MovieChat Forums > The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014) Discussion > Teddy, not mentally stable?

Teddy, not mentally stable?

posted 10 years ago by HalfBloodPrincess1967
19 replies | jump to latest

Teddy seemed to have some psychological issues!! His issues weren't as pronounced as the ones some other relatives seemed to have, but still...

After his 1st wife died following childbirth, he left the poor baby, Alice, who survived the birth, in the care of relatives. He was so psychologically messed up, he shot a neighbors dog, who dared to bark at him. I'm sure the neighbor just loved him for that!

I imagine being around Teddy 24/7 would have been exhausting.

AVADA KEDAVRA!!!

[–] Miinerva 10 years ago

He was stable. He may have been something of a nut but he calculated things before he did them.

She's a lot like you, the dangerous type...

[–] fanaticita 10 years ago

I'm sure he had some issues, especially with the losses in his life. I think one of the narrators also mentioned that he was hyper-active as a kid and that if lived today he would have been put on Ritalin (horrid stuff!). He certainly was impressive with all of the things he did for the country. I especially liked the creation of the Panama Canal, and the creation of the National Parks. He had his faults too, but he was a human being like everyone else.

[–] irishm 9 years ago

I thought that line about the Ritalin was very telling. Personally I think the overmedication of our young is a serious problem. How tragic it would have been to have medicated young Theodore to make him "like everybody else"... we would have cheated ourselves out of an outstanding American leader. (Yeah, okay, maybe a bit of a nut too... but to have blunted that sharp edge of his would likely have left him sadly unremarkable.)

[–] PacificHeights 10 years ago

TR was crazy as hell. The Rough Riders was just one instance of his insanity.

[–] pilarinhavana 10 years ago

He was an upper-class American gentleman and leaving children in the care of others was common, especially for a widower as active as TR. As for shooting the dog, yeah that was pretty messed up. He was probably more hyper than unstable though.

[–] cmashieldscapting 10 years ago

Theodore and his brother Elliott both had to have been bipolar, Theodore just handled it better and for the most part made it work for him.

[–] HalfBloodPrincess1967 10 years ago

Yes, Teddy seems to have mellowed out when he got older. I felt sorry for him when his son died in WWI.

AVADA KEDAVRA!!!

[–] sheltonp6 10 years ago

I wondered if he was bi-polar. He seemed to exhibit manic behavior constantly; used it to fight off depression.

I felt the voice of Giamatti was too soft and calm to represent TR, whom I felt must have been loud and boisterous.

Nevertheless, I'm so hooked on this series.

Kenneth Branaugh has done a film entitled _Warm Springs_ about FDR's struggle with polio in more detail. IMO, he's quite qood as FDR.

[–] monifest 10 years ago

I think Teddy was mentally ill, but obviously he was functioning, unlike his poor brother who completely lost it.

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 10 years ago

I don't think he had legitimate mental issues but it seems that he wasn't a very good guy. Throughout this there's hints of an alternative interpretation that no one seems to be going at. There's this sort of reverence for Roosevelt as this great manic figure and this frenetic tornado of energy but a lot of his actions are pretty awful and self centered.

Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything.

[–] nosidak-434-909833 10 years ago

You may disagree with TR but to say he wasn't a very good person you are way Off base. He had high morals didn't cheat on his wife. Despised corruption. On the other hand Fdr seemed to milk the Roosevelt name and used it was a n adulterer. and a phony. I think he changed after the polio. However TR ha his issues and seemed a bit unstable but not a bad person

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[–] vegytarian 10 years ago

Some people are Type-A personalities. Teddy was a triple "A" and an imperialist to boot!

[–] katiemacs 10 years ago

The death of his mother and wife was clearly a big blow to him, but leaving his infant daughter in the care of relatives is exactly what a man of that era would've been expected to do. The womenfolk took care of the babies, basically.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (5085627) 10 years ago

Don't confuse abandonment with leaving an infant in the care of relatives, marieluise. You make it sound like all men who lost a spouse during that time handed their children over to a female relative and that this was not only commonplace, but perfectly understandable and acceptable if they had suffered "a blow." Not true. Obviously, you're a TR admirer who thinks he was incapable of doing anything wrong; therefore, you can't be objective.

Roosevelt left his baby daughter with his sister while he went off to travel and pursue his own interests in another part of the country. He wasn't going off to work every day while his sister took care of his child. Alice Roosevelt later admitted feeling abandoned by her father and as a result they never had a close relationship. Her existence was a painful reminder to Roosevelt of his wife's death, so he put Alice out of his sight by leaving her with his sister and living as he pleased 2000 miles away. This is called abandonment. Many widowers during that time period continued actively taking care of their children after the death of a spouse and wouldn't have even considered leaving their children with another. Roosevelt's behavior was not typical of all fathers.

[–] katiemacs 10 years ago

I'm sorry that you think I'm incapable of being objective (based on what, exactly?), but my point stands- men at that time, especially in the upper class, were rarely responsible for childcare. I agree it was unusual that he actually *left*, as in, took off for the other side of the country, and I do think that was a manifestation of his psychological issues. I was simply pointing out that baby Alice likely would've been in the care of female relatives regardless.