North and South (miniseries)

This article is about the American miniseries. For the originating novels, see North and South (trilogy). For the unrelated British television serial, see North & South (TV serial). For other uses, see North and South.
North and South

Complete Collection DVD cover
Genre Historical fiction
Created by David L. Wolper
Based on North and South (trilogy) 
by John Jakes
Story by John Jakes
Starring
Theme music composer Bill Conti
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes
  • Book I: 6
  • Book II: 6
  • Book III: 3
Production
Producer(s) Paul Freeman
Cinematography Stevan Larner, ASC
Running time 90 minutes/episode
1,342 mins. total
Production company(s) David L. Wolper Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Release
Original network ABC
Picture format 480i (NTSC)
Audio format Book I & Book II: Mono
Book III: Stereo
Original release
  • Book I: November 3, 1985
  • Book II: May 4, 1986
  • Book III: February 27, 1994

North and South is the title of three American television miniseries broadcast on the ABC network in 1985, 1986, and 1994. Set before, during, and immediately after the American Civil War, they are based on the 1980s trilogy of novels North and South by John Jakes.[1] The 1985 first installment, North and South, remains the seventh-highest rated miniseries in TV history.[2][3][4] North and South: Book II (1986) was met with similar success, while 1994's Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III was poorly received by both critics and audiences.[5][6]

The saga tells the story of the enduring friendship between Orry Main of South Carolina (Patrick Swayze) and George Hazard of Pennsylvania (James Read), who become best friends while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point but later find themselves and their families on opposite sides of the war.[1] The slave-owning Mains are rural planters, while the Hazards, who resided in a small Northern mill town, profit from ownership of manufacturing and industry capital, their differences reflecting the divisions between North and South that eventually led to the Civil War.[7]

Cast

The initial 1985 miniseries cast Patrick Swayze as Orry Main and James Read as George Hazard with Lesley-Anne Down as Orry's love interest Madeline and Wendy Kilbourne as George's future wife Constance.[8] Kirstie Alley played George's outspoken abolitionist sister Virgilia, with Genie Francis as Orry's "good" sister Brett and Terri Garber as his selfish and wicked sister Ashton, as well as Philip Casnoff as Elkanah Bent, George and Orry's nemesis.[8] All of these actors returned for the 1986 sequel, joined by Parker Stevenson as Billy Hazard, George's brother and Brett's husband.[9]

North and South (1985) also featured many well-known actors as guest stars, including Elizabeth Taylor as bordello proprietor Madam Conti, David Carradine as the sadistic Justin LaMotte, Hal Holbrook as Abraham Lincoln, Gene Kelly as Bent's father Senator Charles Edwards, Robert Mitchum as Colonel Patrick Flynn, M.D., Johnny Cash as abolitionist John Brown, Jean Simmons as Orry's mother Clarissa Main, Mitchell Ryan as Orry's father Tillet Main, John Anderson as George's father William Hazard, Jonathan Frakes as George's older brother Stanley Hazard, Inga Swenson as George's mother Maude Hazard, Robert Guillaume as abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Morgan Fairchild as Burdetta Halloran, David Ogden Stiers as Congressman Sam Greene, and Olivia Cole as Madeline's devoted but doomed servant Maum Sally.[8] John Jakes' wife Rachel also made an appearance in Episode 6 as Lincoln's wife Mary. North and South: Book II (1986) saw the return of Carradine as LaMotte, Holbrook as Lincoln, and Stiers as Congressman Greene, as well as new guests Lloyd Bridges as Jefferson Davis, Anthony Zerbe as Ulysses S. Grant, Nancy Marchand as Dorothea Dix, James Stewart as Miles Colbert, Wayne Newton as Captain Thomas Turner, and William Schallert as Robert E. Lee,[9] with Linda Evans as Rose Sinclair and Olivia de Havilland as Mrs. Neal. 1994's Heaven and Hell featured Peter O'Toole as "louche actor" Sam Trump[10] and Billy Dee Williams as Francis Cardozo.

Filming of the miniseries resulted in four marriages among the cast and crew. James Read and Wendy Kilbourne fell in love while shooting scenes where their characters, George Hazard and Constance Flynn Hazard, fell in love. They were married in 1988 and now have two children. Jonathan Frakes and Genie Francis, who had previously played opposite each other on the failed NBC soap Bare Essence, eventually married in 1988. Lesley-Anne Down married assistant cameraman Don E. FauntLeRoy in 1986. When they met during filming of Book 1, both were married to someone else, but eventually obtained divorces.[11] Terri Garber married North and South cameraman Chris Hager in 1985. The couple divorced four years later, and have a daughter named Molly.

Character North and South
1985
North and South: Book II
1986
Heaven and Hell:
North and South Book III

1994
Orry Main Patrick Swayze Patrick Swayze (archive/uncredited)
George Hazard James Read
Madeline Fabray Lesley-Anne Down
Constance Flynn Wendy Kilbourne
Virgilia Hazard Kirstie Alley
Ashton Main
  Young Ashton
  Young Ashton
Terri Garber
Temi Epstein (Ep. 1)
Stephanie Jolluck (Ep. 2)
Terri Garber
Terri Garber
Brett Main
  Young Brett
  Young Brett
Genie Francis
Nikki Creswell (Ep. 1)
Melissa Manley (Ep. 2)
Genie Francis
Genie Francis
Elkanah Bent Philip Casnoff
Charles Main Lewis Smith Kyle Chandler
Billy Hazard
  Young Billy
John Stockwell
Cary Guffey (Ep. 1)
Parker Stevenson
Stanley Hazard Jonathan Frakes
Isabel Truscott Hazard Wendy Fulton Mary Crosby Deborah Rush
Justin LaMotte David Carradine
Clarissa Gault Main Jean Simmons
Maude Hazard Inga Swenson
Burdetta Halloran Morgan Fairchild
Congressman Sam Greene David Ogden Stiers
James Huntoon Jim Metzler
Salem Jones Tony Frank
Priam David Harris
Semiramis Erica Gimpel
Cuffey Forest Whitaker
Ned Fisk Andrew Stahl
Maum Sally Olivia Cole
Madam Conti Elizabeth Taylor
Garrison Grady Georg Stanford Brown
Tillet Main Mitchell Ryan
William Hazard John Anderson
Ironworker Ray Spruell
Barman Ronnie Stutes
Augusta Barclay Kate McNeil
Rafe Baudeen Lee Horsley
Miles Colbert James Stewart
Mrs. Neal Olivia de Havilland
Rose Sinclair Linda Evans
Captain Thomas Turner Wayne Newton
Ezra Beau Billingslea
Lt. Rudy Bodford Michael Dudikoff
Lt. Stephen Kent Whip Hubley
Hope Hazard uncredited Jennifer and Michele Steffin Mary Elizabeth McCae
Sam Trump Peter O'Toole
Adolphus Rip Torn
Cooper Main Robert Wagner
Judith Stafford Main Cathy Lee Crosby
Gus Main uncredited Cameron Finley
Scar Gregory Zaragoza
Running Wolf Ted Thin Elk
Gettys LaMotte Cliff De Young
Jack Quinlan Woody Watson
Isaac Stan Shaw
Jane Sharon Washington
Historical figures
Person Book I
1985
Book II
1986
Book III
1994
Abraham Lincoln Hal Holbrook
Mary Todd Lincoln Rachel Jakes (uncredited)
Ulysses S. Grant Mark Moses Anthony Zerbe Rutherford Cravens
Frederick Douglass Robert Guillaume
John Brown Johnny Cash
George B. McClellan Chris Douridas
George Pickett Cody W. Hampton
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson William Preston Daly
Hiram Berdan Kurtwood Smith
Jefferson Davis Lloyd Bridges
Robert E. Lee William Schallert
Dorothea Dix Nancy Marchand
Francis Cardozo Billy Dee Williams
Major Anderson James Rebhorn

Crew

North and South (1985) was directed by Richard T. Heffron, from a script adaptation by Patricia Green, Douglas Heyes, Paul F. Edwards, and Kathleen A. Shelley. It was produced by David L. Wolper, Paul Freeman, Rob Harland, and Chuck McLain, with music by Bill Conti and Stevan Larner as cinematographer. Wolper also produced 1986's North and South: Book II with his son Mark Wolper, as well as Stephanie Austin and Robert Papazian. Conti returned as composer, with Kevin Connor directing, Jacques R. Marquette as cinematographer, and a script by Heyes and Richard Fielder. Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III (1994) was directed by Larry Peerce from a script by Suzanne Clauser. Hal Galli produced the miniseries, with music by David Bell and Don E. FauntLeRoy as cinematographer.

Plot

Book I: North and South

Book II: Love and War

Book III: Heaven and Hell

Awards and nominations

The North and South miniseries were nominated (N) and awarded (A) with many different awards around the world, among which the most significant are :

Year Award N/A Category/People
1986 Golden Globes N David Carradine for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (N&S1)
1986 Golden Globes N Lesley-Anne Down for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (N&S1)
1986 Emmy A many people for Outstanding Achievement in Costuming for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S1, ep.4)
1986 Emmy N Virginia Darcy for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S1, ep.1)
1986 Emmy N many people for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S1, ep.6)
1986 Emmy N Bill Conti for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) (N&S1, ep.1)
1986 Emmy N Stevan Larner for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S1, ep.6)
1986 Emmy N many people for Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Single Camera Production (N&S1, ep.4)
1986 Emmy N many people for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S1, ep.2)
1986 Emmy N many people for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S2, ep.1)
1986 Emmy N Robert Fletcher for Outstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S2, ep.1)
1986 Emmy N many people for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special (N&S2, ep.6)
1995 ASC Award N Don E. FauntLeRoy for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Mini-Series (N&S3, ep.3)

Media

VHS and DVD releases

North and South Books I and II were released on NTSC VHS in the United States. Book III was never released on VHS in the United States. Books I, II and III were released on PAL VHS in Europe.

All three Books were released on Region 1 DVD in October 2004. This release also included a bonus featurette with John Jakes and David Wolper talking about the books and the miniseries; James Read, Lesley-Anne Down, and Patrick Swayze discussing their characters; general thoughts of other cast and crew members; plus information about the historical background and trials of its reconstruction for the miniseries.

The Region 2 DVD release contained only Books I and II at first, but eventually Book III also became available, with the bonus featurette included. All volumes were sold as separate boxes, but later on they were also available in one box.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack CD published by Varèse Sarabande in 1985 (VCD47250) contains tracks from the music scores of two Bill Conti films, North and South and The Right Stuff. It includes the following tracks from North and South:[12]

  1. Main Title 3:45
  2. Southern Life 1:38
  3. Love In The Chapel 4:04
  4. A Close Call 2:00
  5. Returning Home 2:13
  6. Last Embrace 2:57
  7. Final Meeting 2:28

The Varèse Sarabande Soundtrack Club released the entire score to North and South (1985) in a four-CD box set on February 25, 2008.[13] The tracks in this set are the original recordings used in the production of the series, with three discs devoted to Conti's score and a fourth to the source music from the series. The entire score to North and South: Book II (1986) was released on October 3, 2008 and includes three CDs.[14] On December 4, 2015, North and South: Highlights, a 76-minute disc featuring selections from the first miniseries score, was released.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Editorial Review: North and South (1982). Kirkus Reviews. 1982. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  2. Bennett, Mark (August 11, 2007). "John Jakes' journey to New York Times bestseller list included boyhood years in Terre Haute". Tribune-Star. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  3. Thompson, Bill (March 18, 2002). "Bestselling novelist penning saga of fictional Charleston family". The Post and Courier. Excerpted at DePauw.edu. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  4. Jones, Mary Ellen (November 30, 1996). "The People's Author: The Life of John Jakes". John Jakes: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-313-29530-1. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  5. "North and South: Book III - Heaven and Hell - DVD review". reviewgraveyard.com.
  6. "DVD Verdict Review - North And South: The Complete Collection". DVD Verdict.
  7. O'Connor, John J. (November 1, 1985). "TV Weekend; North and South, A Mini-series". The New York Times (NYTimes.com). Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 Leonard, John (November 4, 1985). Slavs, Slaves, and Shoulders (Review: North and South). New York. pp. 58–61. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  9. 1 2 Leonard, John (May 5, 1986). The Blue, The Gray, and the Déshabille (Review: North and South: Book II). New York. p. 85. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  10. O'Connell, Patricia (February 25, 1994). Review: John Jakes' Heaven and Hell: North and South Part 3. Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  11. Allis, Tim (February 28, 1994). "The Spoils of War". People magazine. Vol. 41, No. 8. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  12. It may be noted that the VCD47250 tracks are re-recordings, as the CD notes state that the tracks were recorded November 25, 1985, which was after North and South had originally aired. The tracks were re-recorded by Conti and the London Symphony Orchestra because at the time it was less expensive than licensing the original tracks.
  13. http://www.varesesarabande.com/details.asp?pid=VCL%2D0208%2D1072
  14. http://www.varesesarabande.com/details.asp?pid=VCL%2D0908%2D1082
  15. https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/north-and-south-highlights

External links

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