Week of June 22: Abraham Lincoln, Television Star

By Sylvia Gurinsky 

Well, we trust a generation of schoolchildren WON'T be thinking of the 16th president of the United States as a vampire hunter.

President Abraham Lincoln's true legacy, of course, is much different. Television has presented it numerous times, in documentary and dramatic form.

For documentaries, PBS' excellent "Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided" is top of the line. This multi-part series, from the network's "American Experience," spans Lincoln's entire life. It is available on DVD.

NBC made two docudramas about Lincoln. The first one, "Sandburg's Lincoln," based on Carl Sandburg's writing, was created in 1974, with Hal Holbrook in the role.

Holbrook, of course, is best known for his portrayal of another American legend, writer Mark Twain. He won an Emmy for his portrayal of Lincoln. Here's a clip:

Sandburg's Lincoln

Fourteen years later, the Peacock network came up with "Gore Vidal's Lincoln." Unlike the 1974 version,  "Lincoln," based on Vidal's book, made somewhat less of a mark.

The reason may have been, surprisingly, the lead actor. Sam Waterston, known for great work in dramas ranging from the brief "I'll Fly Away" to the long-lasting "Law & Order," played Lincoln. He's played the president on the stage as well. But critics and the public were divided over a portrayal that deviated from long-time perceptions of Lincoln. There were also questions about accuracy.

The biggest problem may actually have been Ernest Kinoy's script. Kinoy won an Emmy for his writing on "Roots" and wrote such excellent dramas as 1981's "Skokie," about the battle over attempts by neo-Nazis to march in Skokie, Illinois. But Kinoy's adaptation of Vidal's work lacks zing.

Still, director Lamont Johnson won an Emmy for directing "Lincoln." Mary Tyler Moore was nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Here's a look at Waterston's portrayal:

Gore Vidal's Lincoln

Both are also available on DVD.

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See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!