Former Congressman Charlie Rose was a North Carolina Democrat who served 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (from 1973 to 1997). He became a ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee and chair of the House Administration Committee

His political influence earned him the nickname “Mayor of the Capitol” and provided a launching pad for him to run for Speaker of the House. The video “This Old House: A Run for Speaker” was produced to gain support for Rose to run for Speaker of the House for the 104th United States Congress (1995 - 1997).

The content of film was written by Lee Gipson; it was directed and edited by John Stockwell. This short film (5:51 min) was uploaded as a YouTube video on March 26, 2011.

The focal point of the film is the “Old House” that Charlie Rose grew up in in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In the film, he talks about various things from his life in the framework of this “old house.” He compares how things worked in his family and his house with the relationships among his Democratic colleagues in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Rose was unable to achieve his goal of becoming Speaker because, for first time in more than a generation, the Republicans captured the majority in the 1994 mid-term elections for the United States Congress. Rose then aimed for the job of Minority leader of the House. However, in December 1994, Mr. Rose lost decisively to Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri in the race for minority leader.