GEORGE C. ADAMS – As part of Balladeer’s Blog’s seasonal posts headed into America’s 250th birthday I recently reviewed the 1970s miniseries The Adams Chronicles – Part One HERE and Part Two HERE. Those two blog posts were so popular I decided to do another Adams, but one who stands out not for nation-defining political accomplishments but for college football.
George Caspar Adams was born on April 24th, 1863. His father was John Quincy Adams the Second and his mother was Frances Crowninshield-Adams, as in the Crowninshield ancestors of the Washington Post‘s Ben Bradlee.
In 1882 George graduated from the Adams Academy, which was founded by America’s 2nd President John Adams. From there he entered Harvard University, graduating in 1886. Despite the high brow reputation of most Adamses, George made the Harvard Crimson football team, playing Halfback on Offense and Rushing End on Defense. Continue reading
EPISODE SEVEN: JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, DIPLOMAT (Mar 2nd, 1976) – From 1809 t0 1814 John Quincy Adams (David Birney) serves as U.S. Minister to Russia. Showing much more tact than his father, John Quincy charms Tsar Alexander (CHRISTOPHER LLOYD in his television debut!) and manages fairly favorable treatment of the United States by Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. 
THE ADAMS CHRONICLES (1976) – This mini-series of 13 50-minute episodes looked at historical giant John Adams and his descendants from the American Revolution up to the 1890s. Michael Tolan narrated 8 episodes. 
EPISODE ONE: JOHN ADAMS, LAWYER (Jan 20th, 1976) – As a young man, John Adams (George Grizzard) suffers setbacks in his career as a lawyer, so he returns to the farm his father left him. His fiery cousin Samuel Adams (W.B. Brydon) tells him he made a mistake and should go back to practicing law. John meets Abigail Smith (Kathryn Walker), daughter of a Reverend (Addison Powell). He marries her and as they raise their children he returns to his career as an attorney. 
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