When I first heard that Leslie Goddard would be portraying Jackie Kennedy at a fundraising event in February, I eagerly set about gathering a circle of women to share a table. The event was a benefit for the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation, which supports the Elmhurst Historical Museum and the Churchville Schoolhouse, both of which celebrate local history.
I first saw Leslie Goddard last winter when she portrayed one of my favorite authors, Louisa May Alcott. I knew she would capture the essence of the former first lady of the United States. She did not disappoint.
It was fun to meet up with those sharing my table, and see so many women I haven’t seen in a long while. Many wore pill box hats, suits, and outfits reflecting the 1960’s and the brief years of the Kennedy administration.
I didn’t wear a hat, or gloves, or a suit, but I did wear several strands of pearls around my neck, pearl earrings and a vintage brooch at my lapel.
The tea was outstanding; savories and sweets filled our plates and satisfied our palates as we sipped tea, chatted, and waited for Jackie to arrive.
When she did, in a red suit, pill box hat, and signature wide-brimmed sunglasses, I felt myself taken back, 50 years, to the days of my youth, watching the black and white television tour of the White House with Mrs. Kennedy, who was bringing its history alive. I remembered how glamorous I though Jackie Kennedy was and how she influenced fashion of the time in her classic manner. I recalled how we all bought mantillas to wear on our heads to church and how I wanted to learn more of our nation’s history and furnishings. Of course, as Ms. Goddard spoke of that fateful day in Texas, I remembered the assassination of JFK, of how sad and frightening those days in November, 1963 were, and of Jackie’s quiet, graceful dignity that helped us all through, in spite of her grief and her trauma.
What a elegant afternoon it was. How fortunate I was to share it with friends and family. How amazing it is to have such talented historians as Ms. Goddard, who bring history alive in such meaningful ways.
I wish you could have been us, dear reader. I really do.
Lifeonthecutoff's Blog 
Oh Penny, I meant to get back to you about this and it completely slipped my mind and it sounds like I really missed out. Well, I’m glad to know you enjoyed yourselves and wish I had been there! Thank you for thinking of me and I’m sorry I dropped the ball on my end.
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Janet, I hope you were able to read this in its entirety as I hit publish before I finished. I’m so sorry I didn’t think to remind you, of all people. Shame on me. It was you who shared your tapes with me last winter and I enjoyed hearing them so much. I know you would have appreciated this. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, Janet, from the tea to the presentation. Jennifer even won a triple stand of pearls!
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This sounds so wonderful; good company, the vividness of the past, and the memory of a gracious first lady – was she the first to have style? Perfect winter entertainment, by the sounds of it.
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It was such a delightful outing, Juliet. Jackie Kennedy was not the first, but, the one I remember. Following the Great Depression, the world wars, and the rebuilding of our country in the 1950’s, like much of the world at the time, Mrs. Kennedy brought such style and excitement to what seemed so drab – and she was so incredibly young, becoming a first lady at the age of 31. I’m not sure how history would portray her if president Kennedy had not been assassinated. It was her grace and sense of history, in spite of the horrors of the killing, that I think endeared her in the minds and hearts of so many of us. She taught a stunned nation how to mourn.
Some time ago, I did a post on another stylish first lady, Grace Coolidge. If you are interested, you can find it at lifeonthecutoff.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/grace/
Thanks for stopping in, Juliet, and for reading my answer which is a post in itself.
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How lovely! It would be so fun to step back to the ’60s. I remember those suits, white gloves, and pillbox hats. Some people said that my Mom looked like Mrs. Kennedy. I never saw it. I just thought it was because she had dark hair and was about the same size. I love the elegance of the style and the fact that Ms. Goddard had props from the era around her. It looks like a delightful day.
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Janet, you would have enjoyed this! I’m sure watching Ms. Goddard would have brought your mom to mind, even if you never saw the resemblance. The props were great; an old phone, which she used to emphasize conversations, an old camera, pictures of the children, a small box with Jack’s recipe for a daiquiri! If you ever hear of Leslie Goddard doing a performance around you, try to see her, no matter who she portrays. She does her research and is very believable.
Oh, a violinist played songs from Camelot while we ate. There certainly is not, a more convenient spot . . . I’ve been “happy ever-aftering” since then.
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It is always a treat to see someone talented portray someone from history. I wish I could’ve been there, too.
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I wish you could have been there, too, Andra. It is amazing to me how someone can combine an historical background with acting and make such notables come alive for us.
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Ms. Goddard portrays a stunning Jackie and I am certain you had quite a day you shall never forget. Would give anything to have the black pillbox hat with lace trim that I wore on the 1964 high school homecoming float. Jackie was such an elegant role model for young women in every way.
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I don’t blame you for wanting that hat back, Marilyn. I’m sure you have a picture of you on the float, but, how fun it would be to have the hat. One woman had on her wedding veil. It had little white flowers on the hat, which was, of course, a pillbox hat. She wore it 50 years ago and was having so much showing it off. Others had hats they found in charity and antique shops. It was fun.
Indeed, she was, Marilyn. I still wear big sunglasses!
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What a wonderful way to relive history, Penny. So imaginitive! Glad you thoroughly enjoyed yourself.
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It amazes me how someone can be so talented to make history come alive is such meaningful, creative ways. It was great fun, Kate.
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I would certainly have enjoyed this, too, Penny. I think actors who portray such recognizable personalities are very talented, and Jackie is certainly one of those people we all eagerly respond to. It’s a wonderful way for a historical society raise funds, too. Jackie must have been just about the last of the women we admired who dressed with the style of the early 60s. Lady Bird wore similar styles, but she wasn’t admired for her couture in the same way. I am so glad you had such a lovely day out. I’m sure for each of your around the table “Jackie” must have stirred many memories!
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It was a very lovely time, Debra. I’m sure you would have appreciated it. I think you are right about Jackie. She seemed to have such a sense of self, didn’t she? Poor Lady Bird. She had such a youthful, tough act to follow. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate her more. She was a businesswoman in her right and she was really instrumental in the effort to bring back our wildflowers and native plants. It did stir memories around our table – and our daughter Jennifer was the lucky one. She won a beautiful three strand of Jackie-like pearls. I must admit, she wears them well.
Snowing up a blizzard here today. Icy and messy and beautiful.
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I love attending historic portrayals such as this. I recently went to one featuring “Lucy Audubon”, wife of John James Audubon. Jackie O. would be a wonderful guest to have for tea. I remember watching her tour of the White House and being shocked (as teenagers so easily are) at how high-pitched her voice was. Certainly strange-sounding to these Southern ears.
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Lucy Audubon must have been interesting, Belle. It is such a fascinating profession, isn’t it, combining history and acting? Even our midwestern ears were a surprised by Mrs. Kennedy’s voice. I was entranced watching the tour of the White House. When I think back at how young she was at the time, it amazes me. This tea was delightful.
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What a lovely afternoon..a wonderful event. So many good and bad memories. I too remember being surprised by Jackie’s voice when we saw that tour on TV, but we thought it was so amazing to get to see it at all.
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It was, Sallie. She had a voice like none other, didn’t she, and I think that was the first time I really heard her speak. That she took us all inside the White House and shared all that history with us was a remarkable event at the time and it ignited in my an appreciation for our national treasures.
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And i really wish I’d been with you, Penny. That sounds like such an interesting and enjoyable way to spend an afternoon with friends. Wonderful!
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I know the time would have been pleasant, Perpetua. It was both. Good folks, conversation, sweets and savories, remembering, and a bit of history all on an afternoon.
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Dear Penny, I so wish I could have sat at your table and witnessed the actress playing Jackie Kennedy. I was in the convent during the years of Kennedy’s short administration and his assassination and funeral. Ordinarily we didn’t get to watch television or read newspaper, but on the day of the assassination, the superior called us all into the living room where there was a never-used television, turned it on, and we watched and re-watched what happened. We were even watching later when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot in the hallway of the police department. Because we never saw television, those images really stayed with me. They would have anyway, but they had a special vividness because of the ban on watching. I hadn’t seen any television for 3 1/2 years and didn’t see anything afterward until 5 years later. Peace.
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It would have been a privilege to have you at our table, Dee. What a unique perspective your experience brings. I wonder, how did your mother superior get the news of the assassination? While the images were so shocking, and stay with me still, I can imagine how vivid that would have been for you with this being such an isolated time moment in time of even having the television on. We were in church when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot. As we walked out, a man drove by and told us of the killing of Oswald. I remember everyone hurrying to their cars, anxious to get home. When we arrived home, my grandmother, Yia Yia, was sitting in front of the television. She had watched it as it happened.
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Dear Penny, there truly are some events that sear themselves in our brains. For me, they have been President Kennedy’s assassination; the first time I saw the photograph of the naked child running down the Vietnam road and screaming from naplam; and the bombing of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Your image with your Yia Yia is so poignant. Peace.
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How true that is, Dee. I remember first seeing that poor child. I can see her still, and I, too will remember for always walking down the stairs to my kitchen, where the television was on, seeing a plane crash into the Twin Towers, stunned for a moment, then realizing I was watching in real time. I always pray, dear Dee, using the word you always close with, for peace.
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[…] she concluded her conversation with us last Saturday, Jackie Kennedy (Leslie Goddard) held up the 1960′s music album, Camelot. She spoke softly of how she and Jack played its […]
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