The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Communication Arts & Sciences LETTERS TO FALA: THE RHETORICAL CONSTRUCTION AND FUNCTION OF FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT’S DOG A Dissertation in Communication Arts & Sciences by Bryan Boyd Blankfield © 2014 Bryan Boyd Blankfield Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2014 ii The dissertation of Bryan Boyd Blankfield was reviewed and approved* by the following: Thomas W. Benson Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Rhetoric Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Stephen H. Browne Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences Jeremy Engels Associate Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences Director of Graduate Studies Debra Hawhee Professor of English and Communication Arts & Sciences *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT “Letters to Fala” is a historical and critical study of correspondence addressed to or about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier, Fala. This study focuses on Fala’s rhetorical construction and function, both by and for the White House, media, and citizens. The study is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the significance of presidential pets and epistolary rhetoric. Chapter 2 examines the media coverage of Fala’s attempted ride to the 1941 Inauguration and the letters sent to the White House commenting on Fala’s actions that day. This chapter sets the foundation for the study by exploring the rhetorical nature of prosopopoeia often found in these letters. Chapter 3 explores how Fala was used to mobilize pet owners and animal lovers for the war effort. Chapter 4 describes how animal topoi were marshalled in the 1944 election following rumors that Fala had been left behind on an Aleutian isle. Chapter 5 examines how Fala’s starring roles in two Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer shorts helped cultivate a homier view of the president. Chapter 6 concludes the study by summarizing Fala’s rhetorical utility for both FDR and citizens. This study concludes that Fala was used by FDR to identify with the American people, open novel means of performing citizenship, and soften political messages. Fala was also used by U.S. citizens to identify with the president, express their emotions, and communicate to the president without feeling as though they were overstepping the bounds of social propriety. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................... vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction............................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Study........................................................................................................1 Background and Justification...........................................................................................7 Methodology.................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter Outline................................................................................................................ 23 Chapter 2: “The Friend Left Behind”: Fala, Prosopopoeia, and Intimacy................................36 Prosopopoeia: The Art of Impersonation…................................................................... 38 Fala Enters the White House............................................................................................43 Friend Left Behind........................................................................................................... 50 Responses to Inauguration Day....................................................................................... 55 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter 3: “A Leader of All Loyal American Canines”: Fala in World War II........................86 Attitudes toward Dogs: Symbolizing Canines…............................................................ 88 Fala’s Participation in War Organizations....................................................................... 96 Leading the “Doggie-Rubber-Drive for Victory”............................................................ 108 “Talk to the Chief Why Don’t Ya”: Fala as a Wartime Intercessor............................... 116 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 123 Chapter 4: Political Animals: Fala and the 1944 Presidential Election..................................... 140 Foster’s Fala: Election Anxiety...................................................................................... 142 Political Animals.............................................................................................................. 146 Political Prosopopoeia..................................................................................................... 155 Speaking for Fala............................................................................................................. 159 Animal Allegory.............................................................................................................. 165 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 171 Chapter 5: Filming Fala.............................................................................................................. 186 Learning and Laughing: 1940s Movie Culture................................................................ 188 Promotion......................................................................................................................... 190 “A Typical American Home”.......................................................................................... 193 v “A Dog’s Eye View”....................................................................................................... 198 Portrayal of the President................................................................................................. 204 Responses to Fala’s Celebrity.......................................................................................... 209 Conclusion....................................................................................................................... 211 Chapter 6: Conclusion….............................................................................................................221 Bibliography................................................................................................................................ 230 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1: “He Reads His Fan Mail”..........................................................................................45 Figure 2-2: Miss Judy Taylor’s picture to Fala............................................................................ 47 Figure 2-3: “Dog”........................................................................................................................ 52 Figure 2-4: FDR chides Fala........................................................................................................ 54 Figure 3-1: Crew of “Mr. Fala”................................................................................................... 87 Figure 3-2: “Loyalty” ..................................................................................................................90 Figure 3-3: Fala’s “Barkers for Britain” dog tag......................................................................... 98 Figure 3-4: Ciré Noir Butler holding the Union Jack in her mouth............................................. 100 Figure 3-5: Dogs for Defense card.............................................................................................. 103 Figure 3-6: “Dogs for Defense” Bond Drive............................................................................... 104 Figure 3-7: Dogs request lowered specifications......................................................................... 107 Figure 3-8: Fala’s rubber donation.............................................................................................. 110 Figure 3-9: P.G. (Princeton Guard) Edwards’ Collection............................................................114 Figure 3-10: “Shucks, Talk to the Chief Why Don’t Ya”............................................................119 Figure 4-1: Fala Wonders Whether to Bury His Bone................................................................ 145 Figure 4-2: “His Master’s Voice”................................................................................................ 147 Figure 4-3: “Fala listens to his master”........................................................................................148 Figure 4-4: Canute plots his new dog house................................................................................ 153 Figure 4-5: Private William J. Slaughter, Jr. and his dog campaign for FDR’s re-election........ 155 Figure 4-6: Fala Waving a “Clear It with Sidney” Flag.............................................................. 165 Figure 4-7: Animal allegory of Dewey