The Blue and the Gray 

America just before and during the Civil War, as seen through the eyes of an artist correspondent.

Creator:

John Leekley

Stars:

Stacy Keach, John Hammond, Julia Duffy

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Stacy Keach	...	Jonas Steele 3 episodes, 1982
John Hammond	...	John Geyser 3 episodes, 1982
Julia Duffy	...	Mary Hale 3 episodes, 1982
Robin Gammell	...	Jacob Hale Sr. 3 episodes, 1982
David W. Harper	...	James Hale 3 episodes, 1982
Julius Harris	...	Preacher / ... 3 episodes, 1982
Gregg Henry	...	Lester Bedell 3 episodes, 1982
Cooper Huckabee	...	Matthew Geyser 3 episodes, 1982
James Carroll Jordan	...	Professor Lowe 3 episodes, 1982
Brian Kerwin	...	Malachy Hale 3 episodes, 1982
William Lucking	...	Capt. Potts 3 episodes, 1982
Charles Napier	...	Maj. Harrison 3 episodes, 1982
Walter Olkewicz	...	Pvt. Grundy 3 episodes, 1982
Penny Peyser	...	Emma Gayser / ... 3 episodes, 1982
Duncan Regehr	...	Capt. Randolph 3 episodes, 1982
David Rounds	...	Christopher Spencer 3 episodes, 1982
Christopher Stone	...	Maj. Fairburn 3 episodes, 1982
Diane Baker	...	Evelyn Hale 3 episodes, 1982
Kathleen Beller	...	Kathy Reynolds 3 episodes, 1982
Paul Benedict	...	Arbuthnot 3 episodes, 1982
Lloyd Bridges	...	Ben Geyser 3 episodes, 1982
Rory Calhoun	...	Gen. George Meade 3 episodes, 1982
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Maggie Geyser 3 episodes, 1982
David Doyle	...	Phineas Wade 3 episodes, 1982
Michael Horton	...	Mark Geyser 3 episodes, 1982
Warren Oates	...	Maj. Welles / ... 3 episodes, 1982
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Sgt. O'Toole 3 episodes, 1982
Geraldine Page	...	Mrs. Lovelace 3 episodes, 1982
Dan Shor	...	Luke Geyser 3 episodes, 1982
Rip Torn	...	Gen. Ulysses S. Grant 3 episodes, 1982
Robert Vaughn	...	Sen. Reynolds 3 episodes, 1982
John Vernon	...	Secretary of State Seward 3 episodes, 1982
Sterling Hayden	...	John Brown 3 episodes, 1982
Paul Winfield	...	Jonathan Henry 3 episodes, 1982
Gregory Peck	...	Abraham Lincoln 3 episodes, 1982
Bruce Abbott	...	Jake Hale Jr. 3 episodes, 1982
Janice Carroll	...	Mary Todd Lincoln 2 episodes, 1982
Veronica Redd	...	Hattie 2 episodes, 1982
Fred Stuthman	...	George (older employee at the Gettysburgh Newspaper) 2 episodes, 1982
John Voldstad	...	Alvin Mooney 2 episodes, 1982

Storyline

America just before and during the Civil War, as seen through the eyes of an artist correspondent.

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Plot Keywords:

civil war | u.s. civil war | epic battle | river battle | husband wife relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 November 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Blauen und die Grauen

Filming Locations:

Arkansas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Larry White/Lou Reda Productions,Columbia Pictures Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

296 min (Recut 2005 Version) 381 min (Original 1982 Version)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the filming took place at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Arkansas. The film crew built a false side onto one of the historic buildings there and then blew it off for a special effect - assuring the State park officials that no harm would come to the building. The explosion was rather larger than promised and caused some damage to the structure of the historic house.

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Goofs

In the Civil War the primary infantry weapon was the muzzle-loading musket. For close up shots most of the soldiers use the British made .577 Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket, which was imported in large quantities during the Civil War by both sides. However, in many scenes (especially the Vicksburg scene with victorious Union troops) many of the soldiers can be seen carrying the .45-70 U.S. Model 1873 Trapdoor Springfield rifle, a shortened breech-loading version of the U.S. Model 1861 Springfield Rifle Musket.

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Quotes

Abraham Lincoln: It's well known that the more a man speaks, the less he's understood.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Time of the Apes (1991)

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Soundtracks

Rock of Ages
Lyrics by Augustus Montague Toplady (as Au­gus­tus M. Top­la­dy)
Music by Thomas Hastings

User Reviews

Focus on family, not the war.

`The Blue and The Gray' is not a story about the Civil War. It is a long drama about a family set at the time of that war. Running more than six hours, it is indeed long. Yet, anyone interested in human relationships will find that the time is well spent and that no dead points exist. The snippets of the Civil War form a focus for the story and explain some of the relationship issues. They also remind the viewer what a truly difficult time it was for families and for our nation.