AS SEEN ON TV: PHILIP KENT

Had it not been for the death of Andy Griffith the day before, this would have been my entry for Independence Day......

PHILIP KENT

aka

PHILIPPE CHARBONEAU

CREATED BY:

John Jakes

PORTRAYED BY:

Andrew Stevens

AS SEEN IN:

"The Bastard"

"The Rebels"

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

"The Bastard" is a historical novel written by John Jakes and originally published in 1974. It is book one in a series known as "The Kent Family Chronicles" or the "American Bicentennial Series". The novel mixes fictional characters with historical events or people, to tell the story of the United States of America in the time period leading up to the American Revolution.

Click here for a full summary of "The Bastard".

On his return from Philadelphia to Concord to be reunited with Anne, [Philip Kent] ran into Paul Revere, with William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, on their famous “midnight ride” to warn the patriots that the British army was coming.

"The Rebels" is a historical novel written by John Jakes, originally published in 1975, the second in a series known as "The Kent Family Chronicles" or the "American Bicentennial Series". The novel mixes fictional characters with historical events and figures, to narrate the story of the nascent United States of America during the time of the American Revolution. While the novel continues the story of Philip Kent, started in The Bastard, a large portion focuses on Judson Fletcher, a newly introduced character, as a different rebel. 

Click here for a full summary of "The Rebels".

"The Kent Family Chronicles" (also known as "The American Bicentennial Series") is a series of eight novels by John Jakes written to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. The books became best sellers, with no novel in the series selling fewer than 3.5 million copies. With "The Rebels", "The Seekers" and "The Furies", Jakes became the first author to have three books on the New York Times bestseller list in a single year (1975).

The books describe different members of the Kent family and their connection with historical events around the time of the American Revolution. The first novel begins just before the American Revolution, with Frenchman Phillipe Charboneau, who travels to England and later to the New World, changing his name to Philip Kent along the way and meeting several key figures of the Revolution, including the Marquis de La Fayette, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Joseph Warren, and others. The saga ends some generations later, in 1890 with the death of Gideon Kent in The Americans. (It was originally intended to continue until 1976, covering 200 years.) 

The first two novels in the series were made into telefilms in 1978 and 1979, both starring Andrew Stevens as Philip Kent, with the third becoming a 1979 telefilm starring Randolph Mantooth as son Abraham Kent.

• The Bastard (1974)
• The Rebels (1975)
• The Seekers (1975)
• The Furies (1976)
• The Titans (1976)
• The Warriors (1977)
• The Lawless (1978)
• The Americans (1979)

Many of the historical characters seen in these TV movies had been well represented on TV in the past.  We can accept these as being the televersions of Toobworld, but only as they are as perceived by Philip Kent.  From his point of view, as it were, even if he is not in the scene with them.

At least one of them is not the actual historical figure, however.  "George Washington" (as played by Peter Graves) was actually an impostor, working with the American rebels to keep the British off-guard as to the location of the real General Washington.  This is a Toobworld splainin to account for the many depictions of George Washington who should be allowed to stay in Earth Prime-Time and not be shuttled off to an alternate Toobworld.  (Washington as seen in 'Bewitched', however, is the living embodiment of an illustration from one of Tabitha's books.)

BCnU!