America on a Plate: The Story of the Diner

In this hour-long documentary, writer/critic Stephen Smith traces the origins and enduring symbolism of the diner in American culture. He visits various venues, from the oldest mobile diner in Rhode Island, to contemporary diners in New York, the diner in Nashville, Tennessee, which became the venue for a protest against racial segregation in 1960, and the diners of LA which have been memorably captured on film. Through use of examples drawn from popular culture, including the paintings of Norman Rockwell and Edward Hopper, and movies such as Barry Levinson's DINER (1982), and Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS (1990), Smith argues that the diner not only symbolizes the idea of movement and progress, but remains one of the few institutions that is genuinely classless: rich and poor alike sit alongside one another and communicate. On the other hand, the diner also expresses the loneliness inherent in many American cultures, notably in New York, where Hopper's iconic painting of 1941 of late-night diners captures the isolation and/or alienation of the customers. What the documentary lacks, however, is a sense of the diversity of diners and their socio-cultural significances: a Californian diner is infinitely different from its counterpart in Massachusetts, for example. It's that difference that makes them so enduringly fascinating for locals and visitors alike; to enjoy a cup of coffee in them is both an anthropological as well as a culinary experience. As an introductory program to the diner, however, America ON A PLATE is a well-constructed and fascinating piece.