1967 - THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST, satire from the 1960's

Time has slightly worn the edge off of this still funny satire about American, life, paranoia, politics, you name it.  James Coburn plays Dr. Sidney Schaefer a psychatrist who is being screened by several government agencies as a possible therapist for the President of the United States.  As Dr. Schaefer becomes the confident of the President he suffers a breakdown from the burden of listening to the President's secrets. 

This puts him on the run from the FBI (known as the FBR) and the CIA (known as the CEA).  Schaefer's flight from these government agencies allows the writer/director Theodore J. Flicker to satirize various parts of the country from some gun toting quasi suburban liberals to the phone company to a bunch of goofy hippies. 

 

The film has a serious cast of comedians starting with Godfrey Cambridge, Severn Darden, Pat Harrington, Will Greer, Artie Johnson and future director Joan Darling as a karate chopping suburban mom.

Although dated at times this is still a very funny film.  Since it is a satire as expected it was a box office flop.  Audiences just don't seem to like satirical films.

The running time is 103 minutes.