apocalypse Now, which he saw on May 10, 1979, three months before it released theatrically. He had 75 guests in attendance to see the film at The White House, including the film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola.
The Former President Loved Rocky
The fourth movie that Jimmy Carter watched in office was Rocky, which became his favorite movie at the time, according to his presidential archive. He first watched Rocky on February 19, 1977, just a few months after the film came out and one month before it won the Oscar for best picture. Carter loved the movie so much that he wrote to the film’s star, Sylvester Stallone, the next day. His letter read:
“We saw Rocky in The White House last night and my family & staff agree that it is one of the best movies we’ve ever seen. Congratulations on a superb film.”
Carter loved the film so much, he rewatched it on June 25 that year with a few senators and friends. His letter also spurred a visit from Sylvester Stallone to The White House on September 9 of the same year. The former president also watched the sequel while he was in office. He saw Rocky II on July 18, 1979, one month after it came out.
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Carter Had Scattered Viewing Tastes
With more than 400 on his list, Jimmy Carter had quite the variety of movies. He watched many classics such as Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and Bambi. He also tended to watch films that were released within the past few months, leading him to watch classics like The Shining and The Empire Strikes Back before they even became classics. He watched new films in his last months in office especially seeing 1980 classics like Raging Bull and Nine to Five weeks before they came out.
Jimmy Carter had some expected choices for films for a president, like the political film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Other films he watched, such as the 1979 movie Jesus, reflected his own personal values (Carter was a vocal evangelical Christian). He had some surprising picks as well, including Midnight Cowboy, which became the first X-rated film to be shown in The White House.
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Not all of Carter’s choices for movies were serious. He enjoyed watching comedies with friends, family, and staff, including Airplane, Caddyshack, and The Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner Movie. He seemed particularly fascinated by Woody Allen’s and Mel Brooks’s comedies. Carter saw Manhattan twice in May 1979 and watched The Stardust Memories with the first lady on November 6, 1980, two days after losing re-election. His list also includes Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.
His list included many repeat actors who were becoming stars at the time, like Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. He also watched quite a few Roger Moore movies, as the actor was playing James Bond at the time. Carter’s list also includes It’s a Wonderful Life and a number of other James Stewart movies, like his final film pick as president, Fools’ Parade.