Press Release SPHE Press Release: 1776 (1972) (4k UHD) (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

Received my review copy today, but won't be able to get to it until after Memorial Day. But for those wondering if this includes a remastered Blu-ray, sadly, it does not. I stuck the Blu-ray disc in my PC's BD drive, and the author date on the disc is April 2015.

I think that will be OK. The film was remastered in 4K for that release, and its that same 4K master that is the basis of the new UHD. I don’t think there would be anything to gain with making a new BD under those circumstances.

 

[Denham]

I went back and read the press release just now.

I didn't realize the '72 cut and Pioneer LD cuts were being put on a BD.

Those, moreso than the UHD aspect, was where my interest in this was.

Looks like it's a safe purchase after all- with the caveat that the LD version is unfortunately only SD.

 

[roxy1927]

So I'm lookng at the cover and I notice there is only one lead, Ken Howard. Nice that they've got Ron Holgate and Blythe Danner but where in the world are Virginia Vestoff and Howard Da Silva?! and William Daniels?!! Like here.
I'm so anal about covers.

 

[Garysb]

So I'm lookng at the cover and I notice there is only one lead, Ken Howard. Nice that they've got Ron Holgate and Blythe Danner but where in the world are Virginia Vestoff and Howard Da Silva?! and William Daniels?!! Like here.
I'm so anal about covers.

View attachment 139495

They are on the slipcover. Unless this has been revised since the original announcement for this release.

 

[roxy1927]

Nice, this is exactly the same artwork as the '72 opening ad.

 

[roxy1927]

Oops they cut off Virginia Vestoff.

 

[waltodonnell]

Do you happen to remember which folder in the Stone collection that script with revisions form 1971 was in? I'm interested in getting copies from that collection, and they don't break out what draft is what in the finding aid.

Allansfirebird,

Here is the NYPL Performing Arts catalog link:

Encore -- 1776: screenplay, 1971.

browse.nypl.org

As you'll see, it's actor Rex Robbins' (Roger Sherman) donated copy of the shooting script. It also includes the shooting schedule which I included on one of the blu-ray threads a couple years ago.

And here's the link to Peter Stone's first draft of the musical, dated September 1968:

Encore -- 1776: a musical comedy: typescript, 1968.

browse.nypl.org

This is a fun read, a bit of a different animal than the final script from March 1969, with more musical numbers, early versions of musical numbers that made it into the the final draft ("Yours Yours," and "Till Then" was originally one big number in the beginning of the play for example), and a much larger cast of characters outside the congressman and Abigail and Martha.

I believe I paid $55 each.

 

[Garysb]

Oops they cut off Virginia Vestoff.

They must have loved Blythe Danner . She is in 3 pictures. Her role is not that big.

 

[John Maher_289910]

They must have loved Blythe Danner . She is in 3 pictures. Her role is not that big.

She's the weak link in the film, for me. Luckily she's not in much of it. She's so drippy in the role. On stage she was such a firecracker, that you felt convinced that she could inspire Tom to do anything.

 

[DarkVader]

She's the weak link in the film, for me. Luckily she's not in much of it. She's so drippy in the role. On stage she was such a firecracker, that you felt convinced that she could inspire Tom to do anything.

To this day I am still perplexed why in the world did they just not get Betty Buckley to reprise her stage role.

Methinks Peter Hunt had something to do with it as the very next year he created a television adaptation of the Hepburn/Tracy classic, "Adam's Rib" with Blythe Danner in the Hepburn role and Ken Howard in the Tracy role.

Howard by the way went on to greater fame in the television drama "The White Shadow" which was created by Danner's husband Bruce Paltrow.

 

[Matt Hough]

Different strokes for sure. I prefer Blythe Danner's demure Martha. According to history, she was delicate and frail of health; she died before Jefferson was ever elected president. It was their daughter Martha who served as "first lady" during his two terms.

 

[roxy1927]

Yes Blythe is lovely. And Betty Buckley is Betty Buckley. She gave a great performance in Sunset Boulevard one I will never forget but the final note on the obc of He Plays the Violin is like something out of Carrie.

Blythe's entrance in the movie was wonderful on the Music Hall's large screen.

 

[Garysb]

Here are the two versions of "He Plays The Violin" from the Broadway Cast and Film Soundtrack

 

[Garysb]

Here is some trivia. When Ron Holgate ( Richard Lee "The Lees of Old Virginia") played the fiancee of the leading lady in the 1999 revival of "Kiss Me, Kate", the orchestra played the intro to "The Lees Of Old Virginia" when he made his initial appearance. Inside joke to the delight of theater geeks. He was also Miles Gloriosus in the original broadway cast of "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum"

 

[Jack P]

Here is a recording of one of the cut numbers from the original Broadway production, when there was supposed to be a scene in New Brunswick of Adams and Franklin being forced to share quarters while Franklin meanwhile is getting it on with a prostitute (played by Carole Prandis who later married composer Stephen Schwartz). This sets the stage for what was supposed to be Franklin's big number in the show, "Increase and Multiply" (hence the reason why he utters that line earlier in the show during the initial debate). When the song was cut along with the entire New Brunswick segment during New Haven previews, that was when da Silva threatened to walk out since it left him without the kind of signature moment song he'd had in "Fiorello!" but he eventually agreed to return (though his behavior was why Rex Everhart was waiting in the wings even before da Silva had his heart attack).

This is from Sherman Edwards' demo record where he does all parts. A low quality version does exist on a boot recording of a New Haven preview.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I got to see a couple performances of 1776 in my area in 2006 directed by Ron Holgate himself!

They were excellent shows.

 

[Charles Smith]

I got to see a couple performances of 1776 in my area in 2006 directed by Ron Holgate himself!

They were excellent shows.

Very nice. Would like to have seen that.

I've seen a few professional ones: the Roundabout revival in 1997, Goodspeed in 2008, and the more recent semi-staged one at Encores! in NYC. All had their great strengths and their somewhat lesser strengths, and were ultimately enjoyable and inspiring.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Very nice. Would like to have seen that.

I've seen a few professional ones: the Roundabout revival in 1997, Goodspeed in 2008, and the more recent semi-staged one at Encores! in NYC. All had their great strengths and their somewhat lesser strengths, and were ultimately enjoyable and inspiring.

1997 with Brent Spiner on Broadway. Excellent production.

 

[Matt Hough]

1997 with Brent Spiner on Broadway. Excellent production.

We had tickets for that, and it closed suddenly a month before we got there. I want to say that we substituted High Society (not in the least comparable) for it, but that may have been on another trip.

 

[Erik_H]

Speaking of major stage revivals of "1776"--- the latest began previews at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge last week after a two year pandemic delay. It's a co-production between the A.R.T. and the Roundabout (which produced the 1997 Broadway revival; I agree with the above poster that it was superb) and will move to Broadway in September, after which a national tour is planned. I attended the matinee yesterday at the A.R.T. This is not your grandmother's "1776": the cast is entirely female, trans or non-binary. I found the production to be a mixed bag; the non-traditional casting struck me as more gimmicky than illuminating. "Hamilton" this is not. But there were some impressive moments. The highlight was a knockout "Momma Look Sharp" --- refashioned as an ensemble piece depicting a mother's lament over a son killed in battle. I expect this production to be polarizing, although the Cambridge audience seemed to love it.