The Banana-Peel Presidency

Gerald Ford's stumbles were often actual stumbles. When he fell down the stairs of Air Force One and briefly disappeared from the TV camera's frame, a moment of clumsiness became a serious blow to his image. Journalist Bob Scheiffer wrote that the fall made Ford self-conscious, causing him to run into things regularly. Chevy Chase's portrayal of a klutzy Ford on the brand-new "Saturday Night Live" made the stumble an image forever associated with both men.