Weirdsville: Oddities From The Archives June 13, 2009

Event: “Weirdsville: Oddities from the Archives”. Guest curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare, weird and some highly entertaining 16mm shorts, clips, trailers and commercials culled from the 50,000+ archive at Oddball Films. Highlights include kooky art film “No. 00173” (Color, 1966); “Two” (Color, 1971), rarity featuring Reneé Taylor; “The Mole As Painter” (Color, 1972), psychedelic cartoon from Czechoslovakia: “Nudism: A Way of Life?” (b+w, ?), you decide; “King of The Pins” (b+w, 1950), with Buddy Hackett; “Some Of Your Bits Ain’t Nice” (color, 1982), personal hygiene tips; “Hot Dog: How They Make Cardboard Boxes” (Color, 1972), featuring Woody Allen and Joanne Worley; “Munchers: A Fable” (Color, 1973), creepy animated dental hygiene; plus an Elvin Jones clip from the Rock ‘n Roll western “Zachariah” and more!
Date: Saturday, June 13, 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

"Weirdsville”
Bizarre, Offbeat, and Just Plain Kooky Films from the Archives

On Saturday, June 13, Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of the strange, the bizarre, and the sometimes baffling short films, clips and trailers from deep within the Oddball archive. These “found” films surface in the process of research for other programs: too good to languish on the shelves, they demand to be screened! A monthly companion program to the Strange Sinema series. 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:

“Two” (Color, 1971)
Spoof of overwrought Italian films written by and starring Reneé Taylor (nominated for an Oscar for Lovers and Other Strangers). Two lovers on the beach try to out-passion each other, then out-debase themselves until the woman walks away in disgust.

“The Mole As Painter” (Color, 1972)
Famous Czech animator Zdeněk Miler made a series of cartoons with a mole as main character. Here the mole is accidentally dropped into a bucket of paint, then proceeds to paint his woodland friends in crazy, psychedelic colors to scare off a marauding fox.

“Nudism: A Way of Life?” (b+w, ?)
An unbiased and unabashed exploration of the nudism movement which first gained popularity in Germany in the early 20th Century.

“King of The Pins” (b+w, 1950)
Buddy Hackett makes his screen debut in this World of Sports short featuring champion bowler Joe Wilman. Joe demonstrates correct technique, while Buddy pantomimes the less correct technique.

“Some Of Your Bits Ain’t Nice” (color, 1982)
Animated personal hygiene short that demonstrates how much sweeter life is when “all of your bits are nice”.

“Hot Dog: How They Make Cardboard Boxes” (Color, 1972)
Saturday morning tv show where kids ask how something is made, get smart-alec answers from Woody Allen and Joanne Worley (Laugh-In), then off to the factory for the real answer.

“Munchers: A Fable” (Color, 1973)
Really creepy stop-motion animated teeth get duped and tortured by “Jack Sweet” until they turn the tide with whatever toothpaste put up the money for this funky little gem. Great wah-wah guitar soundtrack.

“No. 00173” (Color, 1966)
Crazy art film by Polish director Jan Habarta quite possibly influenced the style and themes of Kraftwerk.

PLUS a wild clip from the Rock ‘n Roll hippie western bomb “Zachariah” featuring the drum genius Elvin Jones, trailers and commercials straight out of Weirdsville!

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