The Golden Lad

December 14, 2015
Piercing the larger-than-life Teddy Roosevelt myth, Burns (1920), a former correspondent for NBC News and Today, explores the personal side of the energetic, rambunctious war hero and politician and his doting relationship with his youngest child, Quentin. Burns begins as the Spanish-American war percolates in 1897, with a combative “Teedie” eager to test his valor in battle; Roosevelt described war as “a supreme test of a man’s character.” Roosevelt, a father of six children, chose the fragile Quentin as his favorite. The future leader of the Rough Riders recalled his own tough, illness-prone childhood and how he overcame his ailments through strenuous exercise. War fame propelled Roosevelt from one top government post to another until his selection as William McKinley’s running mate in 1900 (and his ascension to the presidency upon McKinley’s assassination), but he continued to make quality time for his family. Burns crafts his work by balancing Roosevelt’s monumental achievements against his serious character flaws. He also holds Roosevelt responsible for lobbying for the U.S. to enter WWI, a war that claimed the life of his beloved son. Burns’s unique, stirring account of America’s most colorful president allows Teddy Roosevelt, the man and father, to step off the page. Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group.