"Swing Out, Sweet Land" is a very unusual TV special hosted by John Wayne. It's an uber-patriotic show, chock full of history (some woefully wrong), comedy, drama and music.
The context for this is important to keep in mind. In 1970, the USA was divided between conservative, patriotic-minded folks and liberal, hippe-types...or so it seemed at the time. As a result of protests about the Vietnam War, some became more conservative...and this show is a very conservative reaction to the hippie movement. It also shows a lot of the patriotism that would grow through the 1970s as a result of the upcoming Bicentennial.
Today, it just seems VERY dated and, at times, a bit painful to watch (such as Dan Blocker playing an American Indian and most of Bob Hope's jokes).
I think for non-Americans, they'll find this sort of film VERY confusing as this sort of overt patriotism is either unknown to them or held in disdain (such as by German viewers). I don't think there's much that's comparable.
For me, as an American, I still found this a bit passe and overly schmaltzy. No, I am not an America-hating commie...I just don't feel that comfortable with this much patriotism. Plus, as a US History teacher, I hated that much of the history in the show is wrong (such as the purchase of Manhattan, the importance of the Liberty Bell and a few other items from the show). But I DO recommend you see this if you want some insight into the USA circa 1970. You also might want to see it in order to see a who's who of conservative actors and singers...such as Jack Benny, Dean Martin and many others. Oddly, it also has a couple of Canadians (Lorne Green who later became a naturalized US citizen and William Shatner). It also features a few naturalized Americans...people who were born abroad but became US citizens, such as Bob Hope and Ann-Margret.
By the way, one of the participants in the show clearly was NOT a conservative. Tom Smothers was very anti-Vietnam War and was well known for his left-leaning views. Of course, he could have been very patriotic...but his conscience simply couldn't allow him not to speak out against the war. But I am surprised John Wayne let him be on the show.
