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| re: 1776 film | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 06:57 am EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: 1776 film - Circlevet 11:23 pm EDT 07/04/17 | |
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| William Daniels did not care for the film, either. In his autobiography, he said he felt it needed to begin as an on-screen stage play, a la Olivier's Henry V, and that it should not have gone into realistic filmed locations until after Sit Down, John. We will never know, will we? Having seen the play on Broadway early enough in its run for Clifford David to be the only original cast member to have been replaced (by David Cryer), I can agree that the film has little of the show's dynamic energy. That said, however, nearly everyone I knew who had not seen it on stage loved it on film, and it has been embraced as an Independence Day perennial for years now. And I can appreciate it as a preservation of much of the original production, if not as a cinematic masterpiece. I believe Ben Mankiewicz said that Blythe Danner had been a replacement Martha Jefferson on stage, but if so it was not on Broadway. I might have misheard him, however. |
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| re: 1776 film | |
| Last Edit: AlanScott 03:12 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 03:10 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 film - TheOtherOne 06:57 am EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Was Ken Howard still in it when you saw it? Best Plays listed both Ken Howard and Clifford David as having been replaced on May 30, 1969 (Howard having left to film Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon). But Best Plays wasn't always exactly right, and it may be that Howard left a little later. I saw it on July 3, 1969, and they were both already gone. | |
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| re: 1776 film | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 03:49 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 film - AlanScott 03:10 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| You are right, Alan. Ken Howard is still listed in the program I purchased, which includes an insert for David Cryer, but I checked my Playbill and John Fink was by then playing Jefferson. I had somehow forgotten that, though I vividly remembered Cryer. I also remember a blue-haired, seemingly drunk though clearly intelligent woman carrying on a personal conversation from her seat with John Adams. She referred to him as John and seemed to be debating points of history with him. People were shushing her, but I was too young to be easily bothered and got a laugh out of her. I do to this day. |
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| David Cryer | |
| Posted by: LynnO 04:25 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 film - TheOtherOne 03:49 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I wish I could have seen David Cryer in 1776! Molasses to Rum is my favorite song, too. I became aware of Cryer when he was Fermin in the PHANTOM tour that I followed for a while in the late 90's. I've since seen dozens of Fermin(s), and he is by far the standard! He added so much to that minor-ish role, but didn't overdo it, if you know what I mean. Cryer ended up in the Broadway production of POTO, and I was able to enjoy his performance as Fermin one last time. |
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| re: 1776 film | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 04:04 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 film - TheOtherOne 03:49 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| LOL. That is hysterical (about the woman). Yes, I always remember Cryer. 1776 was my fourth Broadway show, and I'd never seen a number get the kind of response that Cryer got for "Molasses to Rum." The audience went crazy when it was over. |
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| Clarifying | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 07:15 am EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 film - TheOtherOne 06:57 am EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I just reread Daniels' comments on the film. He does not specify Sit Down, John or any other moment as the last to be filmed on stage, but he did propose after seeing it screened that they reshoot the opening along the lines of Olivier's Henry V. | |
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| What Daniels told Miranda about the film of '1776' (in 2016) | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 01:56 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 01:50 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Clarifying - TheOtherOne 07:15 am EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Lin-Manuel Miranda:''' I came pretty late to 1776—probably college. I fell in love with the movie, and it’s a singular movie because it has that incredible original cast doing their thing. That’s very rare. Can you talk a little bit about that opportunity?'' William Daniels: ''That was Jack Warner. He saw the show and said, 'I want the whole cast.' I think it was a cheap way to go. Also, he felt he had made a mistake using Audrey Hepburn in 'My Fair Lady,' instead of sticking with Julie Andrews. He didn't want to make that mistake again, so, he hired the entire cast—and Peter Hunt. the director. ''I was disappointed in the film, because on a proscenium stage, the play had a certain style—and film is very realistic. And yet it worked, and people watch it. Every year on July 4th, I get all these letters saying, 'You’ve made us look at history in a different way.' Doing the show got me interested in history. I think that may be the connection with your show, Lin-Manuel. I can’t think of a musical about American history coming before '1776.''' Lin-Manuel Miranda: ''I’ll tell you, I think you’re absolutely right. '1776' certainly paved the way for 'Hamilton' —not just in that it’s about our founders, but also in that it engages fully with their humanity. I think it makes them accessible to us in a very real way. To begin an opening number with everyone telling another guy to shut up—what better way to pull these people that we see on statues and on our currency off of the pedestal?'' |
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| Link | The legacy of '1776': A conversation with William Daniels & Lin-Manuel Miranda |
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| Thanks for posting that, Wayman! n/m | |
| Posted by: LynnO 03:01 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: What Daniels told Miranda about the film of '1776' (in 2016) - WaymanWong 01:50 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Love it! | |
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| re: Thanks for posting that, Wayman! n/m | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 03:34 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Thanks for posting that, Wayman! n/m - LynnO 03:01 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Yes, thank you, Wayman. I had read that interview somewhere before, but it is such a fitting contribution to this discussion. | |
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