Ronald Reagan Becomes Political Ronald Reagan in the Director's Chair during production of "GE Electric Theater" As the host of the General Electric Theater, a dramatic series which ran on CBS between 1953 and 1961, Ronald Reagan developed and fine-tuned his natural ability for public speaking. Through his work as spokesperson for the GE Theater, historians believe that Reagan underwent a shift in his political leanings, from Democrat to Republican. Courtesy of Ronald Reagan Library Hand-tinted by Bennett Hall © 1999