Every 4th of July I watch "1776," the musical that has our Founding Fathers singing and dancing their way to Independency, and every time John and Abagail Adams sing goodbye to each other ("Till Then" and "Yours, Yours, Yours"), I get choked up.William Daniels has his role of a lifetime as John Adams, the obnoxious and disliked Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress who is the most fervent advocate of independence ("Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve").Virginia Vestoff plays his wife Abigail, and their exchanges are based on the "Dearest Friend" correspondences they wrote to each other during the crucial summer of 1776.However, the most unforgettable performance in "1776" comes from Howard Da Silva as Dr. Benjamin Franklin.The actor, who played movie villains for years, manages to convey not only Franklin's wit but also his firm belief in the new race of "Americans."Ken Howard plays Thomas Jefferson and joins with Adams and Franklin in the show's two cutest numbers, "But, Mr. Adams" and "The Egg."I have never cottoned "The Lees of Old Virginia," the song sung by Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate) and where every lyric line ends with "LY," but at the other end of the spectrum is the chilling "Molasses to Rum to Slaves," the song about the Triangle Trade sung by South Carolina's Edward Rutledge (John Cullum).The ensemble cast brings the Second Continental Congress alive, with Roy Poole as Stephen Hopkins, David Ford as John Hancock and William Hansen as Caesar Rodney standing out.Most of the cast members were in the Tony Award winning original Broadway cast, although Blythe Danner replaces Betty Buckley as Martha Jefferson ("He Plays the Violin"). Peter Stone's book is remarkably accurate in relating the historical events; the biggest error a historian would point to is that John Dickinson (Donald Madden), did not show up the day of the crucial vote so that Pennsylvania would not kill Independence.But Broadway and Hollywood must be allowed to make things more dramatic.What makes "1776" so wonderful is how it teaches history while being so entertaining.The opening of the film, where the tirade by Mr. Adams against the do nothing Continental Congress is interrupted by the collective Founding Fathers jumping up and singing "Sit Down, John," sets the tone and Peter H. Hunt's film delivers throughout.The show's best moment comes in "Is Anybody There?" when John Adams, all alone in the quiet chamber, dreams of the pomp and pageantry of a free America.
I also have the laserdisc version, which runs 176 minutes and includes 35 minutes of material originally cut from the film, including the song "Cool, Considerate Men" and alternative shots in several sequences.While the quality of the additional material is in very sad shape, fans of "1776" will take what they can get.Hopefully the complete film can be restored before we get to the DVD version (hint, hint, hint).Granted, the idea of a musical about the Declaration of Independence seems bizarre; I once blew off a chance to see "1776" on stage because I thought the idea was stupid.But this is a first-rate musical that makes the time and issues come alive, so that even thought we obviously know the outcome, we are enthralled because it looks like Mr. Adams will never get his Declaration adopted.If you are looking for a film to watch each 4th of July, "1776" is the one.
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