On Sunday night, John Oliver closed out the fourth season of Last Week Tonight with an epic teaser trailer for a movie that we will never see. In the post-credits scene for the season finale, Tom Hanks made a surprise appearance in a parody trailer that called upon five former Presidents of the United States to step up and save their country one more time. And in this “movie,” the Presidents were portrayed by wax dummies that had, shall we say, less than impressive mobility.
You may be wondering where these wax Presidents came from. Earlier this summer, Oliver revealed that his show had purchased the ex-Commanders-in-Chief from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania’s Hall of Presidents and First Ladies wax museum. Afterwards, Oliver and his team assembled several prominent performers for a Lincoln-style Harding biopic trailer, with the corresponding wax figure playing the lead role.
Featured in the scene are Presidents like Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, and the less-than-fondly-remembered Warren G. Harding and William Henry Harrison. (Harding’s claim to fame is the Teapot Dome bribery scandal, while Harrison is best known for catching pneumonia and dying within a month of taking office.) But perhaps the funniest thing about the video is the way that Hanks smiles when Richard Nixon’s wax double appears. A pro like Hanks can even sell a scene opposite a second-rate wax figure of one of the most infamous presidents in United States history.
What do you think about the wax presidents sketches? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: HBO
