William Daniels on 1776 Casting - Tony - and Career

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/31/15 at 1:17pm

William Daniels talking freely about career - but for those here - particularly about getting cast in 1776, and of course, the Tony Award declination.

"So, indeed, I was cast, and on the first day of rehearsal—of course I’m still thinking this is a bad idea—I get there, and here were all these gentleman who were [playing] the members of Congress. I’m reading through the script, and I read, “By God, I have had this Congress,” which is the little monologue Adams does in front of the curtain before it goes up. And suddenly, after I finished it, this huge sound of male voices—in harmony—sings “Sit Down, John.” And I thought, “Jesus, guys, this sounds good. This may be something.”
But, Mr. Adams....

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 3/31/15 at 3:14pm

Interesting interview. I still think he was crazy for turning down what was a sure-win for a Tony Award, even if he was correct about being put in the wrong category.

[sueb1863]

Posted: 3/31/15 at 8:30pm

Cool!! Thanks for posting, big fan of the show, the movie, and Daniels!

I've read elsewhere that the movie was a huge bomb when it came out, which is a shame. But 1972 wasn't a very patriotic year in the US so it was probably a bad time to release a flag-waving movie...

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/31/15 at 9:41pm

Sue, public sentiment in the early 1970s didn't keep the Broadway show from being a major hit. I think you're wrong to confuse opposition to a war and government corruption with a "lack of patriotism".

More likely, IMO, after a boom period on the mid-1960s, the public was tired of musicals by 1972. 1776 wasn't the only big-budget film musical that failed: see HELLO, DOLLY!, FINIAN'S RAINBOW, STAR! and others.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/31/15 at 10:50pm

Well it's a little unfair comparing 1776 to some of the worst movie musicals ever to come out of the dream factory (looking at you, FINIAN'S RAINBOW and STAR!)

Yeah, it's entirely possible the film 1776 would have been a huge hit had it come out just 4 years later for the Bicentennial. That year, every damn Summer stock or community theater in America scheduled 1776 in their July slot. My own summerstock theater, the New London Barn Players (that would be New London. New Hampshire) had a hell of time still procuring the period costumes and and the colonial furniture need for the show, scrambling to grab the last waistcoat or tricorn before the next theater down the road could snag it.

However that July 4th at 3pm, when all the church bells in the country began to peal, nothing was more thrilling than to race to the back porch of our barn where the "Liberty Bells" were stored (100 gongs and bells on a rack), and start wailing away on them all. Pure heaven, and the most patriotic I've ever felt in my life.