The Adams Chronicles

I've also seen "The Adams Chronicles" in the mid-1970s when I was a College Student. I've skimmed through the published Adams Papers, witch lots of letters between Abigail and John Adams, and the series has captured the flavor of the Adams, with their love and intellectual exchanges with each other.

John Adams may have a lot to learn about good PR, but Abigail must have been one of the smartest and well-informed first ladies the US has ever had.

I wish I could buy the video series, but there appears to be none available. The film apparently is available in far-off university libraries throughout the country.

In my opinion, the best TV miniseries were the ones from the 1970's, and this one just may have the number one spot, or close to it.

You get to know four generations of the Adams family and their places in history (as well as their personal lives) without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. If you want to learn more, there's always books you can read.

All the acting was excellent, and it was interesting to see William Daniels playing John Quincy Adams, when not too long before that, he played his father, John Adams, in the movie "1776". (He also played John Adams again in another TV miniseries around that same time, and later on he was in a series where he played the principal of John Adams high school. Do you detect a pattern here???

Don't miss this one!

I saw the series when first televised on PBS (in the days before affordable VCR's) To my knowledge it has been televised one or twice since and I missed a few episodes each time. I really wish PBS would televise it again or at least offer it for sale. This is the best mini series on the beginning of America as an independent nation that has ever been made. It would be a success in any year, 1976 or 2076. I would like to purchase the series on vhs if it were available however, the copyright owner could make a fortune by remastering the sound/video for sale on DVD

It's been a long time (30 years) since one of the best mini-series on American History has been seen, not to mention a bit difficult to remember the details.

The Chronicles, produced for WNET/PBS New York for the 200 year Centennial Celebration is sitting in the station's vault. It has not been made available for re-airing or DVD, so it's difficult to express some of the most memorable moments. Therefore, whatever is said here, won't matter much as concerns your being able to see the program (at least as of this writing). I'd like to give a tiny bit of how it is now perceived via memory.

The program was perhaps most instrumental in inspiring awe for the greatness of our founders. The costumes were meticulous, the acting superb. It made one very proud to be a part of this great American experiment of freedom.

Seeing the portrayal of the life of four generations of this great family, it was John Adams the patriarch, played by George Grizzard that was the best part of the series (perhaps a part of the first six programs?). Please pardon my memory. When this program gets aired again, I hope to be back with an updated and complete review.

You can help bring it back to life by contacting WNET /13 in New York and PBS. Please do so.

This Mini is by far one of the best to be produced by PBS. Its success was helped largely in part by the fact that it came out during the bicentennial year, but even had that not been the case it still would have done well. I certainly made me interested in American History, and I am sure that it probably inspired others as well.

The cast is populated by several well known Broadway and television actors (including William Daniels who does a turn this time as John Quincy rather than the role he created in "1776"), and the majority of the performances are outstanding, particularly George Grizzard, Kathryn Walker, and Pamela Payton-Wright. If you every get a chance to see this mini...DO!