Pranks of Patriots Past
Where Bart Simpson & FDR Collide on April Fools Day
By Izzy Vallance and Heather Lawver
On April Fool’s Day, let’s take a look back at American history and see that not everything in politics is painfully serious. A few of our Commanders in Chief have managed to pull off some funny pranks, and — even better still — have been victims of some cunning pranksters themselves!
A Not-So-Joy Ride
Kicking things off is President Lyndon B. Johnson and his infamous convertible. Much like President George W. Bush, Johnson liked to get some R&R back in his home state of Texas, at his family’s Stonewall ranch. Every so often, Johnson would invite a few privileged guests along, each honored to receive what appeared to be an exclusive invitation for a relaxing getaway. He’d welcome them with a seemingly pleasant joy ride, ambling through the Texas countryside in his beautifully unique convertible.
At a moment’s notice, all joy soon left that ride when Johnson took a drastic turn, bouncing his leg as if slamming the brakes to no avail. The passengers panicked as the convertible soon found itself careening straight toward a large river.
You can imagine the screams as the car crashed into the deep waters, only to soon be drowned out by Johnson’s uproarious laughter as his convertible began to float. Johnson had impishly failed to mention to his unwitting passengers that his convertible was, in fact, an Amphicar, the only mass-produced amphibious vehicle in history. Designed and built in Germany, the Amphicar could seamlessly transition from land to water and back again.
We can’t help but wonder how many times Johnson may have gotten a stern talking to by Lady Bird for that particular prank!
The President’s New Clothes
Speaking of strong women, arguably one of the first professional female journalists managed to get one over on our sixth president, all in the name of journalistic ambition. Anne Royall was a travel writer, newspaper editor, and ambitious journalist from Baltimore. She had her sights set on snagging an exclusive interview with President John Quincy Adams; the first to ever be conducted by a woman, no less. Anne used whatever unorthodox methods she could to overcome the restrictive glass ceilings of her day.
President John Quincy Adams was an unusual fellow who had a habit of taking frequent baths in the Potomac River. Upon hearing this unique tidbit of personal information, Anne devised a cunning plan. She learned the timing of his daily routine, followed him to the river bank one day, and proceeded to steal his clothing as he bathed. She bartered with the stark naked president; your clothes for an interview, sir!
Her plan worked. Anne Royall became the first woman in American history to conduct a presidential interview.
The Shared Pastime of Simpson & Roosevelt
Last, but not least, April Fools Day is nothing without a good ole’ prank phone call. Bart Simpson may have perfected it, but I doubt even he could have known he was perfecting a hobby once enjoyed by none other than Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
One fine May evening in 1933, only a few months after FDR’s first inauguration, several White House correspondents decided to pass the time while waiting for a conference communique by standing on the portico and harmonizing their way through a beautiful rendition of “Home on the Range”. NBC was so impressed by their impromptu interlude that they persuaded the correspondents to perform an on-air encore, broadcast via radio across the country.
Always the showman, FDR called into the studio immediately after the performance. He carefully disguised his voice and offered them a lucrative performing contract. When the show’s host asked who was calling, FDR could barely contain himself as he said, “I’m the advertising manager for the Cascarets!”
Cascarets. A famous brand name laxative.
Franklin was so pleased with himself that he couldn’t help but continue to rub it in. At his very next press conference, Roosevelt solemnly announced that the correspondents would be resigning, listing each of them off by name, before stating their reason for leaving: “they had a very handsome offer to sing on the Cascaret Hour.”
Much like the Correspondents Dinner today, where Washington’s best take jabs at themselves and others, our nation’s capital — and indeed, our history — is not without its humor. We hope you enjoyed this walk through the pranks of patriots past and we wish you all a Happy April Fool’s Day from everyone at IssueVoter!
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