more retro rewinds

“1776” (Sunday, July 4, Turner Classic Movies):

The writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence is played for fun and laughs in this superb 1972 musical that starred William Daniels, Ken Howard and Howard Da Silva as, respectively, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. And Daniels fairly steals the show as the future second president in an abrasive character not unlike the one he later played to Emmywinning effect in “St. Elsewhere.”

“Yankee Doodle Dandy” (Sunday, Turner Classic Movies):

Gangster movie icon James Cagney dusted off his dancing shoes to star in director Michael Curtiz’s 1942 biography of entertainer, playwright and Broadway producer George M. Cohan. Though the subject matter might not scream patriotism, the song selection – “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Over There” and, of course, the title tune – certainly does. For his efforts, Cagney took home the Academy Award for lead actor.

“Independence Day” (Sunday, HBO):

The Redcoats aren’t coming but the aliens are in director Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster 1996 sci-fi actioner about a devastating invasion of Earth by extraterrestrials in massive 10-mile-long spaceships. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and the rest of the cast all do fine work as Earthlings fighting back against the interlopers but the real star here are the special effects, which won an Academy Award the following year.

“Born on the Fourth of July” (Sunday, Showtime):

Oliver Stone took home a directing Oscar for his 1989 biography of Ron Kovic (on whose eponymous novel the film is based), a paralyzed Vietnam War vet who becomes an anti-war activist when he feels his government has turned its back on him. Tom Cruise was nominated for a lead actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Kovic, in a talented cast that also features Kyra Sedgwick, Willem Dafoe, Frank Whaley and Raymond J. Barry.