"Former special advisor and press secretary to President Ronald Reagan shares an intimate, behind-the-scenes look inside the Reagan presidency--told through the movies they watched together during weekends at Camp David. Over the course of eight years, Mark Weinberg travelled to the legendary presidential retreat at Camp David each weekend with Ronald and Nancy Reagan. He was one of a few select members invited into Aspen Lodge when the First Family gathered for 'movie nights,' showing contemporary and classic films on Fridays and Saturdays. Movies brought them together in times of triumph, such as Reagan's historic 1984 landslide, and after moments of tragedy, like the explosion of the Challenger and the shooting of the president and press secretary Jim Brady. Weinberg's unparalleled access offers a rare glimpse of the Reagans--unscripted, relaxed, unburdened by the world with no cameras in sight. Each chapter discusses a legendary film, shares the Reagans' thoughts, and provides warm anecdotes and never-before-told stories about the family and the administration. From Reagan's pranks on the Secret Service to his thoughts on the parallels between Hollywood and Washington, Weinberg paints a full picture of the president The New Yorker once famously dubbed "The Unknowable." Movie Nights with the Reagans is a nostalgic journey through the 1980s and its most iconic films, seen through the eyes of one of Hollywood's former stars: one who was simultaneously transforming the Republican Party, the American economy, and the course of the Cold War."--Dust jacket.

Introduction. Nancy Reagan's last good-bye -- 9 to 5: the film that made the Reagans angry and propelled a First Lady's crusade -- Oh, God! Book II: the film that starred one of the Reagans' dearest Hollywood friends, who modeled how to joke about old age -- Raiders of the Lost Ark: the film that revealed the President's greatest Hollywood regret -- On Golden Pond: the film that hit close to home -- Chariots of Fire: the film that inspired a President -- E.T. the Extra-terrestrial: the film that made the Reagans cry -- Return of the Jedi and Wargames: the films that stirred the President's imagination -- Curse of the Pink Panther: the film that revealed Reagan's biggest disappointment -- A golden oldie--Bedtime for Bonzo: the film that helped define a career -- Ghostbusters: the film that energized the 1984 campaign -- Back to the Future: the film that left us speechless -- Anti-communist films--Rocky IV, Reds, and Red Dawn: the films that set the tone for an era -- Top Gun: the film that became a touchstone for the Reagan years -- Knute Rockne All-American: the film that created a political legend -- The Untouchables: the film that echoed one of Reagan's lifelong missions -- Ferris Bueller's Day Off: the film that reminded the Reagans of yesterday -- Hellcats of the Navy: the film they starred in together.