Nancy Reagan Fells a Deer
Nancy Reagan was never regarded as an avid hunter, but Zapruder’s 1981 film of the first lady begs to differ. On a trip to Juneau, Alaska, where the president is giving a speech at an environmental summit, Mrs. Reagan takes a tour of the waterfront. There, clopping down the street, is a 128-pound white-tailed doe. As the fragile creature leans into a rhododendron bush and sniffs the flowers, Zapruder’s 38-second video recording shows Mrs. Reagan reddening with rage, kicking off her high heels, and sprinting toward the animal. Her footsteps softened by nylon stockings, Reagan is able to reach the deer before it has even noticed her. Within seconds, Reagan grapples the doe around the neck and, with special-ops precision, snaps its vertebrae. The deer dies instantly, and the two willowy creatures collapse to the pavement. The last audio is Reagan laughing, before Zapruder mutters, “Holy shit, how does this keep happening to me?”
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