Sorry ‘Hamilton,’ ‘1776’ is the Original 4th of July Movie Musical

Hamilton premiered on Disney+ yesterday, just in time to become the must-watch Fourth of July movie in 2020. The movie musical, boasting a star-studded cast and a wildly infectious score, is one of the few pieces of pop culture that makes it its mission to educate audiences about the people behind the American Revolution. However, Hamilton isn’t the original Founding Fathers Broadway musical. Oh no, that honor goes to 1776, a show about the petty political rivalries and horny wives who threatened to undo the creation of the Declaration of Independence itself.

When Hamilton premiered on Broadway in 2015, it became an immediate hit. Lin-Manuela Miranda’s masterwork about the people whose hopes, dreams, and aspirations shaped early America took the world by storm. That was in huge part to the revolutionary casting of mostly BPOC actors in the roles of the lily-white founders, but it was mostly thanks to how accessible the show made early U.S. History. 1776 was arguably the original show to pull this off. While the more traditional Broadway musical might not feel as progressive as Hamilton does today, it still shocked audiences with its frank, human portraits of the Founding Fathers. While 1776 isn’t nearly as popular as Hamilton is today, Hamilton itself recognizes its legacy as Hamilton name-checks a key part of the musical in its second act.

So what’s the deal with the musical 1776 and where can you stream the 1776 movie on July 4, 2020?

WHAT IS THE MUSICAL 1776?

The musical 1776 debuted on Broadway in 1969 and became a hit show, earning the Tony Award for Best Musical. The show’s music and lyrics were written by Sherman Edwards and its book by Peter Stone. At the time it debuted, a few years before the nation’s bicentennial, it was considered refreshing in the way it depicted the Founding Fathers as real people.

The musical follows John Adams’s fight to get the Continental Congress to pass an actual Declaration of Independence. Such a document would unite the 13 American colonies and officially make clear their united stance against England. However, as the musical illustrates, Adams struggled in this fight due to his own unpopular reputation in Congress and the fact that the Conservative wing of the Congress was reluctant to cut ties with England or adopt a new government that might put their economic reliance on slavery in jeopardy.

1776 uses catchy songs and bawdy humor to paint John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and their ilk as real, flawed humans.

WHERE CAN YOU STREAM 1776, THE MOVIE?

In 1972, a film adaptation of the musical 1776 was made starring most of the original Broadway cast, including William Daniels as John Adams, Howard da Silva as Ben Franklin, and Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson. However, there were some major cuts made to the show in its journey from stage to screen. Specifically, the song, “Cool, Cool, Considerate Men” was allegedly cut from the final film at the request of then president Richard Nixon. Today, the Director’s Cut features a restored version of the number.

1776 isn’t streaming on Disney+ or Netflix, but you can rent or buy the film on Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu, or Google Play.

HOW IS 1776 CONNECTED TO HAMILTON ON DISNEY+?

1776 is connected to Hamilton insomuch that it tells the story of the American Revolution from the perspective of the politicians fighting to get George Washington and his troops more support. While Hamilton follows the war from the battlefields of New York to the final battle of Yorktown, 1776 is set exclusively in Philadelphia during the summer of that year. The somber dispatches that the Continental Congress receives in 1776 are essentially the ones that Chris Jackson’s Washington laments having to send in Hamilton.

However, Hamilton pays dubious homage to 1776 in Act II, when Hamilton himself tells newly elected President John Adams to “Sit down, John, you fat motherf–” Well, you get the point. The line in question is a direct reference to the opening number of 1776 where the entire Continental Congress is telling Adams to sit down. It’s also the final grace note to the John Adams rap that was cut from the final version of Hamilton…which you can watch above.

Where to stream 1776

Where to stream Hamilton