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President Roosevelt’s legs were completely paralyzed by polio as a young man. His “walking” was simply an appearance of walking. His legs were encased by steel braces which gave them rigidity. He had tremendous upper body strength and would with great effort thrust first one hip and then the other forward to give the appearance of actually walking. He always had a cane or a man support him during public appearances and his speaking lecterns were bolted to the floor. Many Americans had no idea that the president couldn’t walk and members of the press aided in this deception, something impossible today.

@djosbun

Жыл бұрын

I believe that he wasn’t actually a young man when he contracted polio but was older (in his 20s).

@smadaf

Жыл бұрын

Ah, yes. Using muscles to move your legs. Definitely not actual walking. Also known as walking.

@Brace67

Жыл бұрын

@@smadaf No, it’s not the same. The president could not walk. Not one single step. Thrusting one hip forward and then the other gave the impression he was actually walking but he could not.

@Brace67

Жыл бұрын

@@djosbun Since I’m 78, someone in their 20’s is a young man to me.

@joyphobic

Жыл бұрын

@@Brace67 you're still young at heart man and that's what matters

These upscale of these old films is amazing. Also the speed correction makes it less cartoony and makes you realize these were real people just living their lives.

Roosevelt practiced "walking" incessantly early in his political career (after contracting polio). He made it look almost normal. But he did rely on having a strong man's arm to hang onto. Also, notice that he always has at least one hand on the balcony railing. If he let go, he would have fallen.

@mmaranta785

Жыл бұрын

Amazing no one got suspicious

@farhanatashiga3721

Жыл бұрын

​@@mmaranta785 back when public appearances is few and people got their news from the papers and radio still it wasn't that difficult to hide things

@mmaranta785

Жыл бұрын

@@farhanatashiga3721 I read that when JFK traveled, the Secret Service hooked him up with local women, and the press said nothing or didn’t find out or had some kind of agreement.

@farhanatashiga3721

Жыл бұрын

​@@mmaranta785 let's just say online social media has made these kinds of things harder to hide

@bostonrailfan2427

9 ай бұрын

one hand on the railing, one on the cane and the young man was his son IIRC…and if you really look he only walked a few feet of which the cane took the bulk of the weight

FDR and Eleanor, this is so amazing to see! It's really incredible.

Me continually putting the volume up for sound and not realizing 😂 This is a beautiful treasure. Thank you for sharing this!

@MrMenefrego1

Жыл бұрын

Not really your fault.

@Itsme-eo9hh

Жыл бұрын

It is a treasure for even those of us from outside the US!

@erinmeggik391

Жыл бұрын

Such a nostalgic post

@radbrad1133

Жыл бұрын

@@Itsme-eo9hh awww thanks friend. I appreciate that. ❤️

@retroguy9494

Жыл бұрын

Yes, the entire description of this clip is VERY misleading.

I thank God every month for him creating Social Security.

@ernestcline2868

Жыл бұрын

Is that because you collect Social Security or because you collect Social Security Numbers? To be fair, SSNs weren't developed to be identity information. Indeed, the cards originally had on them in red a disclaimer that they were not to be used for purposes of identification.

@croonyerzoonyer

Жыл бұрын

Lol why thank god??? Thank THE MAN!

@queenbunnyfoofoo6112

Жыл бұрын

Another tax that's actually a ponzi scheme. Imagine if the government didn't steal part of your income and you could invest it.

@kirbywaite1586

Жыл бұрын

And be sure to give thanks to Senator Joe Biden for introducing( and passing) legislation in 1983 that taxed Social Security as income.

@mmjhcb

Жыл бұрын

You mean the government's very own Ponzi scheme?

As so many others have pointed out, Roosevelt could not "walk" as a result of his polio at age 39; more accurately, he is shuffling, by using his upper body strength to move his legs, which were encased in braces from foot to hips. Even to do this he needed to hang on to another person. But from this video, by the time he reached the Presdiency, he had perfected the technique of shuffling to look like a natural walk.

FDR is this Canadian guys favourite person of all time.

@jefolson6989

Жыл бұрын

He was pretty great!

Fantastic film. I was aware he had been afflicted with polio, and suffered paralysis as a result. Thank you for posting this rate footage.

All these people were closer to the Civil War than we are to them.

@larryboyes7276

Жыл бұрын

Quite a number of Civil War veterans had still been living when that film was made.

@GUAMANIANable

Жыл бұрын

That is something I always think about. The end of the Civil War was 85 years before I was born (1949). Today, the attack on Pearl Harbor was 82 years ago. So WWII is as far removed from kids today as the Civil War was for me.

A few things to notice as you watch this film. My guess is that with the fishing boat at the start, this family started filming in the Summer of 1934 and left the camera alone for months. Then, they were lucky enough to get to the White House for the Easter Egg Roll the following Spring. Notice that their clothing is heavier. It is also nice to see how dressed up everyone is, especially considering that this is smack in the middle of the Great Depression. Also, quite amazing that the family got so close to Eleanor Roosevelt (at 1:50). Finally, (at 2:55) the boy and the woman (probably his mother) are on the back porch of George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. Just a bit of amateur detective work.

Thank you for the color home movies from 1935 of FDR being assisted by a gentleman to the balcony of the White House and other footage. As I say, the old color films give one the impression of the footage being shot yesterday versus the black and white films, which appear distant in time. Thanks again.

@erichodge567

Жыл бұрын

Exactly what I thought.

Amazing! Love this channel! Thanks.

There’s a brilliant Ken Burns 14 hr documentary called “The Roosevelts, an intimate history” it’s HIGHLY recommended, also, this colorized home movie makes them look so real and current. Thank you for sharing!

When I was a kid in the late 1950s we felt so lucky to have a polio vaccine. It was and is a terrible disease.

He didn't hide his handicap from the public, but, understandably, downplayed it as much as possible. He walked upright, slowly, with braces, canes, and the support of others. His legs, of course, were atrophied, having been paralyzed by polio since the 1920s.

@bostonrailfan2427

9 ай бұрын

no, he hid it from the public. he wasn’t actually walking, he was moving his body and only was unsupported for seconds of which he relied heavily on his cane then on the railing to keep upright…

He really mastered the illusion. Its impressive and you know it was taxing for him.

My parents were in their 40s when FDR died. They knew about his polio and I suspect most other people did; it just wasn't drummed into them by the media, leaving room for the Great Depression and WW2.

@retroguy9494

Жыл бұрын

I once heard a historian say that one in four Americans did not know he was paralyzed. Because we simply did not have the kind of media technology we have today. However, he also said that of those who knew, people were simply kinder back then and did not talk about it. He said that of the people who would go to see him disembark from his train or get out of a car and he would propel himself along that they would 'simply not see what they were seeing.'

@jefolson6989

Жыл бұрын

@@retroguy9494 the press and his political opponents didn't exploit his infirmity. If it were today, MTG and Boebert would be calling him " a cripple" and unfit for office and FOX news would show footage of his being lifted out of cars , in his wheelchair etc. But Republicans did attack his dog, Fala. " Dont care what they say about me, but I will object to false and libelous statements about my dog" I must watch the Fala speech again ( he had help from Orson Welles)

@no_aid_for_UKRAINE

6 ай бұрын

​@@jefolson6989wish Republicans would have done something to get rid of him

Incredible footage

Thanks for showing this. That is a treat to see. Because of polio he didn’t walk much , and I read photographers and news people respectfully refrained from showing - reporting about his struggles in that regard. FDR was the MVP of 20th century US presidents. A case could be made he was one of the most positive of the world’s public figures.during that century.

A brilliant video. This has to be my favourite history channel. 🐨🇦🇺

When I look at the children in the footage, I know that the surviving ones would be very old today.

@YouMe-ru6wi

3 ай бұрын

Yes many young children and I also spotted some babies many would be very old today if still alive pushing 90's.

That had to be exhausting for FDR to put on that short show. It looked fairly natural, except for the aide. Even the cane could be seen as a stylish prop in those days. By the late 1930s and certainly during WWII there were few if any displays of FDR "walking". That was 88 years ago. There may only be ten or so of the children seen there still alive today.

@YouMe-ru6wi

3 ай бұрын

Yes the young children and some of the babies in the crowd would be very old today if still alive.

Really neat piece of American history not seen for generations

@smadaf

Жыл бұрын

It's been being seen on the Internet since the spring of 2018, at least.

His “walking” didn’t look normal at all. He had a deal with the press not to photograph him “walking” (which he couldn’t), or getting in or out of a car.

In those days, we didn’t feel a need to know things unrelated to a President’s official duties.

I remember learning that “ walking “ was extremely painful for him . The act of standing alone was excruciating because of the steel that encased his legs .

From a 21st-century perspective, it's so odd to see the White House lawn treated as an open city park by Washingtonians on Easter. As the open accessibility of the White House grounds would come to a decisive end with the severe security precautions brought by WWII, the "people's house" essentially becoming a veritable, highly-restricted fortress by the end of the twentieth century, it is sad to realize that, within the oldest living generation's memory, the national security climate permitted regular Americans far greater ease of access to the symbols and buildings of high government. Now, the White House and other principal federal government buildings, with their threatening perimeter fencing, Orwellian CCTV systems, violating body scanners/x-ray machines, and aggressive "paramilitary" security forces, are treated more like "hardened" military citadels than as the accessible and welcoming monuments of democracy they were originally intended to be. Since the time of FDR, our society has (or, more accurately put, those in power have) sacrificed our once-cherished values of openness and hospitality for the alleged modern exigencies of safety and security. Was this sacrifice worth it?

Wow, I've never seen someone turn into a color and then into black and white and then into color again. What great space-age technology you are using!

If you have never seen the (1960) movie 'Sunrise at Campobello' with Ralph Bellamy as FDR and Greer Garson as Mrs. Roosevelt it's def. worth it!

There are other films of him walking. They're common enough in documentaries about him.

@winstonoboogie2424

Жыл бұрын

I was gonna say the same thing. I've seen them. Good video, though.

@marcinna8553

Жыл бұрын

@@winstonoboogie2424 I've seen one other film of him walking after his illness, about to give a speech somewhere.

@badeugenecops4741

Жыл бұрын

Please refer to the top comment. It explains it all to you Columbo's.

@smadaf

Жыл бұрын

@@badeugenecops4741 , I'm not sure what you mean by "the top comment", but I'll take a guess. Anyway, these are some facts: 1. Franklin Roosevelt was crippled by polio long before his first election to the presidency (1932). 2. The title of this KZread video says "Only known footage of Roosevelt walking", without mentioning his presidency. 3. There are other films of him doing the same walk (using the Navy man for support). 4. Those other films are from his presidency (1933-1945). 5. At least some of those other films have been used in documentaries shown on national television in various countries at least as long ago as the middle of the 1990s. They've also been visible on the Internet for many years.

@retroguy9494

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I know of at least 3 other clips that exist of him 'walking' One was at his first inauguration where he 'walked' from inside the Capitol to the platform. Another was of him leaving some kind of event. I think this is the one that shows his fake 'walk' perfectly. It was shown on The American Experience documentary about FDR. Another was taken by one of the baseball players when FDR attended a Washington Senators game to throw out the first pitch as is tradition. That film, never seen, surfaced about 15 years ago I think. FDR didn't actually walk. What he did was to lock his leg braces so his legs were stiff and immobile. He would then use his upper body muscles to lift so a leg would come up off the ground and he would then use a shoulder muscle to swing his body forward to one side thus propelling the leg forward. He would then do it with the other side. Back and forth. But all his body weight would be either on the cane he carried in one hand or on the arm of the person who was always on one side of him. It was quite a nifty trick!

Very cool! Thanks!!

There are other films of him STANDING when he was younger, but not sure if he walks. He had an apparatus that allowed him to stand for speeches. Color is amazing.

@retroguy9494

Жыл бұрын

There was no 'apparatus.' When he needed to stand or 'walk' which wasn't walking at all but a trick where he would use his upper body muscles to lift a leg and use his shoulder muscles to throw the leg forward, he wore steel braces on his legs. When locked, they made his legs stiff and immovable. When giving speeches, the Secret Service agents would often make sure the podium was bolted to the ground so FDR could put all his weight on it when speaking.

@jefolson6989

Жыл бұрын

@@retroguy9494 the braces are what I was referring to. I guess there were agreements with the press or among themselves not to mention his paralysis or publish photos in a wheel chair. He Republican adversaries didnt use his affliction for political purposes either. They attacked everything else, even his dog, but left that alone. I imagine some people in the country never knew about it but if wasn't a secret. I've heard that there was a fear he would appear weak , so he was already " in place", standing at a podium or sitting when photographed. There is a bizarre speech to congress where he is seated at a table on some platform erected for occasion. I have seen a clip in which he was being carried by four men, fireman style. FDR , cigarette holder in his broadly smiling teeth, and waving .

Thanks for this.

So much simpler of a time. I envy these people in that way.

@erichodge567

Жыл бұрын

Simpler time? Maybe, but the country was in the grips of the Great Depression, Hitler was firmly in power, and the Second World War was soon to begin. Just be glad there were leaders up to the challenge of the times.

@jl3322

Жыл бұрын

@@erichodge567 you said it!!!

A time when most people in this country were civilized and respectful. What happened?

@kenhenderson1762

Жыл бұрын

1. Television 2. The Internet.

@RaveDave871

Жыл бұрын

Lettin in the Beatles

@mattcohen261

Жыл бұрын

Just like Rome, we are rotting from within. Except faster.

@bladeobrian2144

6 ай бұрын

Might wanna ask a black person how “civilized and respectful” this era was. Especially the black WWII vets after they came home

2:11, the moment when President Roosevelt is seen walking.

You have a wonderful collection of videos, and surely do not intend to be rude, but all (or most) of your videos are 20th century, not 19th. The earliest known films are from the 1880s (maybe even 1870s) and those would be the 19th century. But the bulk of what you have are 20th century. Wonderful collection that I can share with my history students. Thank you !!

Alles ordentliche Menschen in einer noch intakten Umwelt. So nah würden sie die Menschen heutzutage nicht mehr an eine Präsidenten lassen. Heute herrscht nur noch Chaos und Angst und Selbstinzinierung. Schöne alte Zeit! Danke fürs Posten!

@sheikowi

Жыл бұрын

Sollte diese Quall uns quellen? Hat nicht Timurs Herrschaft myriaden aufgezuhrt?

Imagine contemporary "journalists" keeping this secret.

@zachgates7491

Жыл бұрын

They would say Putin gave FDR polio

@uptoolate2793

Жыл бұрын

They keep much bigger secrets now.

Just a different time. No need to guard the White House with a fence or Secret Service. People loved Roosevelt.

It was well known to the public that Roosevelt had paralysis from polio. They were not engaging ‘deception’ by downplaying his handicap. It just wasn’t seen as a good ‘look.’

Thanks to FDR for SSA, FLSA, FDIC, etc., etc., etc.

amazing footage

As he got older, it took his aids like 3 hours to get him dressed, and he couldn't stand without pain for more than minute or so. What an amazing, tough man.

When he stood for press briefings, there were two pegs in the wall, that he was leaned against. The pegs supported him, but he was exhausted later.

When I was a young journalist, I interviewed people whose lives Roosevelt ruined. He was both beloved and hated vehemently. He put a lot of people out of business and made them destitute with that “New Deal,” which we now know extended the Depression.

There is a short video of Roosevelt walking around a train derailment when he was an official in New York. I have seen the video on KZread. It is of a pre-polio Roosevelt.

This was almost 100 yrs ago... and it seems so modern with the blimp flying above the white house... no way that would be allowed today for obvious reasons but aside from the fashions... everything looks like it could be last year.

@karenryder6317

Жыл бұрын

This is one piece of footage that gives me a sense of how it might have felt to be alive during that time.

There is a book titled The Great Deception . It goes into great detail describing what FDR went through after he contracted polio and how he and the press hid his disability from the public . Wonderful book .

All in their Easter best

This is NOT the only known footage of FDR 'walking.' I know of at least 3 other clips that exist of him 'walking' One was at his first inauguration where he 'walked' from inside the Capitol to the platform. Another was of him leaving some kind of event. I think this is the one that shows his fake 'walk' perfectly. It was shown on The American Experience documentary about FDR. Another was taken by one of the baseball players when FDR attended a Washington Senators game to throw out the first pitch as is tradition. That film, never seen, surfaced about 15 years ago I think.

I wished I lived in this time before the internet

@Billy_Bad_Ass

Жыл бұрын

But then you'd be dead now.

@Gayophile

Жыл бұрын

But no AI generated muscular anime milfs?

@lucasRem-ku6eb

Жыл бұрын

Why you need that ? just remove the Google account !

@gieb6428

Жыл бұрын

Yes, but they had Polio

That had to be painful with all that steel on your legs.

FDR was incredibly popular when he was president so most people were just willing to look past his infirmity or rationalize it away somehow. Most people knew he had a disability. People are still the same way today. They’ll overlook any number of faults or lousy behavior if the person is charming and/or good looking enough, just like in high school.

Note that FDR still needed assistance to walk, which is why he had his armed around the arm of an aide as he walked. And I read that by the symptoms, some doctors today think that he did not get polio, instead he got GBS, Guillain-Barré Syndrome. GBS is an ailment of the nervous system where today, the paralysis would not have been permament. With FDR, obviously they may not have the methods to treat it like today, but the hydrotherapy at Warm Springs, GA certainly helped alleviate the illness, giving him some form of mobility again.

@isabelrice4494

Жыл бұрын

Not GBS. FDR most certainly had Polio. Witnessed and experenced too much of Polio not to recognise it.

@Brace67

Жыл бұрын

There really is no question about the affliction that FDR had. It was ‘Infantile Paralysis’, more commonly called polio. FDR for many years believed he might be able to actually walk again but that belief gradually faded as he got older. The water at Warm Springs, GA gave him buoyancy and the freedom to move around without the need of the steel braces and crutches he used or a cane and strong man next to him. When not in the public eye within the White House, he utilized a wheelchair.

@bundesautobahn7

Жыл бұрын

@@Brace67 I'm not contradicting. It is something I read that for a lay man like me makes sense and was a theory by other MDs. Of course, if people with more expertise in infantile paralysis say it is polio, then I accept that of course.

I am surprised that infrastructure from the 1930s looks the same as today 😅 Color shows it all

Again, I am interested in where all of this footage has come from. Where has it been all this time?

0:12 - They don't look they're having much fun.

Back in the day, when job performance was given greater emphasis than health issues or sex scandals..

This reel was purchased by Rick from Pawn Stars a few years ago

He was present at all times during the Second World War and participated in the Potsdam conference.

He didn’t experience symptoms of the disease until he was 39 years old.

I wish I could go back in time.

Wow, I'm surprised! 😮😮😮

This is the man who fought The Reich and won.... What would he say about The Reich forming to fight America from within?

1:52 you made me having a crush on someone who has long been gone

@XIXbacktolife

Жыл бұрын

Yes, We all love Eleanor.

@Billy_Bad_Ass

Жыл бұрын

Unless you are a female, Eleanor wouldn't have been interested.

I have seen a newsreel of him walking to his Presidential car, only a few steps, mind.

They actually think he had Guillain-Barré syndrome now.

... und die Menge der Masse an Menschen stand gestanden unten zum Volke nah - ohne Foto und Kamera 😅

Walking clip at 2:12. Not true, there's another clip of him getting out of a car, same type of walk with the braces.

.75 speed makes it better

@brocanova

Жыл бұрын

around .9 might be perfect

Such a good man and president. Rip

@spanieaj

Жыл бұрын

Which part of his presidency was your favorite? Internment of Japanese Americans? Making it illegal to own gold? Basing interest rates on his lucky numbers? Prolonging the great depression by many years with his spending policies? Letting the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?

Was a progressive by most measures, especially for the time. Founder of Social Security and the 40 hour workweek.

It looks like he was at least able to stand up and go and sit in a chair. And go to the bathroom and get to bed by himself. If so that would have made a huge difference.

Not true. There's (color) footage of FDR "walking" to the podium on Inauguration Day, 1936.

Very good

Note that the balcony called the Truman Balcony (for a reason 😂) doesn’t exist in the film

@crixxxxxxxxx

Жыл бұрын

Yes, and Truman had the entire inside of the White House gutted and replaced with a steel structure. The house was in danger of collapse for being so heavily modified over the years.

The footage quality from these early iPhones was quite good!

He was walking!

I like that boat. It would be considered small, for the upper class, today, which Roosevelt was a member of, but I would love to own it.

Any idea what this event was.

This is the only known footage of him walking as president… There’s quite bit of footage of him walking as the 1920 Vice presidential candidate.

@XIXbacktolife

Жыл бұрын

After his illness, I meant.

@smadaf

Жыл бұрын

@@XIXbacktolife , But this isn't true! Just Google "films of FDR walking" and you'll find plenty, from plenty of places, shot during his presidency, well after he was crippled by polio. His usual method for these moments was braces on legs + arm on Navy man to one side + other arm on cane or other man: this was how he made it in public from one place of sitting to another place of sitting (such as a car) or to a place of standing still (such as a lectern) without being seen rolling in his wheelchair. If you want something rare, find a movie of him rolling in his chair. Please, change the title. Accuracy matters more than attractive titles to get views.

The whole video is interesting, giving a flavor and realism to that time period. Mrs. Roosevelt cuts a nice figure too; thinner than I realized.

@uptoolate2793

Жыл бұрын

Wut? Eleanor Roosevelt had a face that would stop a clock.

@jmathiesonfineart

Жыл бұрын

She was, to this day, our greatest First Lady and a beautiful person

His lower body had already been paralyzed for years prior to being elected president. He is not "walking" here.

Was amazing to see this footage. Of course knew FDR was paralyzed, and knew he could "walk" as it were.. but have never seen it with my own eyes, until now. Absolutely fascinating!

Greatest list: FDR then JFK then Lincoln then Washington

he's walking like he's drunk

Can’t wait till they can restore footage like this so that it looks as real as if it were captured today. It will give you a real sense of what things looked like back then. However I think it will just look like a Hollywood movie then haha.

Epic!

Interesting

This is nice to see. Yes, the public has a right to know. But respect for an otherwise able president should be counted here. Imagine Fox Snooze getting wind of this. That said, I love that Easter Egg Roll! The parade was so charming. It was so much easier to have these gatherings than it is today.

FDR walking (with assistance) at 2:10

Amazing. God bless Roosevelt for my social security!

@uptoolate2793

Жыл бұрын

Why don't you thank those of us stuck paying for it? Especially since it won't be there for us when the time comes. Selfish, stupid boomers.

Please, fix the demonstrably inaccurate, misleading title of this KZread video. If you just Google "films of FDR walking", you'll find plenty, from plenty of places, shot during his presidency, well after he was crippled by polio. His usual method for these moments was braces on legs + arm on Navy man to one side + other arm on cane or other man: this was how he made it in public from one place of sitting to another place of sitting (such as a car) or to a place of standing still (such as a lectern) without being seen rolling in his wheelchair. If you want something rare, find a movie of him rolling in his chair.

Back then the press would cover up things for politicians.

@sallysmith8081

Жыл бұрын

Back then? They're still doing it today.

@raiden6156

Жыл бұрын

They still do (see: Hunter Biden and Burisma).

Think of how safe you must have felt in America. No bomber, no missile, no army, no navy could reach you. The rest of the world must have seemed so far away. True, antibiotics were just coming on so even simple infections could kill you but science and medicine were making great strides. The horrible war years and the bomb were not even imagined.

There is newsreel footage of him walking (in the broad sense) to his first inauguration. We can't see his legs or hands, because spectators are in the way. Just from looking at it, I suspect that a ramp with rails was set up for him and spectators were positioned to conceal the rails.

I thank God for FDR. THE GREATEST President in history.