A Salute to the Declaration of Independence!

One of my favorite movies - and my favorite to watch today - is 1776, closely based on the Broadway musical of the same name. My inner history geek warns you to not take it too seriously as literal history. Hey, it's a musical! But much of the dialogue between John Adams and his wife Abigail are lifted from their letters to each other during the period.

One musical number, Cool, Cool Considerate Men, is a slap at the conservative Southerners who balked at signing, or even debating, the Declaration. When the play was presented at the Nixon White House, legend has it that the President asked writer/composer Sherman Edwards to cut the tune from the show. According to that legend, Edwards Refused.

What seems pretty certain, however, was that when the play became film, then still-President Nixon asked old California friend and movie magnate Jack Warner to delete offending tune. Warner complied.

The film was released without the song and the eventual VHS version was that one.

Years later, when the DVD was compiled, several scenes were reinstated, including CCCM.

I hope that's the version on TV tonight.

It'll be shown on cable channel TCM (commercial-free) at 8pm PDT.

Or rent from Netflix.