"The Blue and the Gray" (1982) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Bruce Catton (story)
Ian McLellan Hunter (writer)

Release Date:

14 November 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

America just before and during the Civil War, as seen through the eyes of an artist correspondent.

Plot Keywords:

President | Mary Todd Lincoln | Abraham Lincoln | U.S. President | TV Mini-Series

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins

Cast

Stacy Keach	...	Jonas Steele
John Hammond	...	John Geyser
Lloyd Bridges	...	Ben Geyser
Rory Calhoun	...	Gen. George Meade
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Maggie Geyser
Warren Oates	...	Preacher / Maj. Welles
Geraldine Page	...	Mrs. Lovelace
Rip Torn	...	Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
Robert Vaughn	...	Sen. Reynolds
Sterling Hayden	...	John Brown
Paul Winfield	...	Jonathan Henry
Gregory Peck	...	Abraham Lincoln
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bruce Abbott	...	Jake Hale Jr.
Royce D. Applegate	...	1st Cell Reporter
Lyle Armstrong	...	Lincoln's Advisor
Diane Baker	...	Evelyn Hale
Kathleen Beller	...	Kathy Reynolds
Paul Benedict	...	Arbuthnot
Walter Brooke	...	Gen. Herman Haupt
Frank Broyles	...	Lincoln's Doctor
Janice Carroll	...	Mary Todd Lincoln
Fredric Cook
Dean Denton	...	Union Soldier at Union Camp
David Doyle	...	Phineas Wade
Julia Duffy	...	Mary Hale
Robin Gammell	...	Jacob Hale Sr.
David W. Harper	...	James Hale
Julius Harris	...	Swamp Preacher
William Harrison	...	Preacher
Alex Harvey
Gregg Henry	...	Lester Bedell
Michael Horton	...	Mark Geyser
Cooper Huckabee	...	Matthew Geyser
John Dennis Johnston	...	Lt. Hardy
Brian Kerwin	...	Malachy Hale
William Lucking	...	Capt. Potts
Charles Napier	...	Maj. Harrison
Walter Olkewicz	...	Pvt. Grundy
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Sgt. O'Toole
Gregg Palmer	...	Bull Run Colonel
George Petrie
Penny Peyser	...	Emma Gayser
Rick Ramey
Veronica Redd
Duncan Regehr	...	Capt. Randolph
David Rounds
Dan Shor	...	Luke Geyser
Warwick Sims
Christopher Stone	...	Maj. Fairburn
Fred Stuthman	...	George (older employee at the Gettysburgh Newspaper)
Robert Symonds	...	Gen. Robert E. Lee
John Vernon	...	Secretary of State Seward
John Voldstad	...	Alvin Mooney
Peter von Zerneck	...	Prussian General
Noble Willingham	...	Cavalry General on Balloon Field

Runtime:

296 min (Recut 2005 Version) | 381 min (Original 1982 Version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Arkansas, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Trivia:

The final film project of Sterling Hayden.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During the scene where Lincoln and Captain Steele test the new repeating rifle, you can see cars driving in the background. Lincoln also walks away on an obviously modern concrete sidewalk.

Quotes:

Wanda Mae: If you was to kiss me, I'd be mighty obliged.
John Geyser: [following the kiss] My mouth's burning!
Wanda Mae: Shucks, I'm sorry, Johnny. It's my chaw.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Walker (2007)

Soundtrack:

Rock of Ages

Believable characters in the best Civil War movie ever.

I first saw this film when it was televised in 1982. My family taped it at that time and it remains one of our favorite films. Even with its' six-hour length, it flows well and I never find myself becoming bored while watching. The best aspect of the movie is the characters, who seem real to us. It shows how families, North and South, were affected in a profound way by the Civil War. Every time we watch The Blue and the Gray, it is easy to develop feelings for the characters, who could almost be members of our own family. It is this humanistic feature rather than dwelling on the intricacies of the battles themselves which makes this film great viewing, even for those who aren't "into" war movies.