.png)
250 Years Ago: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
A quarter of a millennium ago, on April 18, 1775, occurred Paul Revere’s famous ride to alert the slumbering Minutemen to an eminent crackdown by British leaders on the rebel Patriots at Lexington and Concord. Hostilities broke out there the following day, making April 18 literally the eve of the American Revolution. History rhymes, never more so than on this anniversary when a would-be king has usurped the power of the American government. The next few days in Massachusetts will see both ceremonies and protests, both equally holy in my eyes. As I said in my earlier post, I had ancestors who were there, and it should go without saying to anyone with half a brain that the spirits of the Patriots are on the side of those bucking the illicit authority of the current President, and his flurry of abuses. Honor our history by joining us on the streets tomorrow.
Paul Revere’s Ride has inspired artists of various kinds from that day to this. We thought we would mark the day with a look at some depictions and tributes over the years
Longfellow’s poem, first published in The Atlantic, ended up becoming the traditional telling of the event, mythologizing it somewhat along the way. Schoolchildren recited it for decades, converting it to ritual, giving it something like Biblical authority. Read it here.
“Paul Revere’s Ride (March Two-Step)” (1905)
Penned by E.T. Paull, a composer of descriptive marches and rags, this piece of instrumental music was dedicated to the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Paul Revere HouseOpens as a Museum (1908)
The Paul Revere House remains one of Boston’s top tourist attractions. Visit it here.
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, or The Spirit of ’76 (1914)
Silent film by Edison starring Augustus Phillips as the title character. There had been earlier films in 1907 and 1912 as well, about which little is known.
Cowboy star Ken Maynard played Revere in this all-star historical epic starring Marion Davies and with a cameo by W.C. Fields.
Famous painting by Grant Wood
Paul Revere Jr (1933)
Vitaphone comedy short starring Gus Shy, in which (naturally) the main character goes to sleep and dreams he is his namesake.
In a priceless segment of the Marx Brother’s Duck Soup, Groucho sees THREE lights in the tower of the Old North Church and declares “They’ve double crossed us, they’re coming by land AND sea!” (a reference to the Longfellow poem), and then it is Harpo who takes the Midnight Ride on horseback.
This humorous story by Stephen Vincent Benet was adapted for radio, on the show Escape starring William Conrad, with Paul Frees as narrator. In this version, a Yankee farmer accidentally sets off the American Revolution. Listen to it here.
Johnny Tremaine (1957)
Walter Sande plays the silversmith in the Walt Disney classic about the American Revolution.
Paul Revere and the Raiders (founded 1958)
Gimmicky ’60s pop band founded by keyboardist Paul Revere Dick, although the lead singer was Mark Lindsay I am overdue to give them their own post here! But I did write about one of their best known songs here.
TV Sit-coms and Cartoons
There were Paul Revere themed episodes of Mr. Ed, Mr. Magoo, Sherman and Peabody, Room 222, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.Bert Convy played him in an episode of Bewitched!
Sons of Liberty (2015)
Michael Raymond James played the revolutionary leader in the History Channel series.
There will be events to commemorate the anniversary, sponsored by the Old North Church. Learn about them here.
Comments