Historical spanking startle

I'm currently reading Eleanor & Franklin (Roosevelt). While governor, the people were demanding FDR run for president. FDR hadn't yet made up his mind. His daughter, Anna, wires him and says he should run. FDR wires back; "You need a spanking." Me, for once I believe a spanking wasn't administered. The world would be a much darker & nastier place if FDR & Eleanor hadn't been in the White House.

I don't't think she was spanked either, because she was a divorcee and mother to two children but it's interesting a governor was wired it to a daughter in her middle 20s.

Why would she need a spanking? Just because she wired him that he should run? I don't get it.

Was it really necessary to tell us which Eleanor and Franklin the book was about? Maybe it was.

I was recently travelling on a flight to Europe and a voice behind me said, "that movie J Edgar should be interesting." His female companion replied, " I wonder what it's about." Oh dear, oh dear!

Um, I did put (Roosevelt).

I think Hotspur was suggesting that it is not possible for "Franklin and Eleanor" to refer to anyone other than the Roosevelts.

Personally, without that handy parenthesis I might have taken a while to work out who they were.

With regard to the J Edgar film I thought it was about the dangers of too much power gathering into the hands of one individual, but perhaps I misinterpreted it.

Note that people who are not Americans might not identify "Franklin and Eleanor" so easily, and this IS an international group

Well this Englishman living in South Africa and had no difficulty identifying the couple. I think that most Americans would identify Nelson and Graça just as easily.

I think you give Americans too much credit. (I would have identified Nelson & Winnie, recognizing it also as a past-tense relationship)

It is astounding for me how little many people do know about history. I went to see Sofia Coppolla's Marie Antoinette years ago with my wife. I went to dinner with her family later and my brother-in-law asked what film we'd seen, I said 'Marie Antoinette.'
He asked if it was any good and I said that yes we had enjoyed it. He then asked 'What's it about?'
I looked at him funny and answered 'Marie Antoinette.'
He repeated 'What's it about?'
My wife then had to whisper in my ear 'He doesn't know who Marie Antoinette is.'