Comments on: 1776, &c.

By: Happy Independence Day! : Historiann : History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:59:34 +0000

[...] like last year, and like last year, HBO is running a John Adams miniseries marathon again. See my review from last year here. (Short version: if you want seasonal entertainment, watch the musical 1776 instead. My [...]

By: AGR

AGR — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:47:03 +0000

They may already have!

By: Historiann

Historiann — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:01:54 +0000

I hear you–Howard (like everyone else in 1776) was playing a cartoonish version of the historical characters, whereas the HBO production took verisimilitude very seriously. But, that’s why I prefer 1776–it’s just a heck of a lot more fun.

I also think it’s just funny that Ken Howard went from playing TJ to someone called “The White Shadow.” Someone could almost write an American Studies dissertation on that.

By: AGR

AGR — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:49:05 +0000

Not so much of the discussion thread. I dropped in every now and then just to see how long it would go on. As for the series, I thought Dillane did the best characterization among all of them. He had clearly studied the writings and recollections about TJ’s mannerisms and mode of presentation. He was certainly a more believable TJ than Ken Howard, who was still good in his own way.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:08:58 +0000

Oh, Lord–thanks for the intel, AGR, but I don’t think I really want to see that! (Are you a fan?)

Eeewww.

By: AGR

AGR — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:28:48 +0000

Historiann

I’m afraid there are lots of folks who disagree with you about the actor who played TJ. There was a member- created thread on the HBO site devoted to him–Stephen Dillane is Thomas Jefferson–that went on for months and months after the program ended.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:04:43 +0000

Western Dave–not so sad, but kind of funny, I guess. He’s been back on B-way lately, from what I’ve heard–Urinetown was a hit.

FrauTech–if Jefferson was shown as an a-hole, it’s because the show (like the book it was based on) was partisan and totally pro-Adams. Jefferson may have been an a-hole (I don’t really care), but Adams was a worse president, that’s for sure. (At least as far as these things can be reasonably gagued. Jefferson, too, contradicted his own ideology as President by contracting the Louisiana Purchase without congressional approval. The original President of the “against Big Government and government overreaching” party went ahead and unconstitutionally spent money for the LP. But, that’s a technical foul compared to the Alien & Sedition Acts, IMHO.

(That might be TMI for you–if so, I apologize. Anyone who wants to harsh on either Paul Giamatti or John Adams is welcome here!)

By: Western Dave

Western Dave — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:57:33 +0000

It is really sad to think that a whole generation of Americans will know Broadway great John Cullum as the old guy with the hot wife on Northern Exposure. Not that he wasn’t fabulous in that role, but they should have had him sing more.

By: FrauTech

FrauTech — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:39:49 +0000

My problem with Paul Giamatti in that show is…he isn’t John Adams, he’s Paul Giamatti. It’s like finding out Giamatti was actually a “founding father” and discovering how he changed or did change American history. Forget John Adams, who is that guy anyways. I assume having him be the star like that was something to do with people paying more attention to his memoirs and challenging conventional wisdom on him that he was almost entirely useless and the worst President. However, it did confirm my suspicions that Thomas Jefferson is/was a total a-hole(the show was historically accurate, right? haha). In some aspects it’s nice to see a show about somebody who’s not always painted as the “hero”. Somebody who tries hard, is smart, but is often less than successful at many things in his life. It’s nice not to idealize every founding father or use one facet (i.e., slaveowning) to attack them, when in fact some of them were just bad people, or good people with flawed motives and flawed skillsets.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:16:18 +0000

Notorious, thanks for the tip. I'll see if I can swing by later this summer. (You should check it out! I mean, if it's *good* community theater.) I forgot that Dr. Mark Craig/John Adams/Ben's dad in The Graduate was also KITT. John S., we're just that much older than you that in the 1980s when you 8-12 year olds were watching Knight Rider, Clio and I and other odd high schoolers were watching St. Elsewhere.