July 4, 1776. One of the greatest days in the history of the human race. For this is the day the founders of this country executed the Declaration of Independence and declared themselves free from the British Empire. It is a day we should be reverent about and a day in which we should remember those who have fallen in order for the ideals of the Founding Fathers to be upheld.

It is a day the whole world admires whether they be Western or whether they be the people rebelling in Iran against the tyrannical regime in power. It is a day the South Koreans think of whenever they fear the Communist empire to the north. And, it is a day all people throughout the world who want to be free cherish and remember.

At this point in 2009, there are many things wrong with this country. Whether they be from the depressed economy or whether they be in the war we are waging against terror. However, at this time of the year we should always remember that we live in the best country in the world and that we should strive to live the ideals this country stands for.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, in the immortal document that started it all:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

It is based upon these principles that we exist. I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday weekend. And, may you all take a few moments to remember this great country and those who have given their lives for the continuation of the ideals of the founding fathers.

As luck would have it, the first week of the show’s run concluded on Sunday September 10th. The next morning, I slept in, then awoke to find an answering machine message from my wife, who’d driven off to a breakfast date. “Turn on the TV,” her breathless voice said. “New York City has been bombed.” I spent the rest of the day, like most of the country, glued to my set, unable to believe what I was seeing or hearing.

1776 was, as scheduled, dark that night, and the management cancelled the following night’s performance. America was in a state of shock. On Wednesday the 13th, we re-opened. The theater was packed but the reaction from the crowd was strangely muted. The laughs which usually accompanied the comic by-play between Franklin and John Adams were missing. But as the show concluded, the bells rang and the actors froze in the famous patriotic tableau, cheers and audible sobs erupted. People actually cried out, “God bless America.” The performers remained on stage after the curtain calls and asked for donations for the Firemen’s Relief Fund. In the five days following 9-11, in our smallish theater in Los Angeles, we raised just under twenty five thousand dollars. People were dying to do something… anything… to help. The president went on the tube and urged us to go about our lives as if nothing had happened; the people felt otherwise.

The patriotic fervor lasted for the best part of a year. Every ball game opened with “God Bless America.” It was a terrifying but in many ways exhilarating time. I’d lived through World War II and hadn’t been able to wait to join the army as soon as I turned 18. I’d loved my country then and I loved it still. But, as we all know, the euphoria didn’t last. Patriotic feelings waned and blame-America became fashionable again. “War Is Not the Answer” stickers bloomed on the bumpers of Saabs and Volvos, replacing the small American flags which had briefly flown from cars across the country.

In ‘08, Barrack Obama was famously elected president. Even though I’d supported McCain and dreaded what I feared Barrack might do, I felt a surge of elation when the networks announced he’d won. I really hadn’t thought the U.S. would go for an African-American for a decade or so. The elation didn’t last, as Obama kept one after another of his campaign promises. The millions of centrists and disgruntled conservatives who’d swallowed hard, joined the left and voted Democrat began to wonder about what they’d wrought. Rush Limbaugh’s ratings soared; so did those of Fox News. 

And so did the ratings of Mark Levin. When my friend Larry Elder had been taken off the air suddenly some months ago, the innocent victim of the collapse of a bankrupt radio syndicate, he’d been replaced, here in L. A. by Mr. Levin. I’d heard of him, of course, hadn’t read his best-seller “Men In Black.” I tuned in, resentful at first on behalf of poor Larry but was soon hooked by Levin’s wit and erudition. 

Nothing prepared me, though, for the brilliance of his new book, “Liberty and Tyranny.” The title is taken from a quote of Abraham Lincoln’s, which he features on the book’s back cover. What knocked me out though, was the sub-title: “A Conservative Manifesto.” I’d never heard the word used apart from Marx’s Communist Manifesto. (Well, there was the Uni-bomber.) 

Levin’s book is the equivalent of a popular college course in conservatism. Strict adherence to the Founding Fathers’ words are necessary, in his view, to be able to call oneself an genuine conservative. He has withering scorn for neo-conservatives, whom he regards as wolves in sheep’s clothing. His word for the liberal is Statist, a term he uses over and over until it begins to sound like an ugly epithet. “The state will take care of me,” is the mantra of the leftist, as Levin describes him, but as a bronco once broken discovers, there’s a heavy price to be paid. 

The book is divided into sections: In On Prudence and Progress, he begs conservatives to be wary of the sort of imprudent change the Statist insists upon. “For the Statist,” Levin writes, “liberty is not a blessing but the enemy. (The Statist) believes it is not possible to achieve Utopia if individuals are free to go their own way.” In On Faith And The Founding, he asserts that the founding fathers clearly believed in Natural Law as divined by God.  In On The Constitution, he declares that the Constitution is not “a living, breathing document” that may be altered at will, but a set of immutable laws to be strictly adhered to.

On Federalism deals with states’ rights vs federal intervention. I learned something I hadn’t known here: in the nineteenth century, northern states had laws on their books which created legal obstacles to the deportation of escaped slaves back to the south. The federal Supreme Court sought to rule these laws unconstitutional. It also held, in Dred Scott in 1857, that no slave or descendant of a slave could be a U.S. citizen. 

In On The Free Market, Levin quotes Abraham Lincoln: “Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.”

From On The Welfare State: “Barbara Wagner… was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer. Her doctors recommended a specific drug… However, Barbara is a resident of Oregon… the state refused Barbara’s request for the drug, since it does not cover drugs that are meant to prolong the life of individuals with advanced cancer… But Oregon also has legalized assisted suicide and in an unsigned letter from the state, Barbara was informed that the health plan would pay to cover the costs of a doctor to help her kill herself.”

Enviro-Statism (global warming). Here, Levin quotes a list of calamities predicted in news reports which hilariously include: Antarctic ice growing, Antarctic ice melting, Atlantic Ocean less salty, Atlantic Ocean saltier, crocodile sex (?) and itchier poison ivy. This reminded me of a Harvard Lampoon send-up of how various publications would handle the end of the world. Washington Post headline: WORLD ENDS TOMORROW: Women, Minorities Hardest Hit.

Levin concludes his book with an epilogue: A Conservative manifesto. “So distant is America today from its founding principles,” he writes, “that it is difficult to precisely describe the nature of American government… If the bulk of the people reject the civil society for the Statist’s Utopia, preferring subjugation to citizenship, then the end is near…”

Like Tom Paine before him, Levin is a brilliant pamphleteer. Anyone who wants a thorough understanding of the difference between right and left in this country needs to read this book. A college credit should come with it.

Orson Bean’s new book, M@il For Mikey, is published by Barricade Books

March 16 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Broadway opening of “1776.”  Written by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone, it went on to run for 1,217 performances.  It’s hard to believe that forty years ago it was still popular to write an unabashedly patriotic musical that openly celebrated American Exceptionalism and painted the founding fathers not just as humans but as the intellectual and moral giants that they were.  Because the 1972 film version is tantamount to a filmed version of the play rather than a Hollywood re-interpretation, its original intent and form is easily accessible to today’s audience.  It deserves a good look and therefore, is this week’s Sunday Matineé. 

“1776″ uses the character of John Adams as the main protagonist in telling the story of his legendary fight to convince the continental congress to adopt a resolution calling for independence from King George.  The show follows the journey of Adams’ victories in convincing congress to form a committee to draft the Declaration of Independence, the ensuing debate over the contents of the declaration, the conflict between the Northern states and the Southern states over slavery and finally, the climactic scene depicting the signing of the declaration.

The brilliance of the drama in this show is not “will they do it?” since everyone in the audience knows they will… the drama lies in “how are they gonna pull this off?”  The show uses a simple but very theatrical and dramatic device by showing a giant day calendar on the wall above John Hancock’s desk.  Each new scene shows the calendar page ripped away revealing what day we are witnessing.  Everyone with at least a 1st Grade education knows that we are all counting down to July 4th and the tension genuinely builds as we see the day coming closer and yet it doesn’t seem like Adams and his coalition will get all of the states to favor a declaration in time.

“1776″ is unique in many ways.  Most striking is the fact that the stage is populated by many, many men and there are only two women in the show: Abigail Adams and Martha Jefferson.  And Abigail only appears through her letters with John–she does not actually interact with the rest of the cast.  Martha only appears for one scene, a somewhat apocryphal moment when Franklin and Adams send for her to provide Jefferson a much needed conjugal visit so he can re-focus on the writing of the declaration.

So, other than that, it’s a 2 1/2 hour long musical with a bunch of wig-wearing guys sitting around debating in 18th century aristocratic costumes.  No chorus, no dancers, no special effects, no leggy dancers… not really the recipe for musical theatre success.

Because the film was such a faithful replica of the stage production including using most of the same principal actors, clips from the film should provide you with a great taste of what it was like to witness this show live at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers) 40 years ago.  Here is the great opening number, “Sit Down John!”:

How great is that?  “One useless man is called a disgrace, two are called a law firm, and three or more become a congress!”  That’s the great William Daniels playing John Adams, a role he will always be associated with.  And what brilliant writing as the congress is in a great debate over the pros and cons of opening a window?  They all agree it is too hot, half want the window open, the other half don’t want to let in any flies, Thomas Jefferson forms a coalition trying to strike a compromise… it seems the only thing the entire congress can agree on is their hatred of Adams.  In one opening number, Sherman Edwards defines the character of Adams and his single-minded focus on pushing the issue of independence plus he illustrates the ineffectiveness of congress and their antagonism to Adams.  All put to song… I’ve said it before:  Great musicals are often defined by their opening number.

Another thing to note as these clips keep coming:  One of the most thrilling things to hear on stage is a full male ensemble singing robust songs in multiple parts.  There is something about hearing great male singers in full voice with close layers of harmony.  “Guys and Dolls,” “Les Miserables,” “The Music Man” and “1776″ all feature songs like this and it never fails to please the audience.

One of the great surprises of “1776″ is how much humor there is in it.  At first glance, it’s pretty dry stuff, but Edwards and Stone take great liberties in using some facts about the characters of these men and then expand upon those traits drawing them out and making the comedic elements of their personalities as broad as possible.

Here’s an example… it’s no secret that the Lee family of Virginia was historically prominent and influential.  Dating their origin to the Jamestown colony in 1639, they became established in the colonies through tobacco farming and politics… they were the Kennedys of their time–rich and political and not a little pompous.

History tells us that one of the strategies Benjamin Franklin and John Adams used to move the Declaration of Independence along was to get Richard Henry Lee to make the motion in congress.  He was so respected and carried so much weight that he would be accepted as the sponsor of the resolution (where as Adams was hated by all).  It was up to Lee to ride to Virginia to get the approval of the House of Burgesses to make the motion.  Here’s how “1776″ portrays the man and the moment:

I’m glad the scene is included before the song as well.  You can see how brilliantly Stone uses actual quotes from giant men like Franklin and incorporates them seamlessly into the dialogue.  Also, Stone clearly has a reverence and love for these men and what they did.  Make no mistake, this is ”American Triumphalism, the musical” and there are no apologies made.  You see this show and you learn one thing:  America is great.  Period.

OK… gotta show a little more of the humor and then we’ll move on to the meatier stuff.  Here’s a brilliant song depicting the debate within the committee over who should write the Declaration of Independence.  Again, pay attention to the clever lyrics.

Franklin:
Mr. Adams, but, Mr. Adams
The things I write are only light extemporania
I won’t put politics on paper; it’s a mania
So I refuse to use the pen in Pennsylvania

Sherman:
Mr. Adams, but, Mr. Adams
I cannot write with any style or proper etiquette
I don’t know a participle from a predicate
I am just a simple cobbler from Connecticut

By the way, yes, that’s Ken (The White Shadow) Howard as Thomas Jefferson.

So, the aforementioned conjugal visit between Jefferson and Martha occurs and Franklin and Adams wait for him to emerge from his chamber.  A wonderful scene between the two of them speculating about how history will (or will not) view them, and then comes Martha to sing the praises of Tom.  On Broadway, it was a young Betty Buckley wowing Broadway audiences for the first time.  Here on film, it’s the sumptuous and aptly named Blythe Danner… oh how I miss seeing her on stage and how superior she is on film to her daughter.

And, there you have it.  All Jefferson needed was one night with Martha and the next morning he cranks out the Declaration of Independence!  Who knew?  If I had one night with a young Blythe Danner, who knows what great writing I’d be capable of?

So, now things get a little tricky.  You see, the block of voters who oppose the declaration and wish to keep their allegiance  with the King are labeled in the show as “Conservatives.”  This was a real sticking point in 1969 when the show came out and in 1972 with the film.  In fact, the Nixon Administration complained at the characterization of those against the creation of our country as being the forefathers of the modern conservative movement.  Frankly, knowing that the vast majority of millionaires in the Senate are Democrats, and knowing that the ideals Adams, Jefferson, Franklin and Washington represented fit perfectly with the values of the modern conservative movement, I don’t see the problem.  But if you think in shallow terms and watch this scene thinking that these guys represent the “Republicans,” then yeah, I think you can see the problem:

The purpose of this series of articles (Sunday Matineé) is to highlight great shows from Broadway’s past.  Not just shows written by conservatives or for that matter shows which always take a “conservative” world view.  I have no idea about Stone and Edwards’ politics, but I do know that as a conservative thinker, I can watch this show and love all that is great about America.  I feel pride with my spiritual connection to the forefathers and celebrate their courage and brilliance.  I am not forced to defend my modern-day political perspective and I can objectively feel a kinship with these men and respect for the revolution they spawned.  That is not only great writing, it’s what is now lacking on Broadway in so many of our shows.  And I maintain there is a vast audience for it.  So, please don’t send e-mails or post comments telling me that the writers of this show hated conservatives… if they did, it doesn’t matter.  Their work stands up to any objective scrutiny despite the inclusion of the above song.  If a modern-day conservative sees themselves in that number, it’s more a problem with their own perspective and self-analysis, not a problem with the writing.

So the original draft of Jefferson’s declaration is read and debated, almost line by line.  And slowly, Adams wins his votes and Jefferson loses large chunks of his original draft… until the issue of slavery is approached.  As we know, Jefferson’s original draft had language decrying the ownership of slaves (modern revisionists overlook this and ignorantly paint Jefferson as nothing more than a racist, slave owner).  The Southern states refuse to sign on until the language is removed and Adams and Jefferson dig in.  Notice the brilliant staging in the way Franklin is positioned, observing:

Franklin convinces Adams to let it go; the issue of independence was too important and they agree to let future generations work out the problem of slavery (four score and seven years in the future, to be exact).  The final scene depicts, of course, the signing.  When staged properly, it brings chills and cheers:

The good humor and joshing regarding the consequences of their treasonous act is immediately shifted to the weight and reality of the situation upon the reading of the dispatch from General Washington.  And with bells tolling and the orchestra swelling, our country is born.

Here’s a bit of trivia about this play: In the first act, scene three, during the initial debate over independence, there is a twenty two minute stretch of unending dialogue without any music to interrupt it.  This is the record for the longest duration of time in a musical without a single note of music.  In this day of rock opera and endless, banal recitative, it’s so refreshing to see a musical not be afraid to talk to the audience rather than sing at them.

One more bit of trivia… Years later, William Daniels starred in the great and under-appreciated NBC drama “St. Elsewhere.”  In the final season, they had a storyline that took his character to Philadelphia.  In one scene, he is walking around the grounds of Independence Hall and says, “I don’t know what it is about this place but it makes me want to get up and sing.”  Few got the inside joke…(Good Lord, I really am a geek, aren’t I?)

For our finale, I want to take you back to the opening number.  This time, the Broadway cast of the recent revival as seen on the Tony Awards.  Pay close attention to those magnificent male harmonies as they are even more evident in this version versus the film version seen above.