Efrem Zimbalist Gives Voice to 6 U. S. Presidents

The writing credits belonged to six American presidents, but the voice was that of Efrem Zimbalist Jr., star of the 1960s TV drama “The FBI.”

On Sunday, Zimbalist re-created speeches by some of democracy’s best-known orators at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley.

The play, titled “Said the President,” was written by Tony Thomas, and included speeches of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Reagan. Prior to each reading by Zimbalist, who lives in Solvang, Thomas gave a brief introduction, which included an explanation of the times in which each speech was written.

The 40-minute play began with part of a letter written by Jefferson in 1826, responding to an invitation to be in Washington on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas called Jefferson “our ideal, a gentleman of intellect and wisdom.”

No less an ideal president was Lincoln, who was known more for his ties to the common man than the aristocracy, Thomas said. Perhaps the greatest speech of the Great Emancipator’s short-lived time was his 268-word Gettysburg Address, delivered during opening ceremonies in 1863 at the National Cemetery in Pennsylvania.

“The Gettysburg Address was the finest speech spoken by anyone in any land,” Thomas said.

The six presidents are tied together by the recurring theme of self-reliance, ambition and responsibility. A section from Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural address of March 4, 1905, includes the line, “Under a free government a mighty people can thrive best.”

However, should democracy in the United States fail, “the cause of free governments throughout the world will rot to its foundation,” said Zimbalist, quoting Roosevelt’s words.

The play ends with an excerpt of the farewell speech that Reagan gave during the Republican National Convention in 1992. Reagan called America “a land that has never become but a land that is always in the act of becoming.”

As he read Reagan’s words, Zimbalist said the 40th president hoped that history would remind all that Reagan “appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your own doubts.”

Afterward, Zimbalist said Reagan spoke to the future of young people while in office, noting that there were quite a few young people in attendance Sunday.

“One girl came up to me and said she is going to major in speech. That’s why she was particularly interested in coming here today,” said Zimbalist, who spent about 15 minutes signing autographs.

After 97-year-old Vesta Ocheltree praised his performance, Zimbalist kissed his index finger and used it to draw a cross on her forehead.

“We watched him on TV for so many years,” the Camarillo resident said. “He’s a great man.”