Tribute: Actress/First Lady Nancy Reagan

Posted on March 6, 2016 at 2:10 pm

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has died at age 94. She met Ronald Reagan when she was an actress named Nancy Davis and she had been confused with a similarly-named actress by investigators looking for Communist sympathizers in Hollywood. They appeared together in one film, Hellcats of the Navy.

In “The Doctor and the Girl” she co-starred with Janet Leigh and Glenn Ford.

In “The Next Voice You Hear,” she played a pregnant wife who, along with everyone else in the world, heard the Voice of God on the radio.

Here she is in a Colgate commercial.

Even those who were critical of her as First Lady acknowledge her devotion to her husband, especially when he became ill. May her memory be a blessing.

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The Next Voice You Hear

Posted on November 28, 2011 at 8:00 am

Lowest Recommended Age:	4th - 6th Grades
MPAA Rating:	NR
Profanity:	None
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Discussion of wartime weapons of mass desctruction
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	1950
Date Released to DVD:	November 28, 2011
Amazon.com ASIN:	B003916I1C

I was pleased to see that Turner Classic Movies will be showing “The Next Voice You Hear” this afternoon at 2:30 Eastern. It’s a sweet little film with a timely message. It was made in 1950, when the primary technology for delivering news and entertainment to American homes was still radio and the primary concern of American families in the post-WWII era was the threat of the Cold War.

One night there is an unusual announcement on the radio. “The next voice you hear” will be the voice of God. Throughout the world each listener (except, oddly, those behind the Iron Curtain) hears the Voice in his and her own language. The story focuses on a typical American family, Joe and Mary Smith, with a young son and another baby coming soon. Joe is played by James Whitmore and Mary is played by future First Lady Nancy Davis, who would soon be Nancy Reagan. We in the audience never hear the Voice. We just see how it affects the Smiths and the other listeners. At first, people are very unsettled and frightened by God’s messages, but it becomes clear that His message is one of hope and peace.

Yes, it’s old-fashioned and corny. Yes, the first names of the Smiths are intentionally selected to make them even more symbolic. But it is a good film for families and Sunday School classes to to watch together and discuss how God’s timeless message might be delivered via today’s technology.