“Franklin”: a charm offensive to save a revolution
Ben Franklin kept exceeding limitations.
That was true involving education. “He didn’t go to school past 12 years old,” said Michael Douglas, who plays him (shown here) in a mini-series that starts Friday on Apple TV+. So everything is sort of self-learned.
And it was true involving age. In 1776, where “Franklin” begins, he was already 70 or (some sources say) 71. By comparison, Washington was 44 or 45, Jefferson was 33, Hamilton was 21 or 19.
That senior citizen had a crucial assignment, Douglas, 79, told the Television Critics Association: “The Continental Congress decided, ‘Well, we need Ben,’ because he was was well-known around the world, to do sort of an undercover diplomatic trip to France, to get their support.” Read more…