Almost everyone he encountered (except his African-American maid and a watchful resident doctor) in the DC political system interpreted his slightly mysterious, extremely literal pronouncements (mostly about gardening) as wise, pithy, profound, and metaphoric gnomic statements, and perceived him the way that they wished to envision him, regardless of his naivete and the reality of the situation...a gentlemen doesn""t mention a ladies"" name in a barroom," and a duel is proposed.Admiring Cantrell, Ted steps in to defend the slight to Julie""s reputation in the next day""s challenge: "I ought to get Lautruc myself." As Elliott rinses his dishes out under hot water at the sink, he looks through the rising steam, longingly gazing out through the window at the sky.Originally, it was to have been directed by Ernst Lubitsch.The film was devoid of any Academy Award nominations.The outrageous film was both a critical and commercial failure at the time of its release - audiences were taken aback by such preposterous political disrespect, buffoonery and cynicism at a time of political and economic crisis, with Roosevelt""s struggle against Depression in the US amidst the rising power of Hitler in Germany.