[indistinct conversations in distance ]
[clattering ]
[crackling ]
[patriotic music playing ]
[indistinct conversations ]
Do these look real?
No. No.
Where's Phyllis? She's up next.
Oh, um, she's already there waiting.
[amplified voice ] Next, we have the wife
of one of our biggest donors‐‐ Mrs. J. Fred Schlafly.
[cheers and applause ]
Ready for summer in this patriotic swimsuit
courtesy of Marshall Field.
Fred is an attorney in Alton, Illinois.
He and his wife have been active in the Republican Party
for many years, and we thank them for coming out to support
Congressman Phil Crane's re‐election campaign.
[Sousa's "The Washington Post" playing ]
[camera shutter clicks ]
And next up is Mrs. Philip Crane,
the wife of the man of the hour.
Looks smart in this evening dress
from Neiman Marcus. It's...
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Are you gonna buy the mink? I prefer sable.
Thank God they asked you to model this time.
You know, when you were campaigning,
I got stuck with the bikini,
and I'd just given birth to Sarah about 10 minutes earlier.
You ran an incredible campaign that year.
Oh, thank you.
If only you didn't have to be a man to win downstate.
Oh, that wasn't the issue. It was a terrible year for us.
You'd have to go back to 1934
to find such a bad year for Republicans.
My husband won.
Well, Fred said I would have won
if the Democrats hadn't rigged the congressional map
in their favor.
How are your kids adjusting to D. C. life?
You bought a house in Alexandria.
McLean.
Oh, I hear that's a lovely neighborhood.
Are you ladies decent? Hi!
Oh. Hi.
Did you have a good time out there?
Women: Yes. Okay. [chuckles ]
Now shoo, so we can get changed.
Okay, well, thank you all again.
This event wouldn't be a success without you,
and I look forward to having you on my show next week.
Mm‐hmm. Uh, please wear that.
[laughs ]
[footsteps depart ]
["A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy playing ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Mike, what do we do? I can't block that lens.
Check. Check camera two. Over there for me.
Okay, just watch that. Take it down, okay?
Looks good. We need to white balance.
What about off her face? [chuckles ]
Good afternoon, gentlemen. Good afternoon, Mr. Crane.
How are you? I'm so sorry to keep you waiting.
No. Hi.
Hey. I had to release a statement
on the Consumer Product Safety Act.
Oh. How will you vote?
You'll have to ask my chief of staff.
Mr. Crane, we're starting in about a minute.
All right. Okay, so I will begin by introducing the topic.
Mm‐hmm. And then I'm gonna ask you
to weigh in. It's debate style.
But I'm gonna throw you some easy questions
so you don't seem in over your head, okay? Thank you.
Okay. Thank you, sir.
And I might disagree with you
just to make it more fun for the viewers, so...
Relax. Look like you're having fun, even if you're not.
And, uh, don't forget to smile.
What?
Smile with teeth.
Rolling! You wanna practice?
[theme music playing ] I think I've got it.
Okay. [chuckles ] We're up.
Action. [clears throat ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Good evening and welcome to "Conservative Viewpoint."
I'm your host, Philip Crane.
My guest tonight hails from our home state of Illinois.
She burst onto the national scene in 1964,
when she wrote "A Choice Not an Echo,"
which sold 3 million copies
and was widely credited with helping Barry Goldwater
secure the Republican presidential nomination.
She has since authored four books on nuclear strategy
and served in national party offices.
Please welcome Phyllis Schlafly.
Well, thank you for having me. Absolutely.
You know, I gotta know... Mm‐hmm.
How does a housewife with six children
from Alton, Illinois, become so interested
in national defense and nuclear warfare?
Well, I was at Washington University
studying political science when World War II broke out,
and I worked nights as a gunner and a ballistics technician.
A regular Rosie the Riveter. Yes, that's right, so‐‐
Uh, tonight's topic is the crisis
in America's defense posture,
specifically the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, or SALT.
Now should we accept a deal with a regime as reprehensible
as Brezhnev's Soviet Union? From a defense standpoint,
this pact serves certain common interests‐‐
namely, the avoidance of nuclear war.
You would agree with that assessment, Phyllis?
Well, not entirely, no. Not entirely?
Which part don't you agree with?
Well, I'm afraid all of it, Phil.
You see, the U. S. delegation
has naively been telling the Russians, you know,
"Peace is wonderful. Try it. You'll like it."
It's like Life cereal. But I think they're gonna get
the last laugh because the only country
that's gonna comply with the pact is the United States.
They don't comply, we'll know, won't we?
The experts maintain we have the most advanced satellite
technology systems in the world. Yes, but these are
the same experts that didn't find the missiles
that went into Cuba in 1962.
I mean, they didn't even detect the Soviet‐built MiG‐17
flying from Cuba to Homestead Air Force Base
in Florida two years ago.
Uh, so you think we're proceeding down the wrong path
with the SALT talks.
Yeah, well, not only are we proceeding
down the wrong path, Phil, but Nixon's leading the parade.
[coughs ]
All right. Well, we will be right back
after this commercial on more Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
Cut. [bell ringing ]
And I am having so much fun.
[chuckles ]
[laughs ]
Well, that was... electrifying.
[chuckles ] You are‐‐Wow.
You are a star.
[exhales ]
[click ]
These sound guys‐‐you know, they listen to everything.
Oh. [chuckles ]
Am I gonna see you on the campaign trail?
I don't know.
I have to see what the county chairman decides.
I've already lost twice.
Well, the third time's a charm.
You know, there's things you can do
to get these county chairmen to come knock on your door.
Hmm?
I can introduce you to some money guys.
When are you next in D. C.?
I'm not sure. Well, Ashbrook and I
are setting up a meeting with Goldwater.
He's our best hope at convincing Nixon not to sign this treaty.
And I think you should come for that.
Really?
You know more than any of us about SALT.
Well, that would be wonderful. Thank you.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[birds chirping ]
[classical music playing on stereo ]
You tried Marshall Field's? Mm‐hmm, yes.
How about Scrugg's? Yes.
Oh, nothing at Scrugg's?
Well, yes, but she says nothing fits.
Well, I'll have to go back in the city and look some more.
Your sister can't do it? She lives right there.
No. She works.
I... work.
You're a good daughter. You're coming, right?
I don't think so.
The girls will want their Aunt Eleanor there.
We only call it the Mother‐Daughter luncheon
because we're trying to attract a younger generation.
[footsteps approach ] It's not literal.
It's open to any member of the DAR.
Willie just pulled these out of the oven.
Snuck you a couple. Thank you, Leonia.
[gasps ] Andy was looking for his Little League uniform.
Oh, it's still in the dryer, Miss Schlafly.
Thank you. Thank you.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Do you remember Raymond Bacha?
Yeah, I saw him at Phil Crane's fundraiser.
He's divorced now. Oh, that's too bad.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Oh, no. No. No. He's nice‐looking,
and his children are mostly grown.
Do you want me to talk to Fred? I think he represented him once.
I don't think so. He's Catholic.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
He is nice‐looking.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Oh.
What are you smiling about?
The judges approved the redistricting plan.
Mm‐hmm.
[gasps ]
"The new map could mean the defeat
"of downstate Democrat Representative George E. Shipley
of the 23rd district."
I need to talk to Fred. W‐Would you...
Drop Andy off at practice. Thank you!
Well, what do you think of him? Well, I don't.
Hmm, but you're friendly enough to call him.
Well, I guess so, but why am I calling him?
[sighs ] To introduce him to your sister.
But why? Oh. Because he's divorced.
Well, Eleanor's too old for him.
No, he's older than she is.
Raymond is a very successful man.
If he remarries, it'll be to someone much younger.
Don't give me that look. It's biology.
That is not biology.
I married someone much younger.
And here I thought you married me for my mind.
Not only did I marry you for your mind,
it's the reason I fall more in love with you every day.
I just love to watch the way your mind works.
Well, can you see the way it's working right now?
Let's see. This morning,
I noticed that article in the paper
about the remapping of congressional districts.
Next thing you know, my wife shows up at the office
under the pretext of buying my mother‐in‐law a dress.
Oh, I do need to buy mother a dress.
The muffins are the pretext.
Don't forget to sign the charge card application.
I know you don't want to hear this,
but, uh, our district has only changed
from slightly Democratic to slightly Republican.
Well, I was only slightly defeated.
You have a nice home here. You can do whatever you like.
Write books, your newsletter. Give lectures.
In Congress, I would have influence.
I could get on the Armed Services Committee.
They'll put you on Natural Resources or Judiciary
and expect you to toe the party line.
Isn't this why we got involved in politics‐‐to do our duty?
To guarantee that our children grow up
in a free and independent country?
That's a nice trick, repeating me back to me.
Still, I haven't recovered
from all the money I sunk into your last bid.
[telephone rings in distance ]
What about Clem?
I don't know. Maybe you could run into him at the club.
[knock on door ] I heard there were muffins.
May I? I brought them for the office.
Ooh. Nancy won't keep any sweets around the house.
She wants to try to lose the baby weight.
How is the baby?
[mouth full ] Oh, he mostly just sits there.
Nancy keeps telling me to talk to him,
but what am I supposed to talk to him about, Vietnam?
These are delicious.
Have you ever thought about starting a baking business?
No, I've never thought about that.
[telephone rings in distance ]
I, uh, I'll talk to Clem.
Will you invite him and Jessie for dinner?
Mm‐hmm.
So I can be there. Mm‐hmm.
Ah!
Oh.
[B. J. Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" playing ]
♪♪ Raindrops keep fallin' on my head ♪♪
♪♪ And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed ♪♪
♪♪ Nothing seems to fit those ♪♪
But everyone keeps telling me it's more convenient.
Formula just doesn't have all the vitamins
your baby needs for his immune system.
And it doesn't help you lose the baby weight.
Oh, I thought that was a myth. No, let me tell you something.
I was 40 by the time I nursed Anne,
and after six months, I weighed the same I did
on the day I was married.
Still do. You looked teeny‐tiny like Cheryl Tiegs
on Phil Crane's show, and supposedly,
those television cameras add 10 pounds.
You watched it.
Of course I did. I'm your biggest booster.
Although, I have to be honest. I was surprised
that you didn't come out strongly
against the Equal Rights Amendment.
Oh, I don't know what all the fuss is about.
I mean, there are so many more pressing issues
like national security.
Well, this is a matter of national security.
They're going to ship our daughters off to Vietnam.
Women could be subject to the draft?
And I heard it would get rid of alimony.
Oh, I heard that, too. Buck could walk out on me
after 25 years without paying a dime.
I'd be left with nothing.
You know, this would be a good topic for the luncheon.
I'm not the only one concerned.
Buck's never going to leave you.
Oh, only because I'd kill him if he did.
You have nothing to worry about.
You have skills and been politicking for years.
Well, yes, but I barely receive an income for it.
I mean, I couldn't do what I do without Fred's support.
Still, you're not just a housewife.
You're never just a housewife.
There's no more important job for a woman.
Well, tell that to the host of the dinner party
we were invited to last week.
He was introducing everyone at the table.
Mm‐hmm. Two of the wives work.
One's a lawyer. One's in business.
And after he introduced Buck, he skips over me completely,
doesn't even say my name.
Hmm.
Thank you, Gloria Steinem. [scoffs ]
The rest of them I understand, but Gloria Steinem‐‐
she's so pretty. How could she not find a husband?
She doesn't want one.
That's the whole point of the women's liberation movement‐‐
to be liberated from men.
I thought the point was to be liberated from housework.
[laughter ] Your mother's all done.
Didn't she do a wonderful job?
Thank you so much. It's beautiful.
You hate it.
I hate it.
♪♪ Me ♪♪
[motor revving in distance ]
[dog barking in distance ]
Do you need any help?
Mother?
I think that's the one.
You don't think it's big in the shoulders?
We could take it to my seamstress.
Let me take another look.
You have to wind the clock every seven days,
or it stops working.
Well, I can't find the crank. I should just get rid of it.
You can't get rid of Daddy's clock.
I'll take it.
It is smart.
It's very smart.
Did you... forget to pay some bills?
Why are you going through my things?
I wasn't going through your things, Mother.
They just jumped out. Do you need me to help you manage them?
Have you run through your savings?
I can't live on my Social Security check.
Mm‐hmm. Your father didn't work
long enough to be eligible... I know.
For a pension. Mm‐hmm.
He was many wonderful things. Mother, please don't start.
But a good provider was not one of them.
You're very lucky you have Fred.
Remember to thank him for me.
Oh, yeah. For the dress.
It's, uh... I love it.
[sighs ]
[dog barking in distance ]
[children's laughter ]
Can I have one? [door opens ]
You'll ruin your appetite. [door closes ]
Hi, Mommy. Hello!
[makes whooshing sounds ] The spinach soufflé
will be ready in 10 minutes. Aw.
Everything else is on top of the stove.
Thank you, Willie. Mr. Schlafly home?
Not yet.
Alice came by and dropped this off for you.
[dog barking in distance ]
[door opens ]
Uh, Andy. Make yourself useful.
[door closes ] Ring for dinner.
Phyl, would you? Anne, help your sister.
[bell ringing ] How did it go?
Can I take my coat off at least and settle in?
Here. Let me get that for you. Who was there?
The usual crowd, Foster, Jerry.
So? What did Clem say?
Can we talk about this after dinner?
Oh, of course.
[footsteps ascend stairs ]
Can you just tell me what he said?
I invited him to dinner like we discussed.
No running, please. Sorry, Mom.
When? Linda's handling it.
But he thinks it's a good idea.
[sighs ] I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
It's just very exciting.
Now it would be terrific if the dinner could happen
before my trip to D. C.
What trip to D. C.?
The Goldwater meeting about SALT.
How long will you be gone?
It's just for the day. Eleanor will be here.
I don't know how you can stand that place.
Well, I don't love Washington either.
But, Fred, if I win‐‐ I‐I am not moving our family
to that lefty, godless swampland.
Well, the National Air and Space Museum's nice.
I'm not, uh, telling you not to run.
I'm just telling you, I am staying here in Alton.
I'll commute back and forth.
Oh, and how would that work with the children
and, uh, your mother? I'll... figure it out.
You know, it's what congressmen do.
[scoffs ] They stay in their district.
Well, it's different for a man to leave his wife home
and go to Washington than it is for a woman
to leave her whole family. It's just plain different.
Do you want me not to run?
[sighs ] That's your decision.
Is it?
Well, I'm not going to apologize for asking my wife
not to split up the family.
Now you're just being ridiculous.
I will make it work, Fred. You won't have to do a thing.
'Cause I don't understand what's changed.
You supported my run two years ago.
You didn't think I would win.
[sighs ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
All: Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts
which we're about to receive from Thy bounty,
through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
[Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" playing ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
♪♪ I like to dream ♪♪
♪♪ Yes, yes, right between the sound machine ♪♪
♪♪♪♪♪♪
♪♪ On a cloud of sound I drift in the night ♪♪
♪♪ Any place it goes is right ♪♪
♪♪ Goes far, flies near ♪♪
♪♪ To the stars away from here ♪♪
♪♪ Well, you don't know what ♪♪
♪♪ We can find ♪♪
♪♪ Why don't you come with me, little girl ♪♪
♪♪ On a magic carpet ride? ♪♪ [crowd chattering ]
♪♪ Well, you don't know what ♪♪
♪♪ We can see ♪♪
♪♪ Why don't you tell your dreams to me? ♪♪
[amplified voice ] Make your way
over to the Capitol Building
for the Equal Rights Amendment.
♪♪ Let the sound take you away ♪♪
[crowd shouting indistinctly ]
Congresswoman Chisholm, do you foresee any opposition
against the Equal Rights Amendment
in today's debate in the House?
Yeah, there will be a handful of congressmen
who will oppose the ERA based on the belief
that women have their place and must be kept in it
for their own good, but that belief is dying.
Now the truth is, women have been protected
from working as waitresses at night
when the tips are large,
but they have never been protected
when working as charwomen, scrubbing floors all night.
We don't need anybody to protect us.
♪♪ You don't know what we can find ♪♪
♪♪ Why don't you come with me, little girl? ♪♪
Well, it's not that I don't want to help you get
the raccoon out of your garage.
It's just that Woodside is not in my district.
I'll tell you what. I'm gonna have my office
transfer you to your actual member of Congress.
I don't know if he answers his own phone. Let's find out.
[receiver clatters ] Sharon, line one
is for Pucinski's office.
You answer your own phone. A few times a week, yes.
Otherwise, I... I lose sight of the real issues
that affect my constituents like a backed‐up sewer,
a missing "TV Guide," or a raccoon
that has wandered into some guy's garage.
Oh. [laughs ] You're early.
Were you hoping to catch some of the ERA debate?
Oh, no. Yeah, I didn't think so.
And why not?
Well, you are wearing a dress.
Oh, libbers don't wear dresses?
Not pink ones. Well, actually,
it's dusty rose. Actually, it is distracting.
[laughs ]
Now I was hoping to have that talk about, uh, the, uh,
campaign financing before the meeting with Goldwater.
Right, well, certainly his endorsement
would mean a great deal to donors.
Oh, well, as will yours.
My schedule's a little tight today,
but why don't we have drinks afterwards?
Oh, well, I'm not much of a drinker, so...
Oh, well, so don't drink. Watch me drink.
Or better yet, let's have dinner.
You ever been to Duke's?
Right, well, I am scheduled to fly out before dinnertime,
but you, uh, mentioned you could introduce me
to the right people. Perhaps, uh, Bob Dole?
We would probably run into him at Duke's.
Come on. You'll love it. A lot of lobbyists hang out there.
A lot of PAC money to be had.
Can you fly out in the morning?
Well, I guess so. Uh...
[ringing ]
Hello. Senator Goldwater's office.
[indistinct conversations ]
[door opens ] Well, if you're not gonna vote
for the ERA because you think it will boost your maverick image,
let me tell you, Senator, it won't.
It will boost your image as a chauvinist pig.
I don't care. I answer to a higher authority.
Your constituents will hold you accountable
in the next election.
I meant God, but what would you know about that?
Or Arizona. It's all Republican all the time.
That's the beauty of the place.
Don't look at me like that, Bella. I'm voting for it.
Well, you, I like.
[sighs ]
Hi, Barry. You know Phyllis.
Phyllis, nice to see you.
Oh, the pleasure's all mine, Senator.
What do you make of all this ERA business?
It's not her area of expertise.
She's a woman. Yes, I think I can speak
from my own experience.
I've‐‐I've never been discriminated against,
and I think some women like to blame sexism
for their failures instead of admitting
they didn't try hard enough, so good for you for opposing it.
Well, not so good. I'm the only one.
We know you're short on time, Barry,
so, uh, I'll cut to the chase. We need your help.
You have Nixon's ear. He must be convinced not to sign
any arms control treaty with Moscow.
Oh, if, uh, if you don't mind,
we'd rather this meeting stay off the record.
Margaret?
[footsteps depart, door opens and closes ]
This is Neville Chamberlain all over again.
Well, look, I know you're not going to want to hear this,
but he's determined to sign a treaty.
Well, I think we should focus specifically
on our biggest concerns in the treaty,
which are the ABM limitations.
Now our superiority in MIRVs does not compensate
for the Russian superiority in ICBMs, SS‐9s‐‐
Hey, listen, could‐‐ could you take notes for us,
you know, so that we have an unofficial record?
Well, you probably have the best penmanship
of anyone here.
[chuckles ] Oh, yes, of course.
Margaret can grab you a pad.
Okay.
[folder rustles ] I'll be right back.
It's a one‐sided pact that doesn't do anything to stop...
Hello there. You must be Margaret.
Could I have a... a notepad? Of course.
[indistinct conversation ]
[conversation continues, muffled ]
[women chanting in distance ]
Here you go, Ms. Schlafly.
[men's conversation continues ]
It's Mrs. Schlafly.
I'm married. I'm so sorry, Mrs. Schlafly.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[muffled conversation continues ]
advantage in building up their weapons
while we've been in a weapons freeze?
Well, soon we'll have girls in the foxholes,
and then we'll really be at a disadvantage.
[notepad rustling ]
Well, I'm sorry. I held my tongue earlier
when you asked me about this ERA,
but I have to say, if you're in favor
of this fraudulent amendment, I don't think you have
any business calling yourself a Republican.
It's an innocuous piece of business.
H‐Have you read it?
Oh, yes, I have read it, Congressman.
Have you read it?
[scoffs ] What do you mean, have I read it?
Have you? Yes.
Then what does section two say?
I don't believe there is a section two.
Oh, no, section two
states that "Congress shall have the power
"to enforce, by appropriate legislation,
the provisions of this article."
Now if the ERA passes, it will give the federal government
a massive amount of power.
I mean, are we no longer the party of limited government
and states' rights?
You have no idea the pressure that we're under.
We have to give the women's movement something.
Oh, I think you've given them plenty.
You've given them the Pay Equity Act
and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,
both of which I supported, not to mention
women are already protected from discrimination
in the Constitution by the Equal Protection Clause
under the 14th Amendment.
Now I know of only one law that is discriminatory toward women,
and that is a North Dakota law stipulating that a wife
must have her husband's permission to make wine.
So if a woman in North Dakota really wants to make wine
and her husband forbids it,
she can sue for that right under the 14th Amendment.
Okay. Maybe an amendment is unnecessary,
and, yes, maybe we need to do something
about that second clause, but sometimes we have to vote
for laws that are symbolic so we can the Dems to join us
in passing more substantive items on our agenda
like tax reform.
Well, I hope your tax reform bill is worth
writing off the 40 million homemakers
for whom the ERA is not symbolic.
The women I know are terrified.
They don't want to be drafted into combat duty,
and you'll have to answer to them come November.
I'm sorry. If saying all this costs me your endorsement,
well, so be it. [chuckles ]
I thought this wasn't your area of expertise.
Well, I've been reading up.
Well, there's your stump speech.
Oh, no, no, no, I'm not interested
in running on women's issues.
Still, it's, um, a good spin.
Of course, if it were possible to get 40 million housewives
to stop clucking and get out the vote,
I would have won the presidency in '64,
and Reagan would be in the White House now.
That's our problem.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
I think you'll do very well here.
And what exactly does "doing very well here" mean, Phil?
Sitting around all day horse trading
about bills you don't even bother reading?
[chuckles ] What, is something wrong?
Oh, no, I'm just going to try and catch the next flight out.
I thought we were gonna have dinner.
Oh, no, I've got to get home.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[crickets chirping ]
Oh, thank you again for putting the children to bed.
Uh, do you want to take some, uh, food home for the weekend?
Uh, I broiled a chicken last night. I'll make a salad.
Uh, did Fred ever get a chance to talk to Raymond Bacha?
Uh... I don't think so.
[pearls clack ]
Fred didn't think it was a good idea.
No, I‐I figured when you didn't mention it again...
so I just‐‐ I just thought I'd check.
Oh, Eleanor.
[crying ]
Oh, your life is so full.
Oh, and you have your family and‐‐and your friends.
You've got millions of friends. Oh, well, yes.
You should see the way they steer
their daughters away from me when I'm nearby.
It's like they're going to catch it.
And your work. [continues crying ]
You're doing such important work at the foundation.
Do you know why I threw myself into the foundation?
You all were busy having babies.
I... I don't know why.
How come no one wanted to marry me?
You just had bad luck.
You know, the war and...
I'm so sorry. You must think I'm pathetic.
Now stop it. [sighs ]
You are going through a hard time, that's all.
Now it'll pass. [sniffles ]
Now I wanna say this.
You have been more of a mother to my children
than most mothers.
[sighs ] They adore you.
Now did I tell you that both Phyl and Anne asked
if you're coming to the Mother‐Daughter luncheon.
They want you there. Aw.
So you're gonna come, and you're gonna be celebrated,
and that's that.
[chuckles and sniffles ]
I should be going. You must be really exhausted.
Mm.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[sighing ]
Oh.
Oh, Anne took forever to go to sleep.
Well, I'm happy you're home.
No, you were right about Washington.
It is godless.
I can change that.
No, but I need you, Fred.
I'm right here. [sighs ]
[chuckles ] No, I've‐‐ I've had a really long day.
Oh, wait, wait, where are you going?
Just to take out my contacts. They're killing me.
Oh, come on, come on. Don't. [sighs ]
No, I smell. I've been in this dress all day.
Well, then let's get you out of it.
[unzips dress ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[dress rustles ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[sighs ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[sniffles ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
If visiting Moscow and Beijing
isn't enough to pull your support
of Nixon's re‐election, then I don't know what is.
Who wants tea? Sure.
Clem? I'll stick with this.
Jessie? Thank you.
I'm not ideological like you. It's like Mark Hanna said,
there are things that are important in politics.
The first is money, and I can't remember
what the second one is. [chuckles ]
Détente with China is good for trade,
which is good for business.
Still, everyone has their line in the sand.
What if Nixon endorses the ERA?
Well, that affects my business.
Clem is apoplectic about it.
A billion here, a billion there.
It starts to run into real money.
Well, if it makes it through the Senate,
the insurance industry will be the least of the casualties.
The left will demand taxpayer‐funded abortions,
state‐run daycare centers, women in foxholes.
Sounds a lot like the Kremlin's agenda.
The problem is, everyone from Kennedy to Wallace
seems to be for it, and there's no organized opposition.
Well, nobody wants to vote against an amendment
that has the words "equal rights" in the title.
Which is exactly why they put it in the title.
Which is exactly why we keep losing to them.
Ah‐ah.
I can't sleep. Oh.
Try counting sheep.
Do you wanna come sit with the grownups
till you get sleepy?
Here, let me help with the tea.
Mm. She wrote most of her books
with this one sitting on her lap while she typed.
I think she can handle tea.
When you get elected, Phyllis, you'd better be ready
to deal with the libbers. They're all over D. C.
I appreciate your support, but, uh,
I've decided not to run this year.
Washington's broken.
I think it's a waste of time to try and fix it.
I think I can shake things up more effectively
through my grassroots organizing right here at home.
Well... I always say that real change
comes from the bottom up.
Besides, my mother will be moving in with us soon.
She's getting older, so it's just... not a good time.
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Mmm.
Oh, it's all over the rest.
[laughter ]
Ah‐ah! Roger, go make yourself useful.
Those are ready to go out now.
[indistinct conversations ]
Now I have, uh, no doubt... Shh, shh.
That in the, uh, car ride over today,
that you warned your daughters
that I am Chairman of National Defense
for the Daughters of the American Revolution,
and as such, to, uh, prepare themselves
for a lecture on the, uh, need
for an anti‐missile defense system...
[laughter ]
or the end of U. S. nuclear superiority.
[laughter ]
So it may come as a surprise, uh, you
that, uh, today I am not going to talk
about the Soviet military threat but rather another threat‐‐
a threat to the traditional American family,
a threat that is just as dangerous
and even more insidious‐‐
the threat of the women's liberation movement.
[women murmuring ] But let me be clear.
I am not against, uh, women succeeding.
I am not against women working outside the home.
That's their choice.
But what I am against is a small, elitist group
of Northeastern establishment liberals
putting down the homemakers.
[women murmuring ] Now the libbers love to say
that they're dedicated to choice,
but if you dare to choose the path of full‐time mother,
well, there must be something wrong with you.
I mean, if you don't feel enslaved,
well, you're just dumb and unenlightened.
In fact, you're not even a person.
[women murmuring ] 'Cause, you see,
the women's liberation movement is basically
a very negative attitude toward life.
It‐‐It tells women,
"Sister, the cards are stacked against you.
"When you wake up in the morning,
"you won't get a job, and if you do,
"it won't be a good one,
"and if you get a good one, you won't get promoted,
"and if you get married,
"your husband will treat you like a servant,
"and marriage is just a lot of dirty diapers
and dirty dishes."
[laughter ] But don't take my word for it.
Read their own literature. Betty Friedan,
mother of the movement, wrote in "The Feminine Mystique"
that marriage is, and I quote, "a comfortable
concentration camp." [mouthing words ]
[women gasping and murmuring ] But it is not enough
that they're demeaning us in the press.
Oh, no. Now they want to use our miraculous Constitution
to create a sex‐neutral society
through this so‐called Equal Rights Amendment,
which will mean that that baby girl will be drafted.
[women gasping ] And the men will be at home,
nursing the babies. [laughter ]
I mean, can you imagine if Buck
was left in charge of your children?
Oh, God, help us. [laughter ]
Yes, that's right. It's ridiculous,
and it's downright un‐American, because women
are the primary caregivers in the home
because we bear the children.
And if the liberationists have a problem with that,
they're gonna have to take it up with God.
[women murmuring ] 'Cause what is going to happen
if you push women out into the workforce
is that women are going to find themselves
with two full‐time jobs.
And they're going to be exhausted and unhappy
and feel like they're not doing either well
until eventually they decide not to have children at all.
Maybe that's the liberationists' goal.
I mean, after all, their hero is Gloria Steinem,
a single, childless woman nearing 40,
but she's the sort of, uh, miserable, pathetic woman
they aspire to be. [laughter ]
She wants some kind of constitutional cure
for her personal problems. [laughter ]
And perhaps that is why the liberationists are trying
to sow these seeds of discontent among we happily married women.
They want us to join them in some new sisterhood
of frustrated togetherness
because none of them can find a man who wants to marry them.
[laughter and applause ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[whirring ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
[envelope rustling ]
[typewriter keys clacking ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
Man on TV: Next, ABC's Bill Zimmerman
covered the story in Brooklyn, New York.
Mrs. Chisholm, how are you feeling today?
Oh. I feel wonderful.
It's one of the most marvelous things to happen in our country
at this moment.
Uh, for the first time in the history of our nation,
a person of color, a woman at that,
is running for the highest office in the land,
and it's a wonderful thing to know
that in spite of the many obstacles on my path,
a large, large cross‐section of America is behind me saying,
why not? Why not dare to dream
like so many others have dreamt before me?
So I'm very excited, and I feel fine.
And do you really expect to go all the way, Mrs. Chisholm?
Yes, I expect to go all the way.
[Etta James' "Fire" playing ]
♪♪ Ow ♪♪
A new hat, or rather a bonnet, was tossed
into the Democratic presidential race today‐‐
that of Mrs. Shirley Chisholm,
the first black woman to serve in Congress.
Mrs. Shirley Chisholm today announced
that she's going to run for President of the United States.
Would you vote for a woman for president?
Yes, I would. Why?
Well, I think it's about time we had a woman for president.
I don't think they're as level‐headed yet as the men are.
I think it would be a good idea to have a woman president.
Why?
Because it's good to have a change.
I think president is a man's job.
Yeah, I think she will make a good president,
but I doubt if‐‐I doubt that she would be elected, though.
In the historic decision, the Senate voted 84 to 8 today
to approve a constitutional amendment
guaranteeing equal rights to women.
The proposal goes to the states for ratification.
♪♪ Fire, I'm on fire ♪♪
Did you call the Speaker of the House
a 4‐letter word? No.
Are you sure? Yes, I'm sure.
"Ass" is a 3‐letter word.
Come on! Come on! Come on!
[laughter ] I'm in heels.
♪♪ Fire ♪♪
[telephone ringing, indistinct conversations ]
♪♪ Fire ♪♪
[indistinct conversations continue ]
When I founded
this national women's political caucus‐‐
We all founded it, Betty‐‐ you, me, Gloria, Shirley.
Yes, yes, but it was my concept.
Ahem!
[scoffs ] Fine.
My point is that I felt that we needed to take
our movement from the streets to Congress,
and here we are, just a year later,
and we are a political force. Here you go.
And we have our first serious female candidate
for president. Yes! Whoo!
Chizzy for President. Chizzy for Prezzy!
And yesterday the Equal Rights Amendment
sailed through the Senate. [cheers and applause ]
Hawaii ratified less than 30 minutes
after the Senate vote.
Delaware, New Hampshire will have it ratified by tomorrow.
We have seven years, but we'll get it done in one.
No, and even Nixon is on our side.
And thank you for that last minute endorsement.
See? He's not all bad. He's mostly bad.
[laughter ] If you would like
our women's caucus to be bipartisan,
perhaps the Democrats in this room could refrain
from trashing the president at every meeting?
I thought trashing Nixon was bipartisan.
[laughter ]
No, but, you know, Jill is right.
Our movement is about fighting oppression of all women.
You know, there are too few of us,
and we're not each other's enemies.
What are you talking about? There are plenty of us.
Does this mean that you're now for lesbian rights?
I never said I was against lesbian rights.
I said that I didn't wanna declare at the press conference
that we're all lesbians, 'cause we're not all lesbians.
[pop ] [all cheering ]
Sorry to interrupt, but you asked me
to track opposition to the ERA.
Oh.
Who the hell is Phyllis "Schafly"?
It's Schlafly.
Oh, she's a right wing nut from Illinois.
Oh, we don't need to worry about stuff like this
on the fringe.
I've never even heard of "The Phyllis 'Schafly' Report."
It's Schlafly. What?
There are two L's. [whispers ] Two L's.
Oh, well, what do I care if it's "Schafly" or Schlafly?
It's not like I'm ever gonna say that fucking woman's name again.
[laughter ]
To the ERA. Yes.
[all cheering ]
[Mama Cass Elliot's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" playing ]
♪♪♪♪♪♪
♪♪ Nobody can tell ya ♪♪
♪♪ There's only one song worth singing ♪♪
♪♪ They may try and tell ya ♪♪
♪♪ 'Cause it hangs them up ♪♪
♪♪ To see someone like you ♪♪
♪♪ But you've gotta ♪♪
♪♪ Make your own kind of music ♪♪
♪♪ Sing your own special song ♪♪
♪♪ Make your own kind of music ♪♪
♪♪ Even if nobody else sings along ♪♪
♪♪ You're gonna be knowin' ♪♪
♪♪ The loneliest kind of lonely ♪♪
♪♪ It may be rough goin' ♪♪
♪♪ Just to do your thing's ♪♪
♪♪ The hardest thing to do ♪♪
♪♪ But you've gotta ♪♪
♪♪ Make your own kind of music ♪♪
♪♪ Sing your own special song ♪♪
♪♪ Make your own kind of music ♪♪