Bathtubs Over Broadway Reviews
It was great fun to see these video recordings of something I never knew existed and was not supposed to see. Thank you Steve Young for bringing this to all of us!
As a veteran of many years of creating these shows, this film brought back many happy memories. I was especially delighted to see a snippet of my work included! Most of all, I was touched to see my old buddy and co-worker Sid Siegel receive a small portion of the honors he so richly deserves. I can only say God Bless You, Steve Young, for warming the heart and bringing tears to the eyes of an old man with little to show for his work but many great memories...until now!
This was such an unexpected gem! I have lost track of how many times I have sat down to enjoy this extraordinary hidden world! Thank you Steve Young for sharing your discoveries!
An offbeat paean to the peculiar excesses and exultations of campy midcentury American entrepreneurship, though Side B does start to lose steam as the focus shifts from industrial musicals to their collection by Steve Young, who the documentary tries to position as something of a Steve Wiebe—though without a heel like Billy Mitchell, Wiebe (like Young) would be just another dweeb.
Fantastic! My new favourite movie!! A delight from curious beginning to soaring finale, and the perfect antidote to anger, gloom and tedium. Anyone – in fact everyone! – in social isolation should to see this!!
It was a delight! I especially loved how Steve found these performers and helped them value their past work even more. It's also about the joy of eccentric adventures
So this is the story of a guy, Steve Young, no not the Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, but a longtime writer for both late night shows starring David Letterman. He was in charge of getting odd records for the 'Dave's Record Collection' bit on the show. Over time he stumbled into some records called 'Industrials' which were shows done by big companies to increase moral and who knows what other reasons. This rabbit hole turned into an obsession for Young who is charming in his unwavering devotion to his passion: unearthing as much about this musical performances as he can. The journey takes us to writers and actors in the shows that were often done just once. It was a lot of work and some really good money and it's so bizarre it has to be seen to be believed. He tracks down some pretty well known actors and gets to learn about more in this nearly undiscovered world. The doc ties in the conclusion of the Late Show with David Letterman and an uncertain future with no job. It's really great, never boring and tight. Final Score: 9.4/10
I never knew about this stuff, but it's incredible learning about it. If you like theater or musicals, you'll want to watch this too.
The mark of an excellent documentary is transcendence over its subject. You think you're watching a film about a whole element of professional musical theater, industrial musicals, that very few people have ever heard of. But after a bit you realize it's also about this guy, a comedy writer who isn't sure if he's funny anymore, who doesn't think he's got a second act in him, who finds himself out of work right before he turns 50 and ends up writing his own second act. This is a fantastic film about composers and librettists, performers and collectors, but it's also about getting old in America, about the scorn we level towards artists when they make money, and about how bleak your personal outlook can be when you don't think you have time to reinvent yourself. It's also got Jello Biafra in a Broadway-style musical number, holding an armload of toilet plungers.
Absolutely loved this movie! It's funny, joyfully weird, heartwarming and reminds us how powerful it can be to make someone feel seen.
What a weird, quirky and oddly emotional ride to watch. What a joy to see some one finally rewarded for putting their heart and soul into a creative effort. Gives us all a little hope that what we put out will not return void. Thoroughly enjoyed.
I have smiled and giggled my way through this entire film!
The obsession with musical mediocrity ...tuneless tunes..and doggerel raised to the pretension of significant cultural exploration. It reflects the excesses of a material culture out of control...excess singing the praises of excess.
I laughed and I cried and I loved this for many reasons. Storyteller is so witty; production style is unique; and I love that someone found all this creative work and artistry and people are getting credit for this brilliant work. There was so much money and time spent on these industrial plays and it is So American and part of our capitalism and brands. I loved everything about this movie especially this unique reminde of what I loved about the 50ï¿ 1/2(TM)s, 60ï¿ 1/2(TM)s and 70ï¿ 1/2(TM)s. A must see!!!