Summer Nose-talgia #10: The Fourth of July -- Happy Birthday, America!

Today's look-back is a variety of clips about several all-American historical subjects:  The Pledge of Allegiance, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, not all from TV but most of them!  (The only caution I give is that if you view these directly on YouTube and read the comments, you'd think that some of the U.S. population is made up of a bunch of racist, intolerant flag-wavers without a sense of history or modicum of respect...and I guess you night be right.)

Let's look at the Pledge of Allegiance.  Actor Red Skelton was famous for delivering a tribute to the Pledge on his TV show and at other venues.  It's a remembrance of one of his schoolteachers who explains the Pledge.  You can't deny Red's sincerity in this charming monologue:




Here's a different clip from 1976 where Red talks directly to a bunch of little kids about the Pledge:




This audio is from a record John Wayne made celebrating his idea of America:




A short clip from the Why We Fight informational short subject motion picture series made in 1945:




Here's a short segment from the 1949 movie The Red Pony, with Peter Miles as the boy and Margaret Hamilton -- The Wicked Witch of the West -- as the schoolteacher.




This clip is from the movie The Great Man Votes from 1939, starring John Barrymore.




Here's another Pledge movie clip, this time from The Bells of St. Mary's starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman, from 1945:




How about a little Declaration of Independence now, with this clip from the wonderful HBO miniseries John Adams starring Paul Giamatti in the title role:




I didn't grow up during the Schoolhouse Rock era but it's fondly remembered and here's their take on The Constitution:




How about a bunch of Hollywood celebrities reading the Declaration of Independence?




Of course I have to get my favorite President Abraham Lincoln in here, so let's take a look at robot Lincoln doing his speech from Disney's Hall of President from a few years back:




Now we get the best for last, perhaps.  First, an adorable clip from the Warner Bros. cartoon "Old Glory" with Porky Pig reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  To view the entire cartoon -- and it's an exciting rotoscoped ride through U.S. history -- click here.




How could we not end with this sequence from Star Trek episode "The Omega Glory" where William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk magnificently explains the meaning of the words from the Constitution. Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet up with inhabitants of a distant planet who have been mis-reciting a version of it left by another Starship visit, and it's up to Kirk to set them straight.  Classic Shatner!  (You might also like to see a lovely homage to this by Kirk fan Darren Dochterman on his Kirk's Korner, here.)



It doesn't get any better than heartfelt Captain Kirk!  (I used to dislike this episode, not necessarily because it wasn't a good one but because the Viewmaster folks had chosen THIS episode for their incredible 3-D treatment, and there were so many others more colorful, fun, whatever they should have picked!)

Happy Fourth of July everybody!

Allan Pinkerton, Anyone? Okay, then how about Gerard Butler?

If you're an American history buff and/or a fan of dashing actor Gerard Butler, you will like this news from Starz -- they're developing a series with him! Check out the link below for all the details!

Starz Develops Allan Pinkerton Limited Series With Bob Cochran & Gerard Butler

This is great news for those of us who love historical TV focusing on the mid-19th Century, one of the most explosive times in America! As a Lincoln buff of course I love that Pinkerton cut his teeth working with the our greatest Prez. (That's Pinkerton on the left with Abe!)

Can you imagine Gerard Butler as Allan Pinkerton in those cool period clothes, if he stars in it? Oooo la la! And if he doesn't star in it, I don't think they should do it. You will need a star of his caliber and charisma to pull this off -- i.e. get viewers to watch -- and we sure hope that Starz can make this happen!

We were also pleased to hear earlier this month about a possible redo of The Wild Wild West, too. That's kind of like Allan Pinkerton meets Steampunk, so it's a must on several levels!

Starz must be reeling from the unfortunate situation with its very successful Spartacus series, whose star Andy Whitfield recently had to drop out of the show due to a return of his cancer. The network knows how to put together exciting TV -- and also unfortunately how to cancel spunky little comedies like Party On -- but let's hope this one comes together!

Another Incredible Lincoln Special on PBS!

I highly recommend PBS' Looking for Lincoln, in which African American historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. visits various Lincoln sites and consults other Lincoln historians in an effort to reconcile his views about the 16th President. It's a fascinating journey as Gates investigates the circumstances behind the Emancipation Proclamation, and the inconsistencies in Lincoln's own views. I'd say the takeaway is that Lincoln was a 19th Century man, with all the most common views of the time, but with the great gift of being able to imagine something else and knowing what the moral right was on the issue of slavery. Lincoln scholar and author Doris Kearns Goodwin offers particularly humane insights to the question at hand; she's wonderful.

The program is absolutely intriguing and you can also watch it online at PBS' excellent website for the show. I was pleased to learn that there have been over 14,000 books written about Lincoln, far more than any other President or American historical figure. He deserves them all.

Happy 200th to America's Most Memorable President!

Big Day for Abe Lincoln Coming Up!

In honor of the 200th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth on February 12th of this year, there are several Lincoln-oriented docs set to air in the next week or so.

First up tonight should be a good one on PBS' American Experience -- The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, starting at 9pm. I love Abraham Lincoln, but I also am completely fascinated by John Wilkes Booth, a misguided soul if ever there was one. Neither a lunatic nor a fool, Booth was probably a racist, though, and this more than anything might have played a huge part in his obsession to eliminate Lincoln.

A truly great dramatic account of the tragic juxtaposition of these two men has yet to be produced, and perhaps will never be. But a great documentary can elucidate the circumstances, and I'm hoping tonight's production will add another level of understanding to this nation-rending event that surely changed the course of American history in ways we cannot underestimate.

PBS has a good website for tonight's program, completely with a transcript. It looks like you can watch it online, too, so if you miss it tonight you haven't really missed it at all! Highly recommended!

Sic Semper Tyrannis! Tonight on the History Channel

I've got a bit of a thing for both Abraham Lincoln and his misguided assassin John Wilkes Booth. The History Channel premieres a new special The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth tonight at 8pm eastern time, and it should be a good two hours with enough history and adventure to satisfy anyone.

Everybody knows how Booth shot Lincoln in the head at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., but less known is the story of Booth's unbearable and ultimately futile flight from justice. After breaking his leg in his jump to Ford's stage and then hobbling to his waiting horse, Booth managed to squeak past road guards to escape the city, accompanied by young David Herold. Making his way to the house of Dr. Samuel Mudd -- great controversy here, of course; were they acquaintances, did Mudd help the assassin? (well, of course, but not knowing he killed Lincoln, I would say, and unless Booth was a hell of a good actor Mudd must have known who he was, but maybe not....) -- where his leg was temporarily splinted and then Booth and Herold disappeared off into the Maryland and Virginia countryside to evade capture by Union troops.

For nearly two weeks they survived out in the wild, taking fateful wrong turns in borrowed boats, begging food from rebel sympathizers, and desperately hiding out in fetid swamps, with all the while Booth scribbling emotional tirades in his diary and watching his broken leg go rotten. Finally they stumbled onto the Garrett farm, where they stayed for a couple of days but finally ended up consigned to the barn when the family became suspicious of their strange guests. Union soldiers followed clues to the Garrett place, Booth and Herold were trapped in a burning barn -- but you should really watch the show to find out the rest.

The rest of the story includes, bizarrely enough, Booth getting shot by a crazed Union soldier named Boston Corbett, a truly mad hatter and religious fanatic who castrated himself a few years before the War. You can't make up stuff like that. I know I'll be fascinated to see how The History Channel tells this unique real life tale. It's difficult to have sympathy, perhaps, for the murderer of one of the most incredible figures in American history, but John Wilkes Booth was a troubled and misguided soul, but also extremely fascinating in his own right. (And so was Booth's brother Edwin, who has a movie about him, 1955's Prince of Players starring Richard Burton, with John Derek as JWB.)

If only some day someone would properly put John Wilkes Booth's story on film! I know that the new National Treasure: Book of Secrets movie deals with Lincoln assassination lore, with actor Christian Camargo, who so expertly played the Ice Truck Killer on the first season of Dexter -- you knew we had to get it in here somehow! -- onscreen briefly as Booth. Director/writer Todd Field (In the Bedroom) has/had a Booth film in the works for a while, but haven't heard much about it lately. With the right actor as Booth, someone able to capture his charm, talent, touch of madness and bravado...it could be great. Maybe someday!

Anyway, make like a history student and watch The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth tonight on The History Channel; two runs tonight then it plays a couple of times early in the new year. Check out the special's website for more background information on this important moment in United States history.