Congratulations to Dava Whisenant’s delightful BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY, winner of the 2018 SummerDocs Audience Award, sponsored by Candescent Films!
Catch an encore screening at HIFF 2018, and see how one man’s search for elusive industrial recordings uncovered the bizarre world of Broadway-style musicals about some of the country’s biggest corporations.
BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY
Director: Dava Whisenant
When he started as a comedy writer for the LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, Steve Young had few interests outside of his day job. But while gathering material for a segment on the show, Steve stumbled onto a few vintage record albums that would change his life forever. Bizarre cast recordings—marked “internal use only”—revealed full-throated Broadway-style musical shows about some of the most recognizable corporations in America: General Electric, McDonald’s, Ford, DuPont, Xerox. Steve didn’t know much about musical theater, but these recordings delighted him in a way that nothing ever had. BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY follows Steve Young on his quest to find all he can about this hidden world. While tracking down rare albums, unseen footage, composers and performers, Steve forms unlikely friendships and discovers how this discarded musical genre starring tractors and bathtubs was bigger than Broadway.
Featuring David Letterman, Chita Rivera, Martin Short, Florence Henderson, Susan Stroman, Jello Biafra and more.
Candescent Films returned to sponsor the Audience Award for the 2018 SummerDocs series. Candescent Films supports documentaries that illuminate social issues. Join the conversation @CandescentFilms.
