Jimmy Carter Was A Major Movie Buff

Ronald Reagan, a former actor who served as President of the United States, would likely win the wager if you had to guess which president was the largest movie aficionado. And that would be a wise assumption. According to reports, over his two terms in office, Reagan watched 363 films.

Jimmy Carter, though, was at least one president who outwatched him. One of the interesting facts about Jimmy Carter is even though he was the antithesis of a “Hollywood” president, the former peanut farmer watched more than 400 movies while serving as commander in chief, on average two every week. And only four years, compared to Reagan's eight, were spent in office! There were several screenings that were exclusive to the President and First Lady. Other times, the White House provided guests with a movie to watch that evening. Autumn Sonata, a film by Ingmar Bergman, was screened on April 30, 1979, and about 48 members of the White House staff were there. On February 4, 1978, at Camp David, Carter watched Star Wars with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. That gathering was actually a covert strategy discussion for Middle East peace that helped set the stage for the momentous Camp David Accords between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978.