1776 (1972)

A musical retelling of the American Revolution's political struggle in the Continental Congress to declare independence.

Director:

Peter H. Hunt

Writers:

Peter Stone (book), Sherman Edwards (based on a conception of)

Stars:

William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Daniels	...	John Adams (MA)
Howard Da Silva	...	Dr. Benjamin Franklin (PA)
Ken Howard	...	Thomas Jefferson (VA)
Donald Madden	...	John Dickinson (PA)
John Cullum	...	Edward Rutledge (SC)
Roy Poole	...	Stephen Hopkins (RI)
David Ford	...	Congressional President John Hancock (MA)
Ron Holgate	...	Richard Henry Lee (VA)
Ray Middleton	...	Col. Thomas McKean (DE)
William Hansen	...	Caesar Rodney (DE)
Blythe Danner	...	Martha Jefferson
Virginia Vestoff	...	Abigail Adams
Emory Bass	...	Judge James Wilson (PA)
Ralston Hill	...	Congressional Secretary Charles Thomson
Howard Caine	...	Lewis Morris (NY)

Storyline

The film version of the Broadway musical comedy of the same name. In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, Continental Congressmen John Adams and Benjamin Franklin coerce Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence. As George Washington sends depressing messages describing one military disaster after another, the businessmen, landowners and slave holders in Congress all stand in the way of the Declaration, and a single "nay" vote will forever end the question of independence. Large portions of spoken and sung dialog are taken directly from the letters and memoirs of the actual participants.

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Plot Keywords:

declaration of independence | continental congress | based on stage musical | year 1776 | philadelphia pennsylvania | 

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Taglines:

The Great Holiday Show That Sets The Screen Aglow

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Genres:

Drama | Family | History | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

1776

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min 165 min (director's cut) 180 min (Laserdisc) 168 min (extended Blu-Ray cut) 178 min (Special Edition) 166 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Daniels portrayed John Quincy Adams (John and Abigail Adams' oldest son and sixth President of the United States) in The Adams Chronicles (1976), Samuel Adams (John Adams' second cousin and another signer of the Declaration of Independence) in The Bastard (1978), and John Adams again in The Rebels (1979).

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Goofs

The Adamses sing about the recipe for saltpeter, with John responding, "by treating sodium nitrate with potassium chloride or course". This is how it's produced by modern industry, but not how it was produced back then. (Sodium nitrate was not mined commercially until it was found in South America in the early 19th century; it was called "Chile Saltpeter".) And chemicals were not known by these systematic names until after the Revolution.

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Quotes

[first lines]
McNair: [Adams stands with the Liberty Bell, lost in thought] Mr. Adams? Mr. Adams? Mr. Adams! Well, there you are. Didn't you hear me calling, Mr. Adams? You could have shouted down something, save me climbing up four flights. A man that likes to talk as much as you do, I think...
[Adams turns and gives McNair a hard stare]
McNair: What do you keep coming up here for, Mr. Adams? Afraid someone's gonna steal our bell?
[he chortles]
McNair: Well, no worry. Been here more than fourteen years and it ain't been ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The theatrical version has no credits at the beginning other than "Columbia Pictures presents" and the film's title. The Director's Cut and the extended laserdisc edition includes a main title sequence at the opening.

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Alternate Versions

For the 2002 DVD release (and Turner Classic Movies showings), the film has been shortened slightly from the laserdisc version, to 166 minutes. The overture and entr'acte music have been removed and the songs "Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve" and "Lees of Old Virginia" (the latter's reprise has been removed) have inexplicably been cut back to their original release lengths. On the other hand, a short piece of footage following "Cool, Considerate Men" has been found and reinserted. The replaced footage has been repaired, giving the DVD a much better look visually than the laserdisc.

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Connections

Referenced in The Ben Shapiro Show: White Girls Must Stop Dressing Like Moana (2017)

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Soundtracks

Piddle, Twiddle and Resolve
Music and Lyrics by Sherman Edwards
Performed by William Daniels

User Reviews

Hugely enjoyable

I don't usually like musicals but I absolutely loved this. The songs were entertaining, the dialogue very witty and the acting was of an extremely high calibre - a cut above most films in my opinion. I'm a big history buff and I studied early US history in college last year so I found the storyline, particularly the debates over the Declaration of Independence, fascinating.

William Daniels as John Adams stole the show. He was the best actor in a very strong cast and I was captivated from the very first scene. He has such a cool voice. (But no matter what he's done in his career, he's always be Mr. Feeny to me!) I've always admired the real John Adams to boot so he made an engaging protagonist. Howard de Silva as Benjamin Franklin was another definite highlight acting wise.