The Practical Dreamer - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

The year is 1798. Eli Whitney (Burgess Meredith), inventor of the cotton gin, finds himself penniless, his patent stolen. He has wasted 10 years in various countries trying to obtain royalties. Determined to mold his anger into creativity,...See moreThe year is 1798. Eli Whitney (Burgess Meredith), inventor of the cotton gin, finds himself penniless, his patent stolen. He has wasted 10 years in various countries trying to obtain royalties. Determined to mold his anger into creativity, he offers to manufacture 10,000 muskets for the federal government, at 13.40each,tobedeliveredintwoyears.Althoughgovernmentofficialslabelhiman"impracticaldreamer,"heobtainstheorder−proposingtomakethemusketsaccordingtoanewprincipalofinterchangeableparts.Rifleshadbeenhithertobeenmadestocktobarrel,thepartsofonegunneverfittinganother.Hearrangesthefinancingalthoughthemoneyinvolved,13.40 each, to be delivered in two years. Although government officials label him an "impractical dreamer," he obtains the order - proposing to make the muskets according to a new principal of interchangeable parts. Rifles had been hitherto been made stock to barrel, the parts of one gun never fitting another. He arranges the financing although the money involved, 13.40each,tobedeliveredintwoyears.Althoughgovernmentofficialslabelhiman"impracticaldreamer,"heobtainstheorder−proposingtomakethemusketsaccordingtoanewprincipalofinterchangeableparts.Rifleshadbeenhithertobeenmadestocktobarrel,thepartsofonegunneverfittinganother.Hearrangesthefinancingalthoughthemoneyinvolved,134,000, is the biggest financial transaction in the country. Then, he designs and builds the machinery for America's first "mass production line." At the end of the first year, only 500 muskets have been turned out. The Secretary of the Treasury distrusts Whitney's unorthodox methods and fails to reply to when he asks for a $10,000 advance. His backers become worried and his friends desert him. Only Henrietta (Peggy Ann Garner), who was to become his wife, remains loyal. In desperation, Whitney seeks an interview with new President, Thomas Jefferson. Written by NBC See less