FORD STAR JUBILEE: THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT (TV)
Summary
One in this series of monthly specials sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. On March 4th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln is sworn in for his second term in office, and vice president Andrew Johnson embarrasses himself by arriving inebriated. Lincoln goes up to make his address and conclude the proceedings. Young actor John Wilkes Booth is in attendance in the audience. On the evening of April 14th, Lincoln sits in the Oval Office reading, and Secretary of State William H. Seward sits in bed, recovering from a carriage accident, and Johnson is sleeping. Elsewhere in Washington, Booth prepares himself for that evening, reflecting on the fall of Richmond and the Confederacy. Lincoln has breakfast with his family and tells them about a recurring dream of his involving him somehow witnessing his own death. Mary Todd Lincoln convinces her husband to attend a performance of the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater that night, along with General Grant and his family. Lincoln agrees, and tells them of an important upcoming cabinet meeting meant to discuss the reconstruction of the South. Booth makes his own plots; his associate intends to capture Lincoln, but Booth believes he is of no value to the South alive. Lincoln attends to the business of the day and first meets with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Stanton submits his resignation, upset that Lincoln has handed out presidential pardons to a large number of soldiers who failed in the line of duty, saving them from military execution Lincoln asks him not to go, believing that Stanton’s help is necessary for reconstruction to commence. Stanton finds out that Lincoln intends to go to Ford’s Theater with Grant that night, and he strongly recommends that Lincoln reconsider, believing that a public appearance is too risky at the moment. Lincoln, however, is unafraid, pointing to the already enormous numbers of potential attempts on his life he is aware of. Booth heads over to Ford’s Theater to pick up his mail and learns that Lincoln is attending the play that night. He realizes that this is his opportunity to get close to Lincoln and makes plans to attend that night. The cabinet meeting begins and Seward’s son Frederick speaks on behalf of his father, conveying his beliefs that Southern military and infrastructure should be seized and that control over its public works should be reestablished. Stanton argues with other cabinet members about the delegation of responsibility over reconstruction tasks. Booth and his co-conspirators meet, and he chastises one of them for nearly revealing their plans at a bar while drunk. He hopes to assassinate Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, and Seward, all in the same day. When his friend George refuses to kill anyone Booth strikes him and outlines his plan, convincing George to change his mind. He and his three associates are to perform the assassinations simultaneously at 10:15 PM that night before meeting at a navy shipyard to escape into Maryland. Lincoln and his cabinet hold a long discussion about what is to be done with the leaders of the Confederacy. The staff of Ford’s Theater prepares the state box for Lincoln’s arrival; unbeknownst to them the lock on the door to the box is broken. General Grant declines Lincoln’s invitation to the play that evening, as Mrs. Grant is leaving by train that evening. Booth contemplates his upcoming act of assassination, believing that his name will be forever remembered by history. That afternoon, Lincoln calls Johnson in for a meeting. He gives him advice on how to rein in the cabinet, and says he needs his help in determining a plan for dealing with the South and its leaders. Lincoln seems to have a sense of his impending death and notes the likelihood of a potential assassin being successful. Booth tells George that Grant is leaving Washington, and calls him a “coward” when he ducks into another bar. Lincoln and Mary go on a carriage ride through town while passers-by cheer him on. He tells her about his plans for the remainder of his term and his idea of taking his family on a trip throughout Europe. Booth visits Ford’s Theater again and prepares the president’s box for his plan, hoping to block off the door to buy himself some time and leap from the box to make his escape. Booth muses to himself as the audience files into the theater, frustrated that he will not be able to proclaim his thoughts about Lincoln before assassinating him; he believes Lincoln is a “tyrant” who brought misery to the South, responsible for untold death and devastation. He takes a moment to consider both the immediate and future consequences of what he is about to do. Lincoln leaves with Mary for the play and Booth meets with his accomplices one last time, explaining that he has already sent a letter to the National Intelligentsia describing his actions and reasoning. Lincoln arrives a few minutes into the play, and the actors and audience all pause to cheer him as he takes his seat. The play continues, and eventually Booth enters the theater a few minutes before 10:15 PM. He manages to evade notice and bar the door as planned. Booth successfully shoots Lincoln and fends off his company, Major Rathbone, with a knife as he leaps on to the stage and escapes through backstage. The other assassinations are unsuccessful; Seward is stabbed but survives, and George backs out of killing Johnson at the last minute. A doctor tends to Lincoln as a panicked crowd surrounds him and the theater is in uproar. Soldiers are brought to carry Lincoln to the nearest house they can find, and a comatose Lincoln is attended to. However, the doctor soon realizes that there is nothing he can do to save Lincoln, and that his death is certain. Mary, hysterical, is outside as Robert arrives, and they weep together. They try to get permission to go in and see Lincoln, although the doctors want them to stay out. The police, military, and secret service make every effort to find Booth and his associates. Stanton spearheads the search for Booth and prepares for Lincoln’s inevitable death. Mary is finally let in to see Lincoln and tries to communicate with him, begging him not to die. She is soon escorted out. The secret service interrogates the actors in the play and one identifies Booth as the killer. Johnson comes in to see Lincoln and solemnly looks over his unconscious body before returning home. Later, Mary is brought in again, but she faints when she sees Lincoln’s body and is carried out. There is a massive public reaction to Lincoln’s death as the entire country mourns for him. An epilogue states that Booth and his co-conspirators were eventually all caught and killed. His death has a lasting impact on the political structure of Washington and the nature of the reconstruction effort. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: February 11, 1956 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:19:00
- COLOR/B&W: B&W Copy of Color Telecast
- CATALOG ID: B:24532
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1955-1956
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Promos – “Ford Star Jubilee”
- TV – Promos – “Ford Theater”
CREDITS
- Delbert Mann … Director
- Jim Bishop … Based on the novel by
- Denis Sanders … Adapted by
- Terry Sanders … Adapted by
- Jean Holloway … Adapted by
- Charles Laughton … Narrator
- Jack Lemmon … Cast, John Wilkes Booth
- Raymond Massey … Cast, Abraham Lincoln
- Lillian Gish … Cast, Mary Todd Lincoln
- Billy Chapin … Cast, Tad Lincoln
- Raymond Bailey … Cast, Edwin Stanton
- Fay Roope … Cast, Gideon Welles
- Bill Phipps … Cast, Axelrod
- Herbert Anderson … Cast, Dr. Leale
- Charles Nolte … Cast, Robert Lincoln
- Paul Bryar … Cast, Andrew Johnson
- Bill Schallert … Cast, William H. Seward
- Roy Engel … Cast, Ulysses S. Grant
- William Benedict … Cast
- Richard du Bois … Cast
- Mark Herron … Cast
- Doris Loyd … Cast
- Shirley Mills … Cast
- Doug Odney … Cast
- Ainslie Pryor … Cast
- Jack Raine … Cast