James Dale

James Dale
Background Information
Films	Mars Attacks!
Portrayed by	Jack Nicholson
Character Information
Full Name	James Dale
Other names	President Dale Mr. President
Age	59
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Occupation	President of the United States
Affiliations	Presidential Family
Home	White House, Washington D.C.
Family	Marsha Dale (wife) † Taffy Dale (daughter)
Allies	Mitch, General Decker
Enemies	Martian Leader, Martians
Likes	His family, peace, speeches
Dislikes	War, violence, his country in danger
Powers and abilities	Public speaking
Fate	Gets killed by the Martian Leader.

James Dale is one of the main characters in the movie Mars Attacks!. He was the President of the United States and the husband of Marsha Dale and father of Taffy Dale.

He is portrayed by Jack Nicholson.

Background

Personality

James was very sure that the Martians were kind and peaceful and wanted to make a first contact with them, which failed, along with all his attempts to befriend the Martians. The Martians considered him as a fool coward in his insistence to turn them peaceful and friendly with humanity. After the Martians accidentally killed his wife by making a chandelier fall on her, he was forced by General Decker to allow nuclear warfare, to attack the hostile race. James also tried to alert the other presidents of other countries to avoid contact with the Martians, just as Paris was destroyed.

Role in the film

He was killed by the Martian Leader when he made a touching speech with a plea for peace in attempt to make them stop attacking. The Leader seemed to be touched and cried. When they shook hands, the Martian's hand was a robotic hand with a long sharp tail which impaled the president with the Martian flag.

Gallery

Trivia

• He shares the same actor with Art Land in the movie, making it where Jack Nicholson played two characters in the same movie.
• He was presumably elected in 1992, as Bill Clinton was in the real world. (However, the film is replete with contradictory clues as to when it takes place, to preserve its universality.) Assuming that this film takes place in 1996, this means he’s still in his first term. None of this truly matters, seeing as he alongside everyone else in the United States Government (sans his daughter Taffy) was killed during the invasion.
• He shares a name with British actor Jim Dale, who later became known for narrating Harry Potter audiobooks. Prior to 1996, Dale was known for acting in numerous comedy films including Disney's 1977 fantasy epic Pete's Dragon. It is unclear whether the character's name is a tribute.
• This is the only Presidential character Jack Nicholson has ever played.