The importance of looking good on television

In the time travel movie “Back to the Future,” 1985 teenager Marty McFly zooms back to 1955 and tells eccentric scientist Emmett “Doc” Brown that the president of the 1980s will be Ronald Reagan. Initially incredulous, Doc finally believes the kid: “No wonder your president has to be an actor. He’s got to look good on television.”

That scene is relevant today because Sept. 26 marks the 65 th anniversary of the first 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debate. Literally overnight, everything turned on how the presidential hopefuls looked on the TV screen. I call the evolution politicosmetolgy.

I took up studies at age 8. In 1948, it was incumbent Harry Truman vs. formidable favorite Thomas Dewey. “Truman’s gonna win,” I told my startled parents when viewing photos. “Dewey’s moustache makes him look like a movie western bad guy.” I proved prescient.

One guy both political parties wanted that year was Dwight D. Eisenhower. He didn’t look like much in movie newsreels, but brother George, 10, told me Ike had won the Europe part of World War II. That had counted for something.

Decades later, viewers saw a glamorized Gen. Eisenhower. In a 2004 made-for-TV movie “Ike: Countdown to D-Day,” 5-11 Ike was transformed into handsome 6-4 Tom Selleck. Better him than Clint Eastwood. (“Make my D-Day.”)

Back in 1948, television rated zero in presidential politics; 1 percent of U.S. households had a set. Nor was video crucial when Ike was elected Republican president in ’52. Just 37 percent had TVs by then. But in 1960 it was 87 percent. Game On!

In the first of four debates, Democrat John F. Kennedy seemed bright and charismatic while Richard Nixon’s makeup gave him five o’clock shadow. That settled things, though three debates followed. Never mind that Nixon was an honored high school and college debater.

Now for a further look at TV’s shaping of the presidency in 11 elections.

1964. Incumbent Lyndon Johnson was domineering and homespun. Republican Barry Goldwater was not – and a little scary. End of story.

1968. Garish on color TV (24 percent of households had it). Assassinations and anti-war riots made the year so awful that politicosmetology wasn’t a huge factor. Nixon didn’t need onscreen charm to win to defeat sincere but unexciting Democrat Hubert Humphrey.

1976. With that incessant face-wide smile, Democrat Jimmy Carter was a shoo-in over sober Gerald Ford.

1980. Former movie actor Ronald Reagan came off as modest and downhome. Carter had worn out his grin. During a telephone interview with The Gazette’s editorial board, Reagan requested timeout to let his dog out to piddle. Memorably humanizing.

1988. George H.W. Bush appeared competent and stern of visage but commendably low-key on his war heroics. “That was World War II – a long time ago,” he told the Gazette editorial board. Bush received a gift from diminutive Democrat Michael Dukakis. To show his toughness and readiness for the commander-in-chief role, Dukakis put on a military helmet and took a ride in a 68-ton tank. Laughing pundits called it the worst campaign photo op ever.

1992. On TV, incumbent Bush seemed wishy-washy while Democrat Bill Clinton was witty and good-looking. But Robert Kazimour of Cedar Rapids told me that Clinton in real life looked a bit like W.C. Fields.

2000. Al Gore seemed stiff and wonky while Republican winner George W. Bush was the guy you could have a beer with. (It would have been ginger ale for Bush. He had forsworn alcohol at age 40.) The younger Bush also had that vital “resolute” look.

2008. Barack Obama came off as professorial and a forceful orator. Republican John McCain downplayed his war hero past by yielding the visuals to his vice presidential pick, Alaskan Sarah Palin. Physically attractive but uninformed yet viscerally appealing to Republicans – she advocated shooting wolves from aircraft – Palin paved the road from Bush to Trump via the Tea Party.

2016. Longtime celebrity Donald Trump. What a story – a triumph in politicosmetology. A purported business success and a real life reality TV star, Trump used pizzazz to emerge from a group of 12 primary GOP candidates. TV’s contribution? More than $2 billion in free airtime. The camera loved Trump and Trump loved it.

2020. Joe Biden. Genial and competent, though old, as seen on TV – strong enough to beat twice-impeached Trump.

2024. Trump again. First convicted felon elected president. Having defeated two women while losing to a man, Trump somehow had remained charismatic enough to attract a large plurality, 49.8 percent of those who bothered to vote. Lest you think charisma is necessarily winsome, Hitler was charismatic. On screen and in real life, Trump is an emerging dictator.

In the age of TV dominance – 1960 to present – it’s been optics upstaging issues. To remember much about the Nixon-Kennedy square off, you have to be over 75. At 85, I’ve seen it all.

As for the Trump era, to paraphrase Doc Brown in “Back to the Future,” “No wonder your president has to be a reality TV star. He’s got to look good on television.”

Editor-writer Jerry Elsea is retired after 40 years with The Gazette.