MartinHafer The background for this film is given in a prologue. Apparently, the President himself (FDR) challenged several writers to come up with a story that is believable about a rich man disappearing and staying incognito despite having millions. This movie, apparently, is the result of the challenge and Franklin Roosevelt is listed among the writers of this film! Sadly, the story is NOT believable and seems like a politically motivated bit of public relations. For this, and that is all, the story is mildly interesting.James Blake (Henry Wilcoxon) is a mega-millionaire who has little to do with himself as he's loaded with money and his holding run themselves. One day, he goes on a fishing trip and discovers a small town in trouble...in trouble thanks to industrialists like himself. So, he decides to pretend to be just a regular Joe and moves to the town in order to re-start its dead canning industry.Unfortunately for Blake, his less than loving wife has been accidentally killed...and folks think HE is responsible. This means that remaining in disguise might be a good idea...though he doesn't have access to his immense fortune.The film comes off like a Depression era fairy tale--with some stereotypes and obvious messages are inserted liberally. I think had the story been less heavy-handed and more believable, it could have worked, as one of the best films of the 1930s was "The Millionaire"...a film from 1931 starring the wonderful George Arliss. It's also about a man who is essentially like Blake--who goes back to work and gets his hands dirty because being a millionaire is so dull and non- productive.

Leofwine_draca THE PRESIDENT'S MYSTERY is a 1936 potboiler solely of interest for having a story written by none other than Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only time a film in history can boast being written by a president as such. Whether it's a good story or not is another question, one that only the viewer can decide.The film's protagonist is a millionaire who has made some bad decisions in life, leading him to decide to just disappear and reappear elsewhere with a new, assumed identity. Intrigue proceeds to follow him. There's some mystery and comedy but the film never really succeeds in either genre, instead coming across as bland and instantly forgettable.

mark.waltz Proving that he was a regular fellow, Franklin D. Roosevelt dabbled in a bit of creative writing to contribute to the story with Samuel Hopkins Adams in this story of a wealthy man (Henry Wilcoxin) fed up with being one of the richest men in the world, how it affects his personal life, and the lack of freedom and privacy he has to do what he wants. So he cashes out everything and disappears, ending up in a small town, where, guess what happens, he becomes an adviser to some of the happenings going on, loosing his freedom and privacy, while the rest of the country wonders what happened to him, especially when his wife is murdered and he is accused of the crime.This storyline sounds like something that would embarrass Frank Capra, and while the acting and dialog are sound, it is the execution of the structure of the plot that raises eyebrows. A bit too much happens over the course of an hour, like an over-exaggerated version of that bad morning that starts off with you stubbing your toe, unable to find your keys or wallet, not having hot water, etc. So while you give kudos to the president for pursuing a dream outside politics, you can't help but wonder how things could have turned out had he toned down the dramatics a bit. He tosses in some comic relief with an effeminate butler (was there any other kind during the golden age of movies?) who ironically ends up saving the day.

djpass-1 Mild spoilers. How Republicans must have hated this! It might seem innocuous today, but this is very much a story about the little guys being screwed by big business. Blake lobbies successfully to defeat a bill that would help small businesses stay afloat during the depression. Already disenchanted with his life, he decides to start over when he sees the effect his work has on a small agricultural community. The version I saw ran 94 minutes, much of it exposition. The latter half of the movie seemed rather rushed. The relationship between Blake and Charlotte doesn't develop, it is just presented without explanation. All in all, a pretty good 30's film.