"Fortune magazine called Gilbert V. Hartke one of the five most powerful men in Washington, D.C. He was at once a flamboyant showman, respected statesman, and devout Dominican priest. The day after his death in February 1986, the Washington Post mourned him with a moving editorial and a full-page obituary that declared, "Father Hartke was a figure of legendary stature in the Washington theater community, but his influence and reputation extended far beyond...."". "In this biography, Mary Jo Santo Pietro chronicles Father Hartke's experiences and endless achievements by combining his own stories, taped weekly during the last year of his life, with stories told by friends, colleagues, and celebrities. The book offers an inside look at major theatrical and political events in the nation's capital from the 1930s through the 1980s, and also uncovers the complex and paradoxical character of the man known as the "White House priest" and "Show Biz priest.""--BOOK JACKET.