In a TV Guide interview, actress NiCole Robinson, who played Margaret Hooper, talked about her first day working with the late John Spencer, who played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry: "On the very first day we worked together he said to me 'I’m going to say your name in a way that, if I do it right, people will yell it at you.' Five years later, on my wedding day, I was in a room while the guests were entering and even then I hear one of them shout 'Margaret'!”
Margaret is one of those underappreciated supporting characters. She gets just enough screentime for her character, and yet it leaves you wanting more.
I still crack up every time I hear this bit: "You can sign the President's name?" "Yeah." "On a document removing him from power and handing it to someone else?" "Yeah!"
This edit cuts out the pay-off line though: "We've get checks and balance, separation of powers, and Margaret, vetoing Bills and sending them back to the Hill."
Margaret: "We like to spread Holiday Cheer" Leo: "Who the hell is this guy and why do I care if he has a Merry Christmas?" Margaret: "Just sign the damned thing"! ROFLMAO
great compilation. I know it's stretching the title, but I love the scene after CJ has become CoS when she says something like 'You're a strange woman who I have never really understood, but you make this office run like a Swiss watch, so if Leo doesn't need you, I'd like you to stay'.
You can sum up Leo’s and Margaret’s entire relationship in two sentences: “Just sign the damn thing” and “I’ll sleep when you sleep “. Just so brilliantly written. Just so brilliantly acted.
My favorite Margaret moments has to be from ITSOTG after Margaret leaves the room after telling Leo she can sign the president's name. "We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to The Hill!"
When "The West Wing" was on, it was during one of the best times of my life. I'm an old man now, and watching these clips makes me weep..remembering those moments from my past.
Margaret really was kind of under rated. I remember one episode where Sam had to staff the President for the day and asked one of the other girls (Carol I think) what they do if they need to know something about everything (or words to that effect.) Carol replied "We usually just ask Margaret." Gave the impression that while she usually seems a little scatterbrained around Leo she knew her stuff and was absolutely rock solid on the job. :)
steampunker7 There’s another moment, just after C.J. becomes Chief of Staff. Margaret is intending to leave the White House once Leo has recovered to help him with whatever he does next. Near the end of the episode, C.J. tells Margaret that she “runs this office like a Swiss watch”. The Chief of Staff’s office has to be second only to the Oval in terms of how chaotic it is, so that in itself is frankly amazing.
As a follow up to the bunker bit, there's the scene where Margaret and the other secretaries put the beefcake UPS guy in the bunker with them but forgot the VP. LOL.
One of the funnier scenes is when a beauty pageant winner is in Toby's office and after several of the male staffers stop by to look, Margaret stops in to look
One scene from "Swiss Diplomacy" I love is when the President and Leo are in the Oval and Leo reads Margaret note: "The Iranians have taken to the streets." The President then says: "that belongs in the Margaret Museum."
Nice video. But you missed the scene where Margaret was typing with two fingers because of the WH being exempt from ergonomic standards and Leo's reaction. It was priceless.
Totally loved Margaret. She was funny, loyal and seemed to be very efficient. My fave scene was when she reminded Leo that he wasn’t supposed to do schedule any of his appointments on his own (hope I got that right) and she left the office saying she would give him a copy of that rule.
“ Anyway, she sent me an email about the *actual* calorie count in the raisin muffin they're serving in the mess. I *forwarded* the email to *several hundred* assistants and secretaries in OEOB and in The West Wing, *and that was fine.* “ Truly GREAT Comedy depends on utter subtlety and attention the the most minute details - *In NO Way, was that “Fine,’.*
I loved Margaret! One of my favorite moments is when we find out she’s pregnant. It was just such an amazing moment to realize that for all the viewers think we know these characters we really don’t. It was such a shock, and I’m guessing it only happened because the actress was probably pregnant, but I love that the viewers just assumed we knew her and then discovered this whole other facet to her character that we had never really considered before.
Leo was supposed to be the least funny -or the least eccentric- character, which actually gave him the best one liners reacting to the lunacy of the rest of the staff.
My favorite Leo-Margaret moment is when she tells him she can copy the President's signature...the line that got left out of the clip in this montage was from Leo: "We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret vetoing things and sending them back to the Hill"...my favorite line!
M: Do you think the White House Counsel would say that was a bad idea? L: I think the White House Counsel would say that was a coup d'etat! NiCole delivered that beautifully, like she was an aloof schoolgirl not knowing the gravity of what she'd said, and of course John was just as brilliant!
Yeah, but the best line from Leo got cut. "We've got check and balances, separation of powers and Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the Hill."
Love the episodes with the political consultant, Bruno, and he can never remember her name; calls her Redheaded Girl until he finally gives her a gold pendant with her name MARGARET, saying “ somebody said to give this to you”. Their dynamic was so sweet.
A gorgeous compilation, worthy of two brilliant portrayals. My own favourites include the moment in "Lord John Marbury" when Josh and Sam are reporting back on the deposition and the impending media hurricane over Leo's treatment for addiction. When Sam presses Leo on whether his family knows, his clear "They know" has Margaret's silent but obvious nod of confirmation in the background.
There's a great scene where Leo is revealing his alcohol addiction to the assembled staff. I can't find it on RU-vid. As Leo answers a question with a negative, you say see Margaret in the background shaking her head, answering the question non-verbally. I always liked that scene, as it showed how Margaret knew everything about him.
Are you sure you're not thinking of the first Big Block of Cheese one, when Leo says "I'm sure Margaret worked hard to assign these tasks to the most fitting person" (or something like that) and she is shaking her head like "No". Then he turns back and she nods "yes". That was mighty funny.
A few years ago one of the doctors I worked with told me he was tired of signing orders all day long, and I told him very causally that I could sign his signature perfectly. What followed was basically a similar play by play of the Margaret signing the Presidents name conversation. I remember watching this show for the first time not long after and realizing why I heavily identified with her from the first time I saw her on screen lol
Very nice video compilation. I also like the moment where she doesn't want him to have to be alone on a certain day , and they bicker, and then he says she's a good girl.
Leo: "..and what the hell are you doing practicing the Presidents' signature??!!"Margaret: "Its just for fun..."Listen to the tone in both Leo's and Margaret's voice during this exchange. Like a father who caught his baby girl driving the family car when she wasn't supposed to.Tell me Margaret wasn't Leo's adopted daughter. He loved that girl probably more than Mallory...
Yeah, it's a shame, there was the funnier part: "We have separation of powers, check and balance...and we have Margaret, vetoing things and sending them back to the Hill!"
+acolytetojippity "She'll be happy to hear it. She's standing right outside the door." BAM! He hits the door with his fist. "Ow." I loved that show. Aaron Sorkin's dialogue was so brilliant, and rapid fire. I would record the show each week and run scenes multiple times with the CC on. People talked over each other so much and every line was gold.
Just brilliant dry irony in so many of Leo's lines: "Stop reading the disclosure reports; they're none of your business." - Um... they're literally for *everyone's* consumption, which is precisely why they're called "disclosure" reports in the first place; not "classified". Sorkin was such a beast.
Have any of the senior staff heard of an intercom as they always shout for thier assistants. The best clip from this compilation is when Leo asks Margaret who Elizabeth forgetting it is his sister.
