Irving Berlin and Disney helped shape Eisenhower’s “I Like Ike” campaign.

Irving Berlin, Eisenhower rehearse campaign song

Being the supreme commander of a victorious army is usually enough to make one a popular presidential candidate, but it can’t hurt to have the geniuses behind some of the world’s most beloved songs and films as prominent supporters. One such talent was Irving Berlin, who captured the widespread public approval for a Dwight D. Eisenhower presidency with his jaunty ditty “They Like Ike” in the 1950 musical Call Me Madam. In early 1952, with the NATO general still formally sitting out the race, Berlin unveiled a rewritten version of his show tune, titled “I Like Ike,” as part of a successful effort to push Eisenhower into the ring.

With Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson emerging as the Democratic nominee, Eisenhower’s team sought an advantage by developing the first-ever presidential campaign TV commercials. One series of ads, created by crack advertising executive Rosser Reeves, featured the Republican candidate genially answering policy questions posed by people on the street. But the Eisenhower camp had an even stronger card to play, and they reached out to the Walt Disney Company for assistance in early autumn.

The result was a pair of 20-second and minute-long animated commercials that featured people happily marching along to another “I Like Ike” jingle (this one not written by Berlin). Although Stevenson responded with his own series of sing-along and animated ads, the governor admittedly was no fan of this form of self-promotion, and he was never able to overcome the popularity deficit that allowed Eisenhower to cruise to an easy win in November 1952.

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Richard Nixon delivered his famous "Checkers" speech during the 1952 presidential campaign.

Eisenhower wasn't the only Washington hopeful who relied on television to reach the electorate during the 1952 presidential campaign. His running mate, Richard Nixon, also used the novel medium to make a plea to the masses. In September, after the New York Post revealed the existence of a "secret rich men's trust fund" that padded Nixon's pockets, the vice presidential candidate elected to give a televised rebuttal to the outrage that was threatening his spot on the ticket. Over the course of the 30-minute speech, Nixon explained how the perfectly legal fund was used for campaign expenses that he didn't want to pass on to taxpayers, and provided extensive details of his and his wife's earnings and debts. But the kicker came near the end, when Nixon admitted that he had accepted one campaign gift — a cocker spaniel puppy named Checkers who was already a beloved member of the family and therefore wasn't going to be returned. It wasn't the last time "Tricky Dick" would have to face up to controversy, but in this instance at least, he was able to quell the uproar and revive confidence among party leaders as the presidential race entered the home stretch.