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Bathtubs Over Broadway

Special Screenings

World Premiere

USA | 87 MINUTES | English |

BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY

New York, Comedy, Documentary, Music, Female Director(s), First Time Filmmaker, Female Screenwriter(s)
As a writer on Late Night with David Letterman, Steve Young’s duties included scouring through record bins in search of potential subjects for the show’s “Dave’s Record Collection” segments. Little did he know, his hunt for offbeat vinyl would thrust him into the world of Broadway-style “industrial musicals” put on by such companies as General Electric, McDonald’s, Ford, and Xerox at their annual sales meetings in the ’50s through the ‘80s. These productions dazzled and motivated their only intended audience, each company’s salesforce, which was regaled with lavish productions such as Lipton on the Move, Lucite, You and ’72, and The Bathrooms Are Coming.

Dava Whisenant follows Young’s odyssey as he tracks down these shows’ souvenir albums, finds kindred fanatics, interviews the performers, songwriters and directors, and discovers rare performance footage of songs such as “My Bathroom” and “Everything’s Coming Up Citgo.” These shows helped pay the bills for then-emerging performers like Florence Henderson, Martin Short, and Chita Rivera, as well as songwriters Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock. A fascinating and hilarious homage to Young’s unique obsession, Bathtubs Over Broadway opens up a seat alongside Young as he takes the audience into a previously unknown world of corporate song and dance.

—Brian Gordon

After the Premiere Screening: Join us after the film for a conversation with members of the cast and a special performance inspired by the film with surprise guests.

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Dava Whisenant

Dava Whisenant is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and Sundance Fellow. Most recently, she produced and edited the Grammy-nominated Sam Pollard documentary Two Trains Runnin'. Whisenant got her start as an editing assistant to Steven Soderbergh, and she also edited at the Late Show with David Letterman for several years.
Director
Dava Whisenant
Producer
Amanda Spain, Dava Whisenant, Susan Littenberg
Screenwriter
Ozzy Inguanzo, Dava Whisenant
Cinematographer
Natalie Kingston, Nick Higgins
Composer
Anthony DiLorenzo
Editor
Dava Whisenant
Executive Producer
Dan Cogan, Jenny Raskin, Jason Blum, David Letterman, Daniel J. Chalfen, Marci Wiseman, Jeremy Gold, Charles Layton
Co-Producer
Ozzy Inguanzo
Title Design and Animation
Anton Goddard, Syd Garon, Christopher Kirk
Original Song "It'll Change Your Life" written by
Steve Young & Anthony DiLorenzo
Original Song "Take That Step" written by
Steve Young & Hank Beebe
Cast
David Letterman, Chita Rivera, Martin Short, Susan Stroman, Sheldon Harnick, Jello Biafra

CONTACTS

Print Source
Dava Whisenant
Cactus Flower Films
Los Angeles, 90065
davamail@me.com
US Sales Contact
Marci Wiseman
Blumhouse Television
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: 213 835 1055
mw@blumhouse.com
International Sales Contact
Dan Cogan
Impact Partners
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: 646 786 7087
dan@impactpartnersfilm.com
Press Contact
Layla Hancock-Piper
Cinetic Marketing and PR
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 9179632448
layla@cineticmedia.com