Tanner '88
In 1988, renegade filmmaker Robert Altman and Pulitzer Prize–winning Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau created a presidential candidate, ran him alongside the other hopefuls during the primary season, and presented their media campaign as a cross between a soap opera and TV news. The result was the groundbreaking Tanner ’88, a piercing satire of media-age American politics.
Overview
In 1988, renegade filmmaker Robert Altman and Pulitzer Prize–winning Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau created a presidential candidate, ran him alongside the other hopefuls during the primary season, and presented their media campaign as a cross between a soap opera and TV news. The result was the groundbreaking Tanner ’88, a piercing satire of media-age American politics.
Garry Trudeau
Creator / EP
Scott Bushnell
Producer
Episodes
1. The Dark Horse (1)
On the weekend before the make-or-break New Hampshire primary, Representative Jack Tanner (D-MI) and his opinionated daughter visit with potential voters, while a videotape of his first campaign commercial is evaluated by a focus group.
2. The Dark Horse (2)
Although their first attempt at a TV commercial is not well received, Tanner's staff hopes that an impromptu speech about why he's running for president will make a good enough TV ad to keep his campaign going past the New Hampshire primary.
3. For Real
Tanner's television commercial showing that his passion is ""For real"" generates new interest from the press in his campaign as he heads for Nashville. He also has an apparent attempt on his life, which gains him more publicity and qualifies him for secret service protection, even thought it was just a big misunderstanding.
Cast & Crew
Michael Murphy
Jack Tanner
Pamela Reed
T.J. Cavanaugh
Cynthia Nixon
Alex Tanner
Kevin J. O'Connor
Hayes Haggerty
Daniel H. Jenkins
Stringer Kincaid
Jim Fyfe
Emil Berkoff
