1776
Directed by Peter H. Hunt
Written by Peter Stone based on his play
1972/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
John Adams: Good God, consider yourselves fortunate that you have John Adams to abuse, for no sane man would tolerate it!
This is the perfect upbeat movie for the political season.
It is late June 1776 in Pennsylvania. At the Continental Congress meeting to decide on and draft a Declaration of Independence, tempers flare as hot as temperatures in the non-air-conditioned meeting hall. Hottest of heads on the faction for independence is John Adams (William Daniels) of Massachusetts. His most prominent allies are Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) of Virginia and Ben Franklin (Howard Da Silva) of Pennsylvania. The Independence Faction is fought tooth and nail by conservatives from the South and mid-Atlantic states.
As the delegates continue to wrangle and complain, Jefferson is assigned to draft the Declaration but he can think of nothing but his new bride Martha (Blythe Danner), from whom he has been absent for six months. His creative juices start flowing again when Martha comes for a visit and the rest is history.
I always enjoy watching this. The tunes are catchy and the dialogue is witty. The young Blythe Danner is so charming! There is no dancing. Kept me smiling all the way through.
I did not see 1776 on the big screen. While watching it on television, it was interrupted by a tornado warning. I moved to the basement and finished the film, uninterrupted. I haven’t seen it since. Time to revisit!
As always, let me know what you think!
I watched 1776 on the Fourth of July for three years in a row but I was unable to do it in 2020. This movie is so great! My favorite is the song where the committee convinces Jefferson to write the Declaration. “If I’m the one to do it, they’ll run their pens right through it. I’m obnoxious and disliked, you know it’s true.”
I don’t know a participle from a predicate! I’m just a simple cobbler from Connecticut! And then they all sing Connecticut! Connecticut! Connecticut! And they all look so happy! Great movie!
Peter Stone’s writing is so delightful!