“Because of the magic of the movies, I’ve laughed and danced and cried my way through several lifetimes.” – Betty Ford

We are just a few days away from the Oscars, which led us to consider Mrs. Ford’s attendance at a 1976 American Film Institute (AFI) event in honor of director William Wyler¹. There, Mrs. Ford visited with stars such as Fred Astaire, Charlton Heston, Merle Oberon, and Audrey Hepburn. Here are just a few of the photos taken from this event.

1. Some of the most notable films Wyler directed were Ben-Hur, Mrs. Miniver, and Roman Holiday. ↩︎

Mrs. Ford was asked to give some remarks at the event, and her words were both inspirational and aspirational.

“Movies light the candle of imagination, enrich our dreams, and expand our understanding. May we always be a land that loves make-believe and storytellers….” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Authors: Dr. Richard Weld and Brooke Clement