In the book, the Leffingwell nomination is defeated overwhelmingly (I think 73-27 or thereabouts), and the President dies later that night, so it's not quite as coincidental as in the film. But I can understand why, for cinematic purposes, the President dropping dead during the vote worked better.
What is unrealistic is the speed with which the climax unfolds. The President keels over midway, or even a bit later, through the roll call (which, incidentally, wouldn't have been broadcast from the Senate in 1962). They would need time to get the doctor there, pronounce him dead, and get the machinery started to have the Secret Service move in to protect the new President. So there is simply no way the roll call would still be in progress as the Secret Service agents began filling the Senate chamber following the President's death. The vote should have been over long before, and the VP would presumably have broken the tie in favor of Leffingwell. Of course, after succeeding, he could have asked him to resign, or decline the post, a request which Leffingwell would have been bound to honor.
Offhand I can't think of a film from that era with a gay man committing suicide, but I'm sure there are such examples, maybe not as obvious. Again in the novel, the character of Ray -- who lives in Indiana, not wicked New York City -- also commits suicide one evening soon after Brig Anderson dies, out of sadness at his (innocent) role in driving Brig to his death.
Incidentally, the climax of the book has the Soviets beating the US to the moon! But the Americans are close behind, and the new President -- who has foresworn running for a full term -- heads off to Geneva to meet with the Soviet premier, and the novel ends on a note of hope.
reply
share