Fourth of July Film Orgy July 4, 2009

Event: “Fourth of July Film Orgy”. Guest curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of bizarre Americana on film to celebrate our nation’s 233rd birthday. Highlights include: “Meet King Joe”, a Technicolor cartoon that shows why American workers have it best; “Sewage Treatment Workers”, from the Dignity in Work film series; “All American Meal”, a precursor to “Super Size Me” made in ’76; “Fireworks”, a kooky safety film with a bizarre fire puppet; “200”, the cult favorite psychedelic animation celebrating America’s bicentennial; “An American Time Capsule”, 200 years of American history in 3 minutes; “Not So Easy”, a motorcycle safety film featuring Peter Fonda and Evel Knievel; plus “The Star Spangled Banner”, vintage meat, bbq, beer and junk food commercials, some tributes to recently departed American icons and more Americana mayhem!
Date: Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 8:30PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco 94110
Admission: $10.00 RSVP Only to: 415-558-8117 or info@oddballfilm.com
Web: http://www.flarerecord.com/?p=237

"Fourth of July Film Orgy”
Screens at Oddball Films

On Saturday, July 4, Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of bizarre Americana on film to celebrate our nation’s 233rd birthday. You can shiver in the cold and watch the fog er… fireworks on the Embarcadero, or you can celebrate and see plenty of fireworks and much more at Oddball Films’ Fourth of July Film Orgy. A wild assortment of American-themed shorts- from propaganda to junk food, the freedom of the road to searching for dentures in the sewer. Happy Birthday, America!
Showtime is 8:30PM and admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP is preferred to: info@oddballfilm.com or 415-558-8117.

Highlights Include:

“Meet King Joe” (Color, 1951)
Subtitled “Fun And Facts About America”, this animated, Technicolor propaganda short from MGM demonstrates how American’s are better off than the rest of the world, singling out the Chinese in particular with racist portrayals (America was at war in Korea at the time, often fighting North-allied Chinese forces). “Americans own practically all the refrigerators in existence… as we drive about in 72% of the world’s automobiles”, crows the narrator.

“Sewage Treatment Workers” (Color, 1970)
Part of the Dignity in Work series, this entertaining short focuses on 3 very New York sewage workers, their unusual jobs and how they get trough the day: with a lot of humor. “One thing- the wife never asks me what I did today”, says one of the men. The lost dentures story should keep you flossing regularly…

“All American Meal” (Color, 1976)
Long before “Super Size Me” and the just-released “Food Inc.”, this little gem of an educational film warned of the dangers of the burger, fries and a coke diet that Americans are still hooked on. Unlike last week’s “Bicycles Are Beautiful”, McDonald’s did NOT sponsor this film.

“Fireworks” (Color, 1970’s)
Educational safety film featuring a bizarre Sid and Marty Krofft-style fire puppet and lots of cool vintage fireworks.

“200” (Color, 1975)
Vince Collin’s supremely psychedelic animated celebration of our nation’s bicentennial, sponsored by the United States Information Agency. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. But then again, not as many LSD-inspired animators make it through the grant process.

“American Time Capsule” (Color/b+w, 1968)
Chuck Braverman presents the history of the United States up to 1968 in 3 minutes, utilizing a montage of 1300 images set to the music of Sandy Nelson’s Beat That Drum.

“Not So Easy” (Color, 1973)
Peter Fonda, with his trademark Captain America helmet, narrates and stars with that quintessential American Evel Knievel in this “hip” motorcycle safety film. Super heavy/generic acid rock soundtrack accompanies some trick riding and jumps along with more sedate riding along the PCH in Santa Monica. Some choice lines from Evel: “If I look like I’m rigging up for a trip into outer space, you’re right… they’ve saved a lot of hide, especially in accidents like mine”.

PLUS! “The Star Spangled Banner” with a full marching band, vintage meat, bbq and junk food commercials, a tribute to some recently departed American icons and more!

Curator Biography:
Pete Gowdy (aka DJ Chas Gaudi) is host of San Francisco’s Shellac Shack, a weekly 78 rpm listening party and a DJ specializing in vintage sounds: soul, jazz, country, punk and new wave. A graduate of the Vassar College Film Program, he is an associate producer of Marc Huestis Presents, the long-running movie legend tributes at the Castro Theatre.

Official Website: http://www.flarerecord.com/?p=237