1776 (1972)

My Review

“1776” is a fictional account of events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July, 1776. Director Peter H. Hunt, in his feature film debut, put together a high-quality motion picture adaptation of the popular 1969 Broadway musical of the same name by Sherman Edwards, who wrote the music and lyrics. The outstanding screenplay was penned by Peter Stone.

The stars delivered good performances, both musical and dramatic and even comedic. The cast includes William Daniels as John Adams, Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson, Howard da Silva as Benjamin Franklin, David Ford as John Hancock, James Noble as Rev. John Witherspoon, Blythe Danner as Martha Jefferson, and Virginia Vestoff as Abigail Adams.

The watchable “1776” was not successful in theatrical release for producer Jack L. Warner and Columbia Pictures. This was Warner’s last big production before his passing in 1978. “1776” received one Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography (Harry Stradling Jr.).