Who is Louis Gaines based on?
Eugene Allen
Eugene Allen (July 14, 1919 – March 31, 2010) was an American waiter and butler who worked for the US government at the White House for 34 years until he retired as the head butler in 1986.
Who is Eugene Allen’s son?
Charles Allen
Eugene Allen/Sons
Was Eugene Allen son A Black Panther?
Eugene and Helene only had one son, Charles. Charles did serve in Vietnam, but is still alive. Louis, the older son in The Butler and a Freedom Rider and early member of the Black Panther Party, is the lens through which much of the film’s depiction of the civil rights movement is seen—he was invented for the film.
Who is the real Cecil Gaines?
In 1952, the real Cecil Gaines, Eugene Allen, was working as a waiter at a Washington D.C. country club. After being informed by a co-worker of job openings at the White House, he applied. Allen met with Alonzo Fields, a maitre d’, who instantly liked him.
What is Eugene Allen salary?
He went along for an interview and got the job, as a “pantry man” washing dishes and polishing silverware. It paid $2,400 a year (compared with the national average wage that year of $3,400).
Which presidents did Eugene Allen serve?
As a butler, Allen proudly recalled that he “Shook the hand of all the presidents I ever worked for.” And during the 34 years he worked inside the White House, he shook the hands of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan.
Is Eugene Allen still alive?
Deceased (1919–2010)
Eugene Allen/Living or Deceased
When did Eugene Allen and his wife die?
The couple had one son, Charles Allen. He and his wife had intended to vote for Barack Obama in 2008, but she died the day before the election, on November 3. Allen died of kidney failure at the Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland on March 31, 2010.
What did Eugene Allen do in the White House?
He started in the White House in 1952 as a “pantry man”, a job which involved basic tasks such as dish washing, stocking and cleaning silverware. Over the years Allen rose in his position, becoming the butler to the president.
How did Cecil Gaines and Eugene Allen meet?
Allen met his wife, Helene, at a birthday party in Washington. (He was too shy to ask for her number, so she had to track him down.) The couple had only one son, Charles Allen. In the movie, Gaines meets his wife, Gloria, at the Washington hotel where both work before Gaines gets his job at the White House.
Who is Eugene Allen Butler?
Eugene Allen (July 14, 1919 – March 31, 2010) was an American waiter and butler who worked for the US government at the White House for 34 years until he retired as the head butler in 1986.