|
1776
Cast
|
William
Daniels
Howard Da Silva Ken Howard Donald Madden John Cullum Roy Poole David Ford Ron Holgate Ray Middleton William Hansen Blythe Danner Virginia Vestoff Emory Bass Ralston Hill Howard Caine Patrick Hines William Duell Daniel Keyes Leo Leyden Stephen Nathan Jonathan Moore James Noble John Myhers Rex Robbins Charles Rule |
John
Adams (MA) Dr. Benjamin Franklin (PA) Thomas Jefferson (VA) John Dickinson (PA) Edward Rutledge (SC) Stephen Hopkins (RI) John Hancock (MA) Richard Henry Lee (VA) Colonel Thomas McKean (DE) Caesar Rodney (DE) Martha Jefferson Abigail Adams Judge James Wilson (PA) Charles Thomson Lewis Morris (NY) Samuel Chase (MD) Andrew McNair Dr. Josiah Bartlett (NH) George Read (DE) Courier Dr. Lyman Hall (GA) Jonathan Witherspoon (NJ) Robert Livingston (NY) Roger Sherman (CT) Joseph Hewes (NC) |
1776
Crew
|
Directed
Peter H. Hunt Written Sherman Edwards Peter Stone Produced Jack L. Warner Original Music & lyrics Sherman Edwards Musical Director Ray Heindorf Choreography |
1776
Songs
|
Overture
|
|
"Sit
Down, John"
|
|
"Piddle
Twiddle
& Resolve" |
|
"The
Lees of
Old Virginia" |
|
"But,
Mr. Adams"
|
|
"Till
Then"
|
|
"He
Plays the Violin"
|
|
Entr'acte
|
|
"Cool,
Cool
Considerate Men" |
|
"Mama,
Look Sharp"
|
|
"The
Egg"
|
|
"Molasses
to Rum"
|
|
"Yours,
Yours, Yours"
|
|
"Is
Anybody There?"
|
|
From
Stage
to Screen |
"Is anybody there? Does anybody care?" These haunting words are a reminder of the power the musical 1776 carries. Not only is it entertaining, but it offers a unique view of its subject matter. Originally conceived by history teacher Sherman Edwards to establish more interest in the birth of America. He used simple, catchy musical styles to establish the tone. Unlike most other musicals, the songs in 1776 appear only occasionally. In fact, the last 20 minutes are wisely left without music. That allows for a melancholy tone as the Declaration of Independence is signed. It comes across as risky as nobody signs with extreme confidence. The result was stunning and the 1969 Broadway Show was a large success. So, it was inevitable that a film version would make an appearance. The film opened in November of 1972 with most of the Broadway cast intact. Donald Madden (John Dickinson)and Blythe Danner (Martha Jefferson) were the notable newcomers to the cast. William Daniels recreates his famous performance as John Adams with great success. He had the unenviable job of portraying an "obnoxious and disliked" lead character who viewers must want to follow. Daniels had such a hold on this role that most subsequent performers look to recreate his performance. Howard Da Silva is the hysterical and enrolling Ben Franklin. A part he created on Broadway, but was out for much of the early run after suffering a heart attack. Among the other strong characters are John Cullum as the heavy Edward Rutledge and Ken Howard as the red-haired Jefferson. Before its original release date, approx. 35 minutes of the film was cut for various reasons. Many purists are pleased by the existence of the LaserDisc release that restored all the cut material, even with drastic changes in film quality. The recent DVD release runs about 10 minutes shorter, but is without the film quality changes. |
1776
Store
|
Order
the
VHS here |
Order
the
VHS here |
|
Order
the
Broadway cast Sheet Music here |
Order
the
Broadway Revival Cast here |
Order
the
Original Broadway Cast here |