Jane Wyman as First Lady

Who would have preferred Jane Wyman as First Lady over Nancy Davis?

Jane Wyman would have been 1000x more gracious and elegant than that little minx from the Chicago suburbs

When Wyman first married Reagan, didn't she basically tell him she was going to sleep around with whoever she wanted to and there was nothing he could do about it?

I didn't like either one.

I would have preferred Jimmy Carter as President over Reagan. So what's your point?

Gene Tierney is another actress who could have been first lady. JFK wasn't allowed to marry her because she was a divorcee.

Gene would definitely have been the prettier First Lady over Jane.

Gene was a Republican though so I wonder if she even voted for JFK.

Wyman would have been gracious, but cold. It's doubtful she would have interfered in politics as Nancy did.

Nancy was neither first nor a lady, in any event.

Are those Jane’s nipples or just shadows?

Not a hint of VPL on Ronnie.

That Reagan, when asked about his first marriage, got sort of choked up and said he was divorced by Jane, hinting he didn't want it, and never wanted, while Nancy stood around having to hear that, is priceless.

While in the White House, Ronnie frequently watched "Falcon Crest", much to Nancy's displeasure.

In Pollyanna, Jane had a maid named Nancy (played by Nancy Olson) who she ordered around cruelly. "Nancy!"

R10, that's interesting. I've also had the impression Wyman was the real love of Reagan's life, and that BJ Nancy was just a kind of skilled store manager for him.

He cared more about Doris Day, with whom he remained friendly, much to Nancy's chagrin.

I don’t think Reagan would have been president had he been married to Jane Wyman all that time. I get the impression that Nancy was the one whose ambitions got them to the White House.

I agree with R15. I've always thought Nancy was the power behind the throne. If not for Nancy's behind the scenes actions and pushing, Reagan would have remained a washed up movie actor reduced to appearing on tv shows and would have never been president.

I would have preferred that Reagan were never president.

R19, Better than a Carter second term.

Ronald Reagan ruined this country, R19.

It turns out that Reagan lost the election in 1980 just as Bush lost in 2000.

R23, Reagan won in a landslide with 489 electoral votes.

Had Jane been First Lady, Melania would have been the first Blowjob Queen in the White House.

Reagan actually patterned much of his verbal and body language communication as President off of those of Angela Channing. "Mr. Gioberti Tear Down Those Vines!"

Nancy brought a certain “je ne suction quoi ” to the role.

Jane was once a Hollywood glamour girl. Nancy was not. Had Jane become First Lady, this portrait would've been fantastic hanging over the fireplace in the First Lady's sitting room.

Jane won an Oscar, Nancy never came close.

Nancy got through the 80s hair minefield with less damage.

I remember a comedian said that Nancy Reagan looked like a PEZ dispenser. Hilarious!

When Nancy signed her first studio contract, with MGM, at the age of 28, she already looked like a housewife or young mother, so she never was given ingénue roles like Jane. Instead, she was frequently cast as devoted housewife, office chum, or loyal friend.

In his autobiography, Lorenzo Lamas wrote that Jane lived on Nilla Wafers and cigarettes.

That old crow from Falcon Crest??!!!

It’s mystifying to me how Nancy was able to get a movie contract from any studio. Her face was so not photogenic. Fivehead, FAS eyes and a jawline that would make a Hapsburg do a double take.

And don’t get me started on her ugly legs.

I guess those blowjobs paid off.

I would've preferred Piper Laurie, Tuesday Weld, Eartha Kitt, or any of the other oddly-named minxes Ronnie fucked in the good old days.

I would have preferred Jane over that horrible cunt we ended up with.

Have no idea what Jane was like but Jane's daughter Maureen was a nasty Republican bitch.

I don’t believe for one second that Eartha bedded down with Reagan…

R41 And ugly, too.

Thank GOD they could prove that first batch of kids was adopted!

I agree that Regan would not have had a political career had he remained married to Jane, if for no other reason, than Jane remained a successful actress well into the 1960s and then had a comeback in the 1980s. Basically, Ronnie would really not have had an opportunity to leave the confines of Hollywood, just by affiliation with Jane he would have gotten better projects to act in and with Jane so successful there would never have been a desire/need to turn to something else at a professional level, i.e., politics.

Neither woman was exactly gorgeous by standards of Hollywood actresses. The groom was prettier than the bride.

Their relationship had its ups and downs, but Jane and Nancy enjoyed a civil relationship at the end.

Here they both are at Maureen’s funeral in 2001.

Reagan was a Democrat. It was Nancy's stepfather's influence that moved him to the Republican Party. So, had he remained married to Wyman, he probably wouldn't have jumped the fence.

I loved Jane as Angela Channing, but she would have never had a career comeback if Ronnie wasn't elected in 1980.

R50 you're nuts. The only way JW was getting that role was because Reagan was running for prez, and her name was mentioned. Or do you think her role in The Incredible Journey of Dr. Meg Laurel brought her to the attention of Lorimar execs?

I found my perfect hairdo in 1952 and goddamit I’m going to stick with it.

R51, Jane Wyman was an accomplished, Oscar winning actress. She did not need to ride on her former husband’s coattails for a job.

Many actresses from her generation were being hired to appear on the numerous nighttime soaps that were so popular in the 1980s.

Barbara Stanwyck, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Alexis Smith, Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, etc.

(R50) I agree. She was the perfect choice for the series that was created and would have been approached regardless of Ronnie. She was always considered one of the most reliable actresses in Hollywood - not prone to hysterics or temperament and had the characteristics that suited the character of Angela Channing, as written.

Why was Jane considered not a good mother?

R56, wild guess, but maybe because she was a successful actress?

But she wasn’t abusive, just neglectful?

[quote] I don’t think Reagan would have been president had he been married to Jane Wyman all that time. I get the impression that Nancy was the one whose ambitions got them to the White House.

More to this point, Ronnie would likely not have even gone into politics had he remained married to Jane.

R59, Reagan’s constantly talking politics was one of the factors that led to their divorce.

He was already president of SAG while they were married, it was in his blood.