Movie Trivia
This actor was almost replaced in the film, due to his rivalry with other actors on set, but he promised to behave and begged to be in the film.
Who is Howard Da Silva (Benjamin Franklin)??
This actor suffered a stroke during the opening weekend for this musical, but refused to go to the hospital and miss his opening performance. He went after opening weekend, however, and therefore was not able to record his parts for the original broadway cast soundtrack.
Who is Howard Da Silva (Benjamin Franklin)??
Reese Witherspoon is a direct descendant of this declaration signer.
Who is John Witherspoon??
"We all must hang together, or we will most assuredly hang separately."
Who is Benjamin Franklin??
The personality given to John Adams in the musical is more similar to his famous cousin's than to his own.
Who is Sam Adams??
This actor had to suck on ice cubes while filming outside in order to not give away that they were actually filming in the cold, and not on a hot day in May.
Who is William Daniels (John Adams)??
This actor received a Tony award for his performance in the musical.
Who is Ron Holgate (Richard Henry Lee)??
This signer was referred to as "the peacock" because of his colorful and proud personality.
Who is Edward Rutledge??
"July 2nd will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival."
Who is John Adams??
In the musical, this signer was portrayed as being on the verge of death. In real life, he was actually in pretty good health and lived another 8 years after the declaration was signed.
Who is Caesar Rodney??
This actress was pregnant while filming her part for the movie, but she hadn't started showing yet.
Who is Blythe Danner (Martha Jefferson)??
This actress made her broadway debut in the musical.
Who is Betty Buckley (Martha Jefferson)??
This founding father is shown in the musical reporting the temperature, which is based on real temperature records he wrote in real life during congress.
Who is Thomas Jefferson??
"I've always considered an idle life as a real evil."
Who is Edward Rutledge??
In the musical, all of the delegates sign the declaration on July 4th. In real life, these two are the only ones who signed it on that day.
Who are John Hancock and Charles Thomson??
This actor has two different colored eyes, and therefore had to wear color contacts while filming, hence why his eyes look funny in certain shots.
Who is John Column (Edward Rutledge)??
This song was the last one written for the musical, and was very last minute.
What is The Egg??
This signer was actually baptized as a baby by John Hancock's father, John Hancock, Jr., who was a reverend.
Who is John Adams??
"We must be unanimous; there must be no pulling different ways; we must hang together."
Who is John Hancock??
In the musical, Thomas McKean asks Thomas Jefferson to remove a line from the declaration that talks bad about Scotsmen. In real life, this signer is actually the one who asked for it to be removed.
Who is John Witherspoon??
This United States President requested that the song "Cool, Considerate Men" be removed from the film version of the musical, as he found at offensive when the original cast performed it for him at the White House. It was later added back in.
Who is Richard Nixon??
This actor practiced his lines for the musical out loud while on an airplane, and the airline crew was so concerned by what they were hearing that they called the authorities to question him when the plane landed.
Who is Ken Howard (Thomas Jefferson)??
Charles Thomson remained close friends with this signer for many years after 1776.
Who is Thomas Jefferson??
“Do you recollect the pensive and awful silence which pervaded the house when we were called up, one after another, to the table of the President of Congress to subscribe what was believed by many at that time to be our own death warrants?”
Who is Benjamin Rush??
Poo poo...
To the Whos