Looking Back at ‘Mrs. America’

By ROB PATTERSON

One significant slice of political entertainment this year is the marvelous FX/Hulu miniseries “Mrs. America.” It tells the tale of the 1970s effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to our Constitution and how conservative activist Phyllis Schafly threw a spanner into the works to prevent its ratification. A disclaimer at the start of all its nine episodes explains that some characters and scenes are partially fictionalized. No matter, as it quite accurately captures the look and spirit of its times and encapsulates the struggle that ensued with a vivid delight.

Leading the cast is noted Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett as Schafly. She plays the Illinois housewife and right-wing crusader against feminism and abortion with brio, richly embodying her character in a full-bodied transformation that is stunning. Her pungent performance, brimming with personality, is the tent pole around which the story and a number of other superb actors delivering at the top of their games revolve.

With a brisk pace and a nicely balanced mix of drama and humor, “Mrs. America” effectively recalls the early battle in the contemporary culture wars from both sides of the divide. Congress has passed the amendment and 38 states need to ratify it in order for it to be added to the Constitution. Feminists feel they are surfing the wave of the future with right on their side. Schafly sees the amendment as a threat to families and traditional womanhood,

On the left are such prominent feminists as Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm, founders of the National Women’s Political Caucus who are united in their support of the amendment yet fractious in a number other ways.

Two portrayals within that group are especially notable: The always excellent Margo Martindale brings the brash personality of “Battling Bella” Abzug back to bristling life. Tracey Ullman’s Friedan piquantly captures the vibes of the seminal feminist author and crusader.

On the other side of the divide, Schafly efficiently captains her brigade of fellow housewives as they stuff her newsletter into envelopes and lobby state legislators with baked goods. Where conflict in her world crops up is ironically in her household. Her supportive husband, well-played by John Slattery, starts to bristle when Schafly decides to attend law school, and her kids are not quite as straight and narrow as they might seem.

Archaic male attitudes of legislators and political operatives get poked at in the story. The nascent “silent majority” of the right wing starts to find its footing as Ronald Reagan becomes their voice.

The series manages to deftly explore both the personal and political lives of its primary characters. Episodes focus on the key players to draw out more of who they are beyond the political arena.

Sadly, the ERA didn’t get ratified and still has yet to be, and Schafly was a dominant factor in that result. Today’s angry polarized politics make the ERA era seem like quite some time ago. But this lively slice of dramatized history makes the show’s visit to the past a worthwhile journey.

Populist Picks

TV Documentary: “Gaugin: The Full Story” – This 1997 BBC doc streaming on Amazon Prime fills in all the details of the French Impressionist painter’s fascinating life story – in addition to his natural gifts as a painter Gaugin was also a skilled sculptor, wood carver and ceramicist as well as journalist – and doesn’t overlook the controversial and questionable aspects of his tale.

TV Documentary: “Hitler of the Andes” – One of a number of docs and even a feature film on streaming platforms that examines the theory that the German Fuhrer escaped from his Berlin bunker at the end of World War II and lived out the rest of his life in South America. This one provides an interesting overview that suggests it just may have happened.

Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email orca@prismnet.com.

From The Progressive Populist, December 15, 2020

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