1776

Columbia, 1972
Starring William Daniels, Howard DaSilva, Ken Howard, and Virginia Westoff
Directed by Peter H. Hunt
Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards

We continue All-American Weekdays with what could be called the most patriotic of all film musicals. An adaptation of Broadway show from 1969, this wasn't a huge hit when it came out in 1972 (with critics or politicians), but picked up a far larger audience when it was restored on DVD and Blu-Ray. Let's head to Philadelphia to join a frustrated John Adams (Daniels) and see just how close the United States was to never existing at all...

The Story: Adams is determined to see that the US is free from the tyranny of England and its taxes, but he can't get the Continental Congress to discuss the matter, let alone agree on anything. The New Jersey delegation is late, New York refuses vote, the southerners want to keep slavery going, and most of Pennsylvania except for snarky Benjamin Franklin (DaSilva) want to remain a colony. Adams and Franklin recruit a reluctant Thomas Jefferson (Howard) to write a Declaration of Independence putting down their intentions...and bring around his wife Martha (Blythe Danner) to make sure he does it. Even after it's written, they need a unanimous vote to pass it. It'll take all their skills and know-how - with a little help from Adams' sensible wife Abigail (Westoff) and the ladies of Massachusetts - to convince Congress that they're ready to make history.

The Song and Dance: Anyone who is only familiar with William Daniels' TV work will likely find this to be a revelation. He's a real firebrand, hilarious with the delightfully deadpan DaSilva, pushy and tough with Congress. DaSilva steals every scene he's in as America's first snark king and one of Philadelphia's most beloved icons. Others who do well here include Ron Holgate as hammy Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, Donald Madden as resolute Pennsylvanian John Dickinson, and one-scene wonder John Cullum as South Carolinian Edward Rutledge.

For all they invented, a lot of the dialogue and lyrics are taken straight from letters and personal accounts written later. Much of this was quite accurate, including how hard it was for Adams to get that unanimous vote. I love that last scene with them all sitting and

Favorite Number: We learn why Adams is having problems getting the motion to revolt passed in the opening numbers "Sit Down, John," and "Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve," two rousing chorus routines for the Congress that reveal just how unpopular Adams is. Adams and Abigail have three lovely dream sequences where they reveal just how much in love they are (and were in real-life, apparently), "'Til Then," "Yours, Yours, Yours," and "Compliments." Ron Holgate has a blast with the puns and horse-back-riding of "The Lees of Old Virginia," while John Cullum vividly portrays how the slave trade worked (and how the south and the north profited off it) in "Molasses to Rum." A young courier (Stephan Nathan) sings the heartbreaking anti-war number of what happens to those young men who go off to war, "Momma Look Sharp."

What I Don't Like:  As one of the last of the epic Broadway adaptations of the 1960's and early 70's, this is very talky and super sloooowwww. Despite a few exterior numbers filmed like "Til Then," it mostly looks like the filmed play it is. People move around enough to keep it just this side of static. It's also very long, over two and a half hours, and you definitely feel it.

The Big Finale: If you love Hamilton or American history, you'll want to take a look at this earlier exploration into the American Revolution. It makes one proud to be an American.

Home Media: All versions currently available use the restored Director's Cut, with the additional number "Cool, Considerate Men." The Blu-Ray has even more sequences restored. Amazon Prime is in 4K.

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