The AMERICAN REVOLUTION in Television

 

Below is a selection of television productions (listed in chronological order) about or featured the American Revolution:


THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN TELEVISION



1. "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh" (NBC; 1963) - Patrick McGoohan starred in this three-episode Disney adaptation of Russell Thorndike's 1915 novel, "Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Mars". James Neilson directed.






2. "The Bastard" (Syndication; 1978) - Andrew Stevens and Kim Cattrall starred in this adaptation of the 1974 novel, the first in John Jakes' "Kent Family Chronicles" literary series. Lee H. Katzin directed.






3. "The Rebels" (Syndication; 1979) - Andrew Stevens, Don Johnson and Doug McClure starred in this adaptation of the 1975 novel, the second in John Jakes' "Kent Family Chronicles" literary series. Russ Mayberry directed.

4. "George Washington" (CBS; 1984) - Barry Bostwick starred as George Washington, first U.S. President of the United States - from his childhood to his experiences during the American Revolution. Directed by Buzz Kulik, the miniseries starred Patty Duke, Jaclyn Smith and David Dukes.






5. "April Morning" (Hallmark; 1988) - Chad Lowe, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Urich starred in this adaptation of Howard Fast's 1961 novel about the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The television movie was directed by Delbert Mann.






6. "Mary Silliman’s War" (Syndication; 1994) - Nancy Palk starred in this Canadian-produced television movie about the experiences of a Connecticut matriarch during the American Revolution. Stephen Surjik directed.






7. "The Crossing" (A&E; 2000) - Jeff Daniels starred as George Washington in this adaptation of Howard Fast's 1971 novel about the Battle of Trenton campaign in December 1776. Robert Harmon directed.






8. "John Adams" (HBO; 2008) - Emmy winners Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney starred as John and Abigail Adams in this award winning HBO miniseries about the second U.S. President from his years as a Boston lawyer to his death.






9. "Turn: Washington’s Spies" (AMC; 2014-2017) - Jamie Bell starred in this television series that is an adaptation of Alexander Rose's 2006 book, "Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring". The series was created by Craig Silverstein.






10. "The Book of Negroes" (BET; 2015) - Aunjanue Ellis, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr. starred in this television adaptation of Lawrence Hill's 2007 novel about the experiences of an African woman who was kidnapped into slavery.

Jambalaya

 

Below is an article about the American dish known as "Jambalaya":


JAMBALAYA

One of the most popular dishes to originate in the southern United States is a dish from Louisiana called Jambalaya. The dish has its origins in the Spanish dish known as paella. There is also a similar dish from the French province of Provence called jambalaia. Both are dishes that are mash-ups of rice, meat, vegetables and saffron.

Jambalaya originated in the French Quarter of New Orleans, during the late 18th century. The Spanish, who controlled Louisiana and the Mississippi Valley at the time, made an attempt to recreate paella in the New World. But since saffron was unavailable due to import costs, the Spanish used tomatoes as a substitute for saffron. Despite Spanish control of the region, the French dominated the population, since they were the original founders of the colony. Those of West African descent or origin, including slaves owned by the French populace, utilized spices popular from the Caribbean to transform this paella copycat into a unique New World dish.

Many would be surprised to learn that Jambalaya proved to become a very flexible dish in Louisiana over the years. It has evolved into three distinct recipes. The original version, known as the Creole or "red" Jambalaya, featured tomatoes. The second version, which is common in the parishes in Southwestern and South-Central Louisiana, is a "rural Creole" Jambalaya that contains no tomatoes. The third version is known as "White or Cajun Jambalaya" in which the rice is cooked in stock and separately from the meat and vegetables.

The recipe for Jambalaya made its first appearance in the 1878 cookbook called "Gulf City Cook Book" by the ladies of the St. Francis Street Methodist Church in South Mobile, Alabama. Jambalaya experienced a brief surge of popularity during the 1920s and 1930s, due to its flexible recipe. And in 1968, Louisiana Governor John J. McKeithen proclaimed Gonzales, Louisiana as the Jambalaya Capital of the World. Every spring, Gonzales hosted the annual Jambalaya Festival.

Below is a recipe from the Epicurious.com website for Jambalaya:


Jambalaya

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
3 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, minced
4 oz extra-lean smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3/4 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped into bite-sized pieces


Preparation

Add oil to a large nonstick saucepan. Over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery until onion is translucent. Add parsley, ham, chicken, bay leaf, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, and 1 3/4 cups cold water. Gently simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Pour rice into the pan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 45 minutes or until rice is cooked and absorbs most of the liquid. Stir in shrimp and cook 5 minutes more. Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with cayenne pepper and salt.

Pumpkin Pie

 

Below is an article the popular holiday dessert, Pumpkin Pie.


PUMPKIN PIE

As many Americans know, Pumpkin Pie is a sweet dessert, traditionally eaten during the fall and early winter seasons. They are especially popular during the Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in the United States and Canada. Many view the pumpkin as a symbol of harvest time. The pie consists of a custard made from an actual pumpkin, canned custard or packaged pie filling made from the plant. The pie's color usually range from orange to brown and is baked in a single pie shell, rarely with a top crust. Pumpkin pie is generally flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

The pumpkin is a native of the North American continent. The oldest evidence of its existence were pumpkin-related seeds that dated between 7000 and 5500 BCE, has been found in Mexico. Despite the discovery of its seeds in Mexico, the pumpkin was first exported to France in the 16th century. From there, it was introduced to Tudor England. The English quickly accepted the flesh of the "pompion" as a pie filler. Following its introduction to England, pumpkin pie recipes could be found in 17th century English cookbooks such as Hannah Woolley's 1675 book, "The Gentlewoman's Companion".

English immigrants such as the Pilgrims eventually introduced the pumpkin pie to the New England region. Recipes for the pie did not appear in American cookbooks until the early 19th century. During this same period, the dessert finally became a common addition to the Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile, the English method of cooking the pumpkin took a different course. The English pumpkin pie was prepared by stuffing the actual pumpkin with apples, spices and sugar, before baking it whole. The dessert, which more or less remained traditional in the United States, inspired songs and poems. Nineteenth century activist Lydia Maria Child referenced the pumpkin pie in her 1844 song, "Over the River and Through the Wood". And in 1850, John Greenleaf Whittier wrote a poem called "The Pumpkin".

Below is a recipe for a fresh pumpkin pie from the Full Circle website (which was adapted from a recipe found on www.rwood.com:


Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Your favorite pie crust dough, enough for one 9-inch shell.
1 pie pumpkin
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups organic cream
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves


Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, place the pumpkin halves in a pan, shell side up, and bake for 1 hour or until the pumpkin is tender, exudes liquid and the shell starts to sag.

Pour off accumulated liquid, scrape the pulp from the shell and purée it with a potato masher or in a blender. Measure 2 cups of the purée and set it aside. Reserve any additional pumpkin for another use.

Place your pie dough on a lightly floured surface and, starting from the center out, roll the dough to about 2 inches larger than the size of the pan. Loosen the pastry, fold it in half, lift it and unfold it into the pan. Press it into place, trim off the excess dough and crimp the edges.

Increase the temperature of the oven to 425°F. In a large mixing bowl lightly beat the eggs. Add the purée and the remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Pour the mixture into the dough-lined pan.

Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake an additional 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

"JOHNNY TREMAIN" (1957) Review

 

"JOHNNY TREMAIN" (1957) Review

Nearly Fifty-six years ago, the Walt Disney Studios produced a television movie set during a three year period that focused on the years in Boston, Massachusetts Colony prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. The name of that movie was 1957's "JOHNNY TREMAIN".

Directed by Robert Stevenson, "JOHNNY TREMAIN" was an adaptation of Esther Forbes' 1944 Newbery Medal-winning children's novel. It told the story of an arrogant adolescent named Johnny Tremain, who happened to be an apprentice for a silversmith living in Boston. Johnny has dreams of owning his shop one day and becoming wealthy and respected in the process.

When a wealthy merchant named Jonathan Lyte commissions his master to repair a family's christening cup, Johnny takes it upon himself to do the actual repairs and win the arrogant Lyte's patronage. Unfortunately, Johnny picked the Sabbath to repair Lyte's cup. And in his haste to repair it before being discovered for breaking the Sabbath, Johnny damages his hand. While repairing Lyte's cup, Johnny discovers that he is the merchant's long lost nephew on his mother's side. But Lyte refuses to acknowledge Johnny as his kinsman and has the boy locked up. Johnny's difficulties with Lyte and in acquiring a job eventually leads him to join the Sons of Liberty, an organization dedicated to American independence from the British Empire. Along the way Johnny befriends several historical giants including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and Joseph Warren. The story reaches its climax with the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the beginning of the American Revolution.

It had been a long time since I first saw this movie. A very long time. And considering that it had been originally produced as a Disney television movie, I was ready to harbor a low opinion of it. Considering the Disney Studios' reputation for churning out a superficial take on American History, one would be inclined to dismiss the film. And if I must be honest, "JOHNNY TREMAIN" has a superficial take on the later years of the Colonial Era and the beginning of the American Revolution. Although there is some depth in the movie's characters, there seemed to be lacking any ambiguity whatsoever. Well . . . I take that back. Aside from Johnny Tremain's brief foray into arrogance in the movie's first fifteen minutes, there were no ambiguity in the other American characters. Thankfully, screenwriters Esther Forbes and Tom Blackburn allowed some ambiguity in the British characters and prevented them from being portrayed as cold-blooded and one-dimensional villains. Even Sebastian Cabot's Jonathan Lyte (Johnny's British uncle) was saved from a fate of one-note villainy in his final reaction to Johnny's decision not to accept his patronage.

Disney film or not, "JOHNNY TREMAIN" is an entertaining historical drama infused with energy, good solid performances and a somewhat in-depth look into American history in Boston, between 1772 and 1775. Despite a running time of 80 minutes, the movie explored some of the events during that period - events that included an introduction of some of the important members of the Sons of Liberty, the Boston Tea Party of December 1773, the British closure of Boston's port, Paul Revere's famous ride and the Battle of Lexington and Concord. It is also the first costume drama that revealed the establishment of slavery in a Northern state - or in this case, colony. In the midst of all this history, Forbes and Blackburn delved into Johnny's personal drama - including his conflicts with his uncle, dealing with his physical disability and his relationship with Priscilla Lapham, his former master's daughter - with solid detail.

With the use of matte paintings, colorful photography by Charles P. Boyle and Peter Ellenshaw's production designs, director Robert Stevenson did a good job in transforming television viewers back to Boston of the 1770s. But the one production aspect of "JOHNNY TREMAIN" that really impressed me was the original song, "Liberty Tree", written by Blackburn and George Bruns. The song struck me as very catchy and remained stuck in my mind some time after watching the movie. The performances are pretty solid, but not particularly memorable. Again, allow me to correct myself. There was one outstanding performance . . . and it came from the late Sebastian Cabot, who portrayed Johnny's arrogant uncle, Jonathan Lyte. Everyone else - including leads Hal Stalmaster, Luana Patten and Richard Beymer, who would enjoy brief stardom in the early 1960s - did not exactly dazzle me.

My gut instinct tells me that the average adult might lacked the patience to watch a movie like "JOHNNY TREMAIN". Although historical drama remains very popular with moviegoers and television viewers, I suspect that Disney's early superficial style of portraying history might be slightly off-putting. However, "JOHNNY TREMAIN" might serve as a first-rate introduction to American History for children. And if one is in the mood for Disney nostalgia, I see no reason not to watch it again. Even after fifty years or so, it is still an entertaining little movie.

"JOHNNY TREMAIN" (1957) Screencaps Gallery

 

Below are screencap images from "JOHNNY TREMAIN", the 1956 Disney adaptation of Esther Forbes' 1944 children's novel. Directed by Robert Stevenson, the movie starred Hal Stalmaster, Luana Patten, Richard Beymer, Jeff York and Sebastian Cabot:

"JOHNNY TREMAIN" (1957) Screencaps Gallery