REPOST: 1776, The Musical

I posted this last year, and it seems appropriate to mention it again.

Wishing all of you in the U.S. a very happy Fourth of July!
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As we approach the 4th of July holiday in the U.S., I can't resist putting in a plug for my favorite Revolutionary War movie: "1776", which is a musical about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

If you've never seen "1776", I highly recommend it. It came out in 1972 (based on the Broadway musical of the same name) and I think I've seen it almost every year since I was nine or so. That tradition continues to this day; my family always watches it on DVD every July 4th, and we will do so again this year.

Diana Gabaldon likes it, too; I've heard her describe it as "hilarious, moving, and very singable". I asked her specifically about the costumes, because I'm fascinated by the details of the 18th century clothing in this movie, and she said they're pretty accurate.

For those of you who have read AN ECHO IN THE BONE: Can you watch Ben Franklin in this movie without thinking of the scene in ECHO where he's "air-bathing", stark naked? <g> That image is burned indelibly into my brain now, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Here are a couple of my favorite songs from the movie:

1) "The Egg" - Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson choose America's national bird.



2) "Sit Down, John" - This is the movie's opening number.



You can get "1776" via Amazon here. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

6 comments

Tracey R. said...

"Someone oughta OOOOOOOOPEN up a window..." :-)

Love this movie! Happy Fourth!

Susan F. said...

This is one of my all time favorite movies! I saw it performed live at a dinner theater on my 16th birthday in 1976. I've been hooked on it ever since. I love the music.

My daughter loves it too, and said that "Molasses to rum to slaves" helped her learn about the triangle trade back in her high school history class. She was also the only one who knew the members of the declaration committee ;-)

Karen Henry said...

Tracey - thanks for the tip about the TCM showing on Monday!

Susan - The "Molasses to Rum to Slaves" song is my mother's favorite. :-) I've never seen the show performed live, but I've watched the movie many, many times.

Have a great 4th!

Karen

Elise Skidmore said...

I just finished watching the DVD of "1776" a little while ago. It's a tradition here! I absolutely love it. In fact, I just posted a link to Adams's "Is anybody there?" song on Facebook. It always gives me goosebumps.

blearyeyedmesgirl said...

I've never seen the film, ( I know, I know...I will! ) however, I've seen the musical many times and have always loved the music in it!!

blearyeyedmesgirl said...

Looks like my google accounts got mixed up! I came to add to my previous comment of having never seen 1776, that it's on television right now, on Turner Classic Movies! Happy 4th to all! ~ Shannon

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