During some of those years, harsh segregation laws lay upon the land. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was a distinguished butler for the white house who served under eight presidents, including harry s. The movie is based on reallife white house butler eugene allen, who worked in the white house under eight presidents, coming of age during segregation and living to see a black man be elected to the white. The butler book by wil haygood, lee daniels official. From the title i expected, well, either a biography about the butler himself, eugene allen, a man in the unique position of having served eight presidents, or, a story of the life that went on around him while he served those eight presidents and first ladies of our country. During the presidencies of harry truman to ronald reagan, eugene allen was a butler in the most famous of residences. Eugene charles allen 19192010 find a grave memorial. The butler movie chronicles this member of the white. The butler is based on the life of eugene allen, a white house head butler who died aged 90 in 2010.
Eugene allen, butler to presidents, is dead at 90 the. Eugene allen simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I expected this book to be a biography of eugene allen, butler in the white house. A little over one half of the book has nothing to do with mr. The book is brief, but the two sections and many images of allens quietly. Lee daniels directs forest whitaker and oprah winfrey who portray husband and wife cecil and gloria gaines.
Eugene allens life is the focus of the 20 film the butler, directed by lee daniels, and starring forest whitaker as the title character and oprah winfrey as his wife. Wil haygood adds eugene allens chronicle to his impressive list of essential works on great figures in black and american history. And finally, the fourth book could b about the making of the butler and all the. A witness to history, the highly anticipated film that stars six oscar winners, including forest whitaker, oprah winfrey honorary and nominee, jane fonda, cuba. Based on the life story of longserving white house butler eugene allen, lee daniels the butler was one of 20s mostsuccessful movies, winning raves from critics and drawing big boxoffice. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler. The butler book by wil haygood, lee daniels official publisher.
The film was inspired by a 2008 washington post story titled a butler well. Eugene allen project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The life of eugene allen white house historical association. Chase quinn, culture writer for thegrio, spoke with haygood about his new book on allens life the butler. The unique story of eugene allen, a butler who had served no fewer than eight presidents, from harry truman to ronald reagan. From guggenheim and national endowment for the humanities fellow wil haygood comes a mesmerizing inquiry into the life of eugene allen, the butler who ignited a nations imagination and inspired a major motion picture.
This mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film the butler traces. Eugene allen, who died on march 31 aged 90, served as butler to eight american presidents. In the end, eugene allen, a white house butler who lived a life behind the scenes of history, was the subject of wide acclaim. On the butler, and the legendary life of eugene allen. It is his book that gave lee daniels the idea for the movie the butler. A witness to history by wil haygood, youll read about allens. Over the course of 34 years, eugene allen worked for eight of the most powerful men in the free world. Washington ap eugene allen, a white house butler who served presidents from harry truman through ronald reagan, died wednesday. The story of eugene allen, a butler who served in the white house during the terms of eight presidents, has been adapted as a movie and a book. L ee daniels the butler, which opens friday, is loosely based on the life of eugene allen, a butler at the white house for 34 years and through eight administrations. He retired from the butler veterans affairs medical center, where he worked for 38 years as the maintenance foreman. A witness to history should get just as much, if not more, attention than the film which uses its story for thematic foundation. On the butler, and the legendary life of eugene allen thegrio.
He was survived by his son, charles allen, and several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. For more than three decades eugene allen worked in the white house, a black man unknown to the headlines. Kevin clarkthe washington post via getty images eugene allen. An inside look at wil haygoods new book the butler. A witness to history atlantic county library system. I cant say i disliked this book but neither was i satisfied by it. This mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film the butler traces the civil rights movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century american history through the eyes of eugene allena white house butler who served eight presidents over the course of thirtyfour years. The african american butler who served under eight presidents, invited to state dinner by the reagans dec 2, 2017 magda origjanska eugene allen was born in 1919 in the town of scottsville on a virginia plantation and grew up during the horrific time of southern segregation.
A butler well served by this election the washington post. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler who worked for the us government at the white house for 34 years until he retired as the head butler in 1986 allen s life was the inspiration for the 20 film the butler. There are no words to describe how disappointed i was by the butler by wil haygood. During his thirtyfour years of service, allen became what the independent described as a discreet stagehand who for three decades helped keep the show running in the most important political theatre of all. The butler book the seattle public library bibliocommons. Eugene allen, the reallife white house butler, was born into farm work in virginia not georgia and there is no reference to his ever having witnessed the aftermath of a lynching, nor of his.
Washington post reporter wil haygood talks about the life of eugene allen, the white house butler who served as the inspiration for haygoods book, the butler. He struck gold when he tracked down eugene allen, a butler who had served no. Wil haygood adds eugene allens chronicle to his impressive list of essential. The life of that man, eugene allen, is the basis for lee daniels the butler, which debuts in theaters this weekend. With a foreword by lee daniels a mesmerizing inquiry into the life of eugene allen, the butler who ignited a nations sympathy and inspired a major motion picture directed by oscar nominee lee daniels, the butler which stars oprah winfrey and eight oscar winners including forest whitaker, vanessa redgrave, robin williams, cuba gooding.
Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler who worked. From the title i expected, well, either a biography about the butler himself, eugene allen, a man in. Wil haygood adds eugene allen s chronicle to his impressive list of essential works on great figures in black and american history. During the presidencies of harry truman to ronald reagan, eugene allen was a butler in the most famous of. Allen was born in 1919 on a plantation farm near scottsville in central virginia. Lee daniels the butler, which opens friday, is loosely based on the life of eugene allen, a butler at the white house for 34 years and through. When allen retired in 1986, he had served the white house as a pantry man, butler, and maitre d. First lady hillary clinton honored allen, alongside many other longterm white house workers, at a 1995 event at the white house.
Allens life was the inspiration for the 20 film the butler. He was raised in a log cabin in virginia at a time when interracial marriage was banned and. Eugene allen, the butler, remembered by church as an. What i was expecting was a book about eugene allen you know, the famous man who was the white house butler and served eight american presidents. An inside look at eugene allen, the white house butler who served eight u. The first hour of the book is about the authors attempt to find and interview mr. This mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film the butler traces the civil rights movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century american history through the eyes of eugene allen a white house butler who served eight presidents over the course of thirtyfour years. Remembering white house butler eugene allen youtube. Veteran journalist wil haygood originally broke the story of eugene allen, the butler on whom the coming film directed by lee daniels is based. Washington rns eugene allen served eight presidents as a white house butler, and his legendary career is the inspiration for lee daniels the butler, a film starring oprah winfrey, jane fonda and a host of alist hollywood talent. Eugene allen was born on a virginia plantation in 1919 and spent much of. He died at the age of 90 on march 31, 2010, from renal failure.
Loosely based on the real life of eugene allen, who worked in the white house for decades, the film stars forest whitaker as cecil gaines, an africanamerican who is a witness of notable political and social events of the 20th century during his 34year tenure serving as a white house butler. In a career spanning 34 years and eight presidents, eugene allen witnessed some of the most important moments in 20thcentury american history all from his unique point of view as white house butler. Post article about white house butler eugene allen wasnt just any article. Eugene allen was a remarkable man, and i am happy and grateful that wil haygood had the passion and perseverance to find him and to bring his story to life in his article and through this book, which expands the story. Allens life was the inspiration for the movie the butler, released in 20 allen earned the highest rank of butlers serving in the white house. New film the butler reveals the white houses shameful. Several hundred people packed a funeral service thursday at greater first baptist church on th street nw to celebrate allens life and the national narrative he embodied. He worked for the white house for 34 years until he retired in 1986.
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