Eugene allen project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Lee daniels the butler trailer lee daniels directs forest whitaker and oprah winfrey who portray husband and wife cecil and gloria gaines. Eugene allen, lr son charles allen and ortaciana allen make their way to the capitol building for the. Famed butlers son to speak at southwest library hill now. District of columbia state organization holiday luncheon december 2017 educational excellence committee nominations committee district of columbia state organization. Join facebook to connect with eugene butler and others you may know. President reagans son attacks lee daniels the butler. A witness to history, a book by haygood published to. Eugene allen, who endured a harsh and segregated upbringing in his native virginia and went on to work for eight presidents as a white house butler, died wednesday of renal.
Obama, haygood doggedly pursued every lead until he found allen, his wife, and son. During the presidencies of harry truman to ronald reagan, eugene allen was a butler in the most famous of. Eugene allen with his wife helene and their only son charles in 1948. The film based on a washington post article written by wil haygood in 2008 has a cast headlined by forest whitaker as cecil gaines. Meet the son of lee daniels the butler entertainment. Book the decatur house buy the white house ornament terms of use and privacy policy. L ee daniels the butler, which opens friday, is loosely based on the life of eugene allen, a butler at the white house for 34 years and through eight administrations.
In a career spanning 34 years and eight presidents, eugene allen witnessed some of the most important moments in 20thcentury american history all from his unique point of view as white house butler. During some of those years, harsh segregation laws lay upon. Lee daniels 2014 film the butler features the story of cecil gaines, a black man who dedicates his career to serving the array of presidents who come through the white house throughout. Allen s life was the inspiration for the 20 film the butler. Charles allen, son of eugene allen the butler interviews wms. First lady hillary clinton honored allen, alongside many other longterm white house workers, at a 1995 event at the white house.
This mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film the butler traces the civil rights movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century american history through the. When allen retired in 1986, he had served the white house as a pantry man, butler, and maitre d. As a butler, allen frequently served the president and his guests. The butler then offers a corrective to this history though the acts of quiet resistance and quiet revolution that were made by men such as eugene allen. Eugene butler has established a solid and respected position in the music world as a composer, conductor, educator and church musician. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler who worked for the us government at the white house for 34 years until he retired as the head butler in 1986. Public library will host the son of a famed presidential butler tonight as part of its summer reading program at its southwest location on 900 wesley place near the waterfront metro. At least one key character, cecils son louis david oyelowo, is entirely. Eugene allen, former white house butler washington, dc january 20.
This mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film the butler traces the civil rights movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century american history through the eyes of eugene allen a white house butler who served eight presidents over the course of thirtyfour years. Based on the life story of longserving white house butler eugene allen, lee daniels the butler was one of 20s mostsuccessful movies, winning raves from critics and drawing big box. When it trumps up an existential crisis that causes the butler to adopt his sons activist ways, it rings false. Eugene allen, the reallife white house butler that inspired the hit film, the butler, was happy to see president barack obama elected as the nations first black president, his son said. Allen peacefully on thursday, march 31, 2010 at the washington adventist hospital in takoma park, md. The life of that man, eugene allen, is the basis for lee daniels the butler, which debuts in theaters this weekend.
For more than three decades eugene allen worked in the white house, a black man unknown to the headlines. Charles allen, son of the famous white house butler eugene allen, visited bolivia between february 26 and march 3, to talk about the struggle for civil rights in the united states and to discuss the movie the butler, which is inspired in the life of his father, eugene allen. The butler is a bit more than 2 hours long, spans several decades, and includes multiple storylines. Eugene allen fulfilled by obama presidency politico. There was no indication in haygoods article or book that eugene had any sort of realization during. The butler tells a core american story orange county. Eugene allen, 90, butler for eight us presidents the. Wil haygood adds eugene allens chronicle to his impressive list of essential works. The film was inspired by a 2008 washington post story titled. The butler author wil haygood and charles allen son of. He worked for the white house for 34 years until he retired in 1986.
Kevin clarkthe washington post via getty images eugene allen. The real eugene allen treasured the time the reagans invited him and his wife to. In the movie, gaines meets his wife, gloria, at the washington hotel where both work before gaines. Born in buckingham, va on july 14, 1919 to the late kate allen.
Now, et is exclusively with the son of eugene allen, the man whose experiences inspired the epic film, to get his take on hollywoods. The butler is a scandalously brief book, very superficial, and with more emphasis on the writer than on eugene allen, the real butler. According to his son, my father came home late on the day that president kennedy had been shot. Eugene allen was a remarkable man, and i am happy and grateful that wil haygood had the passion and perseverance to find him and to bring his story to life in his article and through this book. This mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film the butler traces the civil rights movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century american history. Eugene allen s son discusses civil rights in bolivia u. From the title i expected, well, either a biography about the butler himself, eugene allen, a man in the unique position of having served eight presidents, or, a story of the life that went on around him while he served those eight presidents and first ladies of our country. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler who worked. A butler well served by this election the washington post. Charles allen, son of the famous white house butler eugene allen, visited bolivia between february 26 and march 3, to talk about the struggle for civil rights in the united states. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the. It is based on the life of eugene allen, a black butler in the white house whose humaninterest story was recounted by washington post reporter wil haygood as part of his. Eugene allens son discusses civil rights in bolivia u.
Eugene allen simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. On the butler, and the legendary life of eugene allen. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler. Eugene allen was born on a virginia plantation in 1919 and spent much of. The speaker, charles allen, is the son of eugene allen, for which wil haygoods book. The butler was inspired by the real story of eugene allen, a man who served in the white house even longer than the fictional cecil gaines. Hear from the real butler of the white house, eugene allen. The butler full title lee daniels the butler is a 20 american historical drama film directed and coproduced by lee daniels and with a screenplay by danny strong.
Eugene allen, the reallife white house butler, was born into farm work in virginia not georgia and there is no reference to his ever having witnessed the aftermath of a. Eugene allen, son charles allen and ortaciana allen make. I cant say i disliked this book but neither was i satisfied by it. When the butler comes out on august 16, there will be three black men that made it happen director lee daniels, white house butler eugene allen and journalist wil haygood, who wrote the original washington post article, a butler well served by this election that inspired the movie.
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