''My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House'' is a 1961 autobiographical novel by
Lillian Rogers Parks written with
Frances Spatz Leighton
Frances Spatz Leighton (born Frances Ornstein; September 4, 1919April 6, 2007) was an American author, ghostwriter, and journalist. She ghostwrote several memoirs and accounts of Washington D. C. life, writing over 30 books, including ''My Thir ...
. The title of the memoir was based on Parks' recollections of thirty years as a seamstress in the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
from 1931–1961 during the administrations of
Hoover,
Roosevelt,
Truman, and
Eisenhower. The book also includes 30 previous years of childhood memories during the
Taft,
Wilson
Wilson may refer to:
People
* Wilson (name)
** List of people with given name Wilson
** List of people with surname Wilson
* Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender
* Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...
,
Harding
Harding may refer to:
People
*Harding (surname)
*Maureen Harding Clark (born 1946), Irish jurist
Places Australia
* Harding River
Iran
* Harding, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province
South Africa
* Harding, KwaZulu-Natal
United Sta ...
,
Coolidge,
Hoover, and
Roosevelt administrations when her mother,
Margaret 'Maggie' Rogers, performed
domestic service as head
housemaid
A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maid ...
at the White House from 1909–1939. The popularity of the book and the depth of its detail caused First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...
to have all White House domestic employees sign a pledge to not write about their White House experiences.
Film, TV and theatrical adaptations
NBC aired the
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
''
Backstairs at the Whitehouse'' in 1979 which was based on the book. In the miniseries Lillian Rogers Parks was portrayed by
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Marian Uggams (born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, Uggams is recognized for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries ''Roots'' (1977), earning Golden Glob ...
. Maggie Rogers was played by
Olivia Cole who received an
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nomination for her performance.
References
External links
Lillian Rogers Parks obituary, ''The Washington Post'', 12 November 1997*
ttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-21-me-leighton21-story.html Francis Spatz Leighton obituary, ''Los Angeles Times'', 21 April 2007.br>
''Backstairs at the White House'', IMDB.com.Clifford, Garry (January 29, 1970). ''Her Tales of White House Life Head for Tv, but Lillian Parks Knows How to Keep a Secret.'' People.com (archive). Accessed July 8, 2019.
1961 American novels
Autobiographical novels
American novels adapted into television shows
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