F.S. Key After the Song introduces viewers to antebellum society as “ghosts” recall Francis Scott Key’s politics and beliefs after writing of national anthem

OWINGS MILLS, MD, Aug. 28, 2017 -- The new three-part docudrama F.S. Key After the Song will premiere starting in mid-September on Maryland Public Television (MPT) and other public TV stations across the nation including the WORLD Channel.  

Actor Gary L. Sandy as President Andrew Jackson in F.S. Key After the Song Four-time Tony Award nominee actor Boyd Gaines as Roger B. Taney in F.S. Key After the Song

F.S. Key After the Song continues the story of Francis Scott Key’s life and times after his 1814 writing of the song that would become the national anthem. It takes a fresh approach to a long-overlooked period in United States history and provides a window into antebellum society and the attitudes and behavior of Americans on slavery that led to the Civil War. A preview of F.S. Key After the Song is available at http://bit.ly/2xaE7Un.

The MPT-produced film will premiere on MPT-HD on Sept. 12 - 14 at 10 p.m. WORLD Channel will air the docudrama in its entirety on Friday, September 15 from 7 - 10 p.m. and again twice on Saturday, September 16. WORLD Channel is distributed by American Public Television and is carried by 151 stations representing more than 60 percent of U.S. TV households, including the New York, Chicago and Los Angeles broadcast areas. 

“Many people are unaware that Francis Scott Key not only wrote the national anthem but was also a constitutional attorney and ambitious political operative for U.S. President Andrew Jackson,” explains Philip J. Marshall, executive producer, writer and director of the film. “Before Donald Trump and Steven Bannon, there was Andrew Jackson and Francis Scott Key.”

Marshall has crafted this project in the participatory style developed for his earlier MPT film, F.S. Key and the Song that Built America, a one-hour documentary produced to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Key's writing of the Star-Spangled Banner.

The new film centers on interviews between the filmmaker (Marshall) and a group of historical “ghost” characters, treated as if they were alive and scripted so they appear to be back from the grave. These characters, including President Andrew Jackson and Supreme Court Justice (and Key brother-in-law) Roger B. Taney, are questioned directly about various subjects and events involving their relationship with and knowledge of Key.

F.S. Key After the Song features performances by 13 actors including Boyd Gaines (four-time Tony Award nominee/One Day at a Time) as Roger B. Taney; Gary L. Sandy (WKRP in Cincinnati/The Insider) as Andrew Jackson; John Astin (The Addams Family/Dean, Johns Hopkins University Theater Department) as Edgar Allan Poe; Phil Proctor (Firesign Theater/Pixar movies voice) as John Randolph of Roanoke; and Karen Lynn Gorney (Saturday Night Fever/All My Children) as Mary Ann Thornton.

The film, shot in 14 states and the District of Columbia, also includes interviews with 11 noted historians and authors to continue the story of Key’s life and times. Re-creations of some historical events add further depth to the film.

Part One of the docudrama is titled "The Era of Good Feelings." It starts after the Battle of Baltimore and Andrew Jackson's Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, and is a primer on early slavery. Part Two is titled "Might Versus Right." It centers on Key's change in character, his involvement in the Jackson administration and his transformation into a political operative. Part Three is titled "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely." It focuses on Key’s resolute feelings on slavery, which put him head-to-head with abolitionists’ ideas.

F.S. Key After the Song is produced by Maryland Public Television and Kismetic Productions, Inc., and distributed by American Public Television. Viewers who would like to watch the film can contact their local public television station and ask the program department when it will be appear on the schedule.

Speaking about F.S. Key After the Song, Chris Funkhouser, vice-president at American Public Television commented, “You've created a new genre and format with these programs.”

More information about F.S. Key After the Song can be found at fskusa.org and at social media sites @fsKey on Twitter and facebook.com/FSKMPT on Facebook.

About MPT

Launched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).  MPT’s six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia.  Frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards, MPT creates local, regional, and national television shows.  Beyond broadcast, MPT’s commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of 14 million page views annually.  MPT’s community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, education, and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings, and phone bank call-in opportunities. For more information visit mpt.org.

# # #

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2dce87a-1bfb-4cd2-94ad-aee46eedeb48

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/57ee77d0-6f88-4532-9378-9f7ed601555b

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/36cf499e-2583-45cb-890c-0a8de3b25c5a

Tom Williams
Maryland Public Television
410-581-4031
[email protected]