This week marks the 60th anniversary of a forgotten moment in American political history: Oct. 13, 1956, the day Republicans celebrated President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s upcoming birthday with a televised tribute on CBS. The celebration occurred in the midst of Eisenhower’s re-election campaign, and the National Ike Day Committee organized events across the country to honor their candidate’s 66th year. Supporters brought cakes to hospitals, communities held dinners and parades, and volunteers collected thousands of signatures from citizens pledging to vote.
But the jewel of Ike Day was the star-studded tribute that Jimmy Stewart hosted from Los Angeles. Shuttling between California, New York, Kansas and two sites in Washington, D.C., the program interspersed scenes from Eisenhower’s youth with appearances by some of the era’s leading entertainers. In the course of 30 minutes, James Cagney, Irene Dunne, Nat King Cole and Helen Hayes paid homage to the president, who watched the show in the White House library and periodically appeared on screen.
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