Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

Located in Simi Valley just outside of Los Angeles, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum preserves the life story of America's fortieth president. Ronald Reagan held office from 1981 to 1989, succeeded by his vice president, George H. W. Bush. The library and museum was opened in 1991. The views of the surrounding valleys and mountains are majestic and the location was chosen to echo the "shining city on a hill" that Reagan often referred to in his political speeches. His career from college athlete and performer to Hollywood actor to politician is chronicled. When we visited, it was also hosting a traveling exhibit on The Dead Sea Scrolls.

The entrance has some bronze statues of the president and his First Lady, Nancy Reagan.

Ronald Reagan at the entrance

Blogger, President, First Lady

The museum begins with his early family life in Illinois where he was born.

Early life

He played football in high school and was involved in the drama department. He went on to Eureka College, continuing both pursuits along with being active in campus politics. His first jobs after college were in radio broadcasting. He eventually moved to Hollywood to try acting, becoming a star after appearing in Knute Rockne, All-American. He played George Gipp, a Notre Dame football player who famously asked Coach Knute Rockne to "win just one more for the Gipper." "The Gipper" became a knick-name later on in life.

High school memorabilia

First starring role as "The Gipper"

An interactive exhibit lets visitors try out color-commentating a football game or starring in one of Reagan's movie scenes.

Trying out his radio persona

The museum briefly reviews his decade as Governor of California. Inheriting a debt from the previous administration, Reagan instituted both additional taxes and budget cuts to create a surplus. He also dealt with social unrest at California universities.

As California's govenor

Energy policy

The exhibits on his presidential years are extensive. They start with the 1980 campaign against Jimmy Carter which wound up as a landslide victory for Reagan.

Famous quote from the 1980s campaign

Inauguration outfits

I am Secret Service for my presidential offspring's inaugural address

On March 30, 1981, John Hinkley tried to assassinate President Reagan on the streets of Washington, DC. Reagan was rushed to George Washington University Hospital where he recovered from a punctured lung, cracked rib, and internal bleeding. When he first went under for surgery, he told the doctor, "I hope you are a Republican." So he kept a sense of humor. Afterward, he credited God with sparing his life and assumed he had a mission to fulfill.

Items from the assassination attempt

The museum has a full-size recreation of the Oval Office, decorated as it was during Reagan's presidency. 

Oval office desk

Oval office sitting area

Life at the White House was busy. Reagan took to writing diaries, which are preserved in the library part of the museum.

Reagan's diary on display

Nancy Reagan made some aesthetic changes though she did not use tax money to make the changes. The Reagans also did a lot of hosting of both domestic and foreign visitors. 

Interactive exhibit about entertaining foreign dignitaries

Reagan china

John Travolta and Princess Diana dance at the White House!

Nancy Reagan's sense of style and extravagant spending were noticed and mocked by the media. Being a good sport, she dressed up in a crazy outfit and sang a little ditty about excessive style. She won over the press by her sense of humor.

Extravagant outfit?

Some pictures show the changes in various White House rooms.

Reagan-era updates

Nancy Reagan also advocated against under-age drug use, starting a "Just Say No!" campaign that used stuff like sports and board games to get the youth on board.

Not the most successful campaign

One of the highlights of the museum is Air Force One, one of the Boeing 707s used by presidents to travel around the country and the world. This particular plane (tail number 27000) was used from Richard Nixon's presidency to George W. Bush's, so seven presidents. It was decommissioned in 2001 and given to the museum. 

Air Force One!

Other side of the plane

In an interesting twist of fate, one of the Secret Service men who helped during the assassination attempt had seen Reagan's film Code of the Secret Service and was inspired to join the agency! 

A bit of a circle

Visitors can go on the plane and see this flying White House from the inside.

Cockpit

Not-so-oval office

Briefing room

Seems like every seat is first class

A mural outside the plane shows the various aircraft that served as Air Force One through the years. Any time a president rides in an aircraft, it becomes Air Force One.

Lots of presidential transportation

Reagan's limousine is on display underneath the plane.

Presidential limo

Also in the Air Force One Pavilion is The Ronald Reagan Pub and Snack Bar. While visiting Ireland in 1984, Ronald and Nancy visited O'Farrell's Pub in Ballyporeen. The pub was disassembled and moved to California in 2005.

We did not get a snack or drink, alas!

Reagan's favorite candy was jelly beans. He always had a jar on his desk (even on Air Force One). The company donated a picture of Reagan made entirely of jelly beans. 

Not sure about this

Back in the exhibits, several interactive tables explained the economic revival under Reagan.

Having fun and learning

More economic learning

During his presidency, the space program grew as the space shuttles took center stage. A great disaster for the country was the explosion of the Challenger shuttle in 1986.

Remembering astronauts who died 

Reagan's reelection in 1984 against Democratic candidate Walter Mondale was an even bigger landslide.

Mondale won his home state and DC, the rest was for Reagan

The next exhibit explained the Cold War and how it came to an end partly through Reagan's efforts. In addition to speaking out against nuclear proliferation and human rights violations under Communist rule, Reagan expanded military spending to provide a viable threat to Soviet expansion. Reagan's work was only a part of a larger whole, with Pope John Paul II inspiring Polish Catholics to organize and protest against their communist government which was little more than a client state of the U.S.S.R.

Berlin Wall recreation

Meeting JPII in 1982

Reagan met with Premier Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, in a series of negotiations to limit nuclear weapons and curtail expansionism.

Negotiations

Geneva Summit

Stuff from Camp David, a retreat for the president from DC

The final exhibits are about Reagan's post-presidential life. He developed Alzheimer's Disease and died quietly in 2004. Reagan and Nancy are both buried on the grounds of the musem though we did not visit their graves. The kids were "museumed out" by that point, so we headed on to our next destination.

Normal Rockwell painting of Reagan

Reagan's body lying in state at the Capitol

Unbeknownst to me, my wife and daughter took some pictures that are too fun not to share...

Riding at Camp David

Less enthusiasm

Movie Review: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) directed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski

With the popularity of Batman: The Animated Series, the creative crew were able to make a feature-length story that was released theatrically. A new villain, The Phantasm, is killing some of Gotham's crime bosses. The Phantasm's outfit is close enough to Batman's that some witnesses think it is the Dark Knight offing the bad guys. Bruce Wayne has some problems, too. An old flame, Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delaney), has returned to town, though she is more interested in her father's accountant than in going back to Bruce. Flashbacks show how close a college-aged Bruce was to giving up on avenging his parents. He even proposed to Andrea. She abruptly broke off the engagement and went to Europe with her father, leaving a note with the engagement ring asking him to forget her forever. In the current day story, Bruce has perfected his "playboy who is never serious" persona when dealing with women. He does remember and still feel the connection he had with Andrea. A third problem comes up since the Joker (Mark Hamill) is causing mayhem in his usual style, though his presence turns out to be less random than it initially seems.

The movie gives a solid Batman story. It delves a bit into his origin, adding in the doomed romance to raise the pathos. There's plenty of action and the mystery is well-crafted. The movie follows the noir stylings of the TV show, giving Batman a dark landscape that suits him so well. The actors do a good job with their roles. Watching is a very satisfying experience even if you haven't seen the television show.

Recommended, especially for Batman fans.

Book Review: Camera Man by Dana Stevens

Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century by Dana Stevens

Buster Keaton was born in 1895 to a vaudeville family who crisscrossed the country. He was integrated into the act at a very young age, often in skits where he was tossed about the stage or did a lot of tumbling and crashing. The Three Keatons were a top-billed act for a long time until the alcoholism of his father spoiled things. Buster and his mom left dad in California to seek their fortunes elsewhere. He moved to New York where he met Roscoe Arbuckle, a big star in silent film comedy who made Buster a creative partner. Buster was interested in both the technicalities of the new medium (legend has it he took apart a motion picture camera and put it back together) and the creative opportunities it provided.

Buster lived through many cultural transitions, from vaudeville to movies, from movies to television. He achieved his greatest success in the silent film era when many smaller independent studios had control over their creative output. The transition to talkies happened roughly at the same time that studios consolidated into the "big six" and most everyone, including Buster, worked at a studio to make a living. He lost his creative control and became unhappy as a fading studio star and a gag writer for others at MGM. He found renewed vigor working smaller jobs and bit parts in television, though he did have his own television variety show for a few years. The constant need for new material made it difficult. He continued to work other venues like circuses in Europe.

This biography traces out the life of Buster Keaton, looking at his development as a performer along with the developments of movies and, to a lesser extent, television. The book, while loving Keaton, does meander off into many tangents, like the sudden evaporation of female directors in early silent cinema, the romantic creepiness of Charlie Chaplin (he had a thing for teen-aged female actors), the ebbs and flows of sexism and racism in Hollywood. I found the book a little less satisfying for all the sidebar material that took over center stage. On the other hand, the writer clearly loves Buster and happily relives many creative moments and amazing scenes from his works. She seems quite honest about his foibles and hard times, though by the end his life was more happy than sad, which is how I felt finishing this book.

Mildly recommended.

Marvel S.T.A.T.I.O.N., Las Vegas

Marvel S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is the Scientific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network located at Treasure Island in Las Vegas. It's basically a showcase for props and costumes from the Marvel movies. It's given a storyline and some interactive elements to make it more fun. The entrance has posters, cutouts, and wall art all over the place.

Enter the S.T.A.T.I.O.N.

Captain America stands ready to take care of any shop lifters in the gift shop area.

Guardian of the Swag-you-see

We bought half-price tickets at the kiosk in Fashion Show Mall and went into the exhibit. First, we saw a training video featuring S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). She explained that we were training to become part of the Avengers Initiative. Then we went into the exhibits/training area.

The first items on exhibit are from the first Avenger, Captain America.

Vita-ray machine from the first Cap movie

The first Cap uniform

Cap's bike from the first movie

The next room covers information about the Hulk, including a strength test to see where you fit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Okay, this was in the gift shop, but it fits with the Hulk stuff.

My hand and the Hulk's hand

Bio-info on the Hulk and the Abomination (you know, the bad guy from the Hulk solo film)

Where I rank, just above a Hydra agent, not as good as Black Widow

The Tesseract machine from the first Avengers movie is also on display. Visitors, I mean Agents, can push some buttons to activate it, though without the Cosmic Cube it only lights up and makes screens blink.

I can't even remember what this gizmo was supposed to do

The next room is about Vision, the A.I. and Mind Stone-enhanced android whose body was a mix of adamantium and other bio- and synthetic products. The body was supposed to be the ultimate receptacle for Ultron but the Avengers managed to stop that plan.

Vision

Where Vision was born, sort of

The next room has a bunch of lockers with uniforms for the other Avengers.

Black Widow's outfit

Hawkeye's outfit

Nick Fury's typical duds

Yes, there's a bullet hole in Nick's jacket!

Scarlet Witch's clothes (come on, not really a uniform)

Ant-Man's suit

Falcon's vest without the wings

Some captured weapons and villain stuff are on display.

Chitauri weapon

Hydra guns

Red Skull's uniform

Dark elf in suspended animation

The penultimate room is dedicated to the Asgardian Thor. In addition to his outfit, a lot of information about Asgard is on display. And visitors can try to lift his hammer.

Out from Ragnarok

I'm just putting this back after lifting it, really

My brother gives it a try

The final display room has a lot of the Iron Man suits, from the original to the most recent, including the Hulkbuster suit.

Recent versions of Iron Man

Mark I suit

Hulkbuster

The other guard in the shop

The very last room is an interactive battle with Ultron and some of his drones. To be honest, it was a little underwhelming. The attendant handed out cell phones which we used to fire whichever weapon was assigned to our character. We aimed a little bit with the phones and fired as fast as we could, basically a button-masher.

In classic Disney tradition, the exit was through the gift shop. We didn't buy anything. The most interesting items were matched luggage with color schemes based on Captain America or Iron Man. I might have been tempted if I needed luggage.

I enjoyed it since I am a big Marvel fan but I definitely think it is over-priced at its regular rates. Seek out bargain tickets if you want to go.