How Long Is “1918”?

Until an influenza epidemic hit a small Texan town in 1918, and several broken young men returned from the war, the horrible conflict in Europe seemed nothing more than parades and songs, Adapted by Horton Foote from his own play, 1918 focuses on life in rural Texas during World War I. Foote's daughter Hallie plays the young wife of William Converse-Roberts. Though there's a baby on the way, the couple is treated like children by Hallie's wealthy parents, who exert a great deal of financial power over the young folks. Accused of being a "slacker", Converse-Roberts agrees to march off to war only after his father-in-law Michael Higgens agrees to look after his Hallie and her incoming baby. This news thrills Converse-Roberts' younger brother Matthew Broderick, who has been told that he can join the army only after his brother does. The 1918 influenza epidemic claims the newborn baby's life, but once this tragedy has been absorbed, life goes on as before, with everyone holding out hope for the future. 1918 was later telecast as part of a Horton Foote trilogy on PBS' American Playhouse.