Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts on the film Field of Dreams. This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film 1776.
The TCM television channel will be playing 1776 as one of their 'Independence Day' on Friday, July 4. Enjoy!
1776
1776 is a 1972 American historical musical drama film directed by Peter H. Hunt and written by peter Stone, based on his book for the 1969 Broadway musical of the same name, with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards. Set in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776, it is a fictionalized account of the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The film stars William Daniels, Howard da Silva, Donald Madden, John Cullum, Ken Howard and Blythe Danner.
Portions of dialogue and some lyrics were taken directly and some lyrics were taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants of the Second Continental Congress.
Plot: The nation's fathers harmonize their way through the founding of America in this musical adapted from a popular Broadway show. Colonial representatives gather in Philadelphia with the aim of establishing a set of governmental rules for the burgeoning United States. Benjamin Franklin (Howard da Silva) and John Adams (William Daniels) charge Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) with the work of writing a statement announcing the new country's emancipation from British rule.
Acting: I didn't have any problems with the acting presented in 1776.
William Daniels played John Adams (MA)*. He has a very recognizable face. I don't know that I've ever seen him in something when he wasn't an old codger of a man. Daniels four most notable works are the St. Elsewhere television series, The Graduate, the Boy Meets World television series, and The Blue Lagoon. Despite his long list of riles and titles, I've only ever seen him in a handful of episodes of television series where he played minor parts.
Howard da Silva played Benjamin Franklin (PA)*. I enjoyed his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin. His four most notable works include The Lost Weekend, 1776, The Blue Dahlia, and The Great Gatsby (1974). I don't believe I've seen any of his other work.
Ken Howard played Thomas Jefferson (VA)*. Another recognizable face. I've seen him in numerous things. His four most notable works are Rambo, 1776, Michael Clayton, and J. Edgar. My favorite title of his is the Murder, She Wrote television series. Howard featured in six episodes, playing different characters in all of them.
David Ford played John Hancock (MA)*. His four most notable words include the Dark Shadows television series, Middle of the Night, 1776, and the Search for Tomorrow television series. Ford only has 12 titles in his list of work, none of which I've seen except for 1776.
Ron Holgate played Richard Henry Lee (VA)*. He was born in Aberdeen, S.D.! His rendition of "The Lees of Old Virginia" was also one of my favorite parts of the movie. Most of his work is on the stage rather than the screen. I enjoyed his portrayal of Richard Lee.
Technical aspects: Jack L. Warner bought the film rights to the musical for $1.25 million.
Many members of the original Broadway cast, including William Daniels, Ken Howard, John Cullum, and Howard da Silva, reprised their roles for the film. Ralston Hill, Ron Holgate, David Ford, Charles Rule and others repeated their roles from the Broadway production, marking their only appearances in feature film. This was a decision Warner made himself after feeling he made a mistake by turning down Julie Andrews for the 1964 film adaptation of My Fair Lady in favor of Audrey Hepburn.
1776 was also the only film of Donald Madden, who was not in the original Broadway cast.
Exteriors were filmed at the Warner Ranch in Burbank, California, the former Columbia Pictures backlot, where they built an entire street of Colonial Philadelphia. Most of the Colonial sets were destroyed by a fire in the mid-1970s. 1776 was released in 1972.
The water fountain seen during the musical number "The Lees of Old Virginia", with Ben Franklin, John Adams, and Richard Henry Lee, became known to television viewers as the fountain seen during the beginning credits of the TV series Friends. This fountain still exists directly across the street from the Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie houses.
"Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" was cut from the film prior to its release and not included on the soundtrack recording nor on the first VHS tapes and laserdiscs. The Los Angeles. Times stated "The song 'Cool, Cool, Considerate Men' depicts Revolutionary War-era conservatives as power-hungry wheedlers focused on maintaining wealth." According to Jack L. Warner, the film's producer and a friend of President Richard Nixon, Nixon requested the song be removed. He apparently saw it as an insult, as it suggested the conservatives were hindering American independence as they danced a minuet singing the song. Warner's attempt to comply with Nixon's demands had initially been rebuffed by director Hunt during production, only for the song to be removed in post-production while Hunt was on vacation. Warner also wanted the original negative of the song shredded, but the film's editor kept it in storage unaltered. (The footage, some of physically poor quality, was restored for the DVD and Blue-Ray releases.) Trailers had already been released in theaters with the "Considerate Men" number as its centerpiece; Warner had those trailers pulled and re-edited. In a 2015 interview, Hunt mentioned that Warner, on his deathbed in 1978, told a friend that he regretted editing the scene, believing he had ruined the film's structure as a result. It was only decades later that the song was restored to the film.
When the Broadway musical was about to be presented to Nixon at the White House in 1970, before the film was made, his staff pressed the producers to cut the song then; their request was denied.
Final Thoughts: In all honesty, I did not think I was going to like this movie. Despite that, I wanted to watch it and review it for my column for Independence Day/Fourth of July. To my surprise, I did enjoy the movie. Most of the songs were had great lyrics and tunes and I quite enjoyed listening to them. I think my favorite song was "Sit Down, John". I'm not a history buff, especially government history, but I did appreciate learning more about July 4, 1776 through a musical movie. I'd say it's a good watch for America's birthday.
Where to watch it: According to Google, 1776 is currently available to watch on YouTube TV with a premium subscription. Or, you can purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Library in Clark for you all the enjoy if you choose to.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
