Your personal choice of actors who have portrayed Lincoln

[Thomas Thorne]

I am frankly surprised at the hostility toward Henry Fonda's portrayal of AL in Young Mr. Lincoln." This is widely regarded by film buffs,most of whom know little about Lincoln,as the best film about Lincoln. Of course the requirements of film drama often clash violently with actual history.

I think Fonda wonderfully captured Llincoln's unique combination of melancholy and humor. While Fonda seemed cognitively challenged to one critic, this reminded me of David Herbert Donald telling us how Lincoln ruminated slowly and deeply upon problems until he came up with a solution.

John Ford,who directed "Young Mr. Lincoln" made up many tall tales about his life and work. One involved a contemplated scene in "YML' in which Lincoln walked past a Springfield theatre which had a poster advertising a performance by John Wilkes Booth

Tom