Bathtubs Over Broadway

Where has this movie been hiding this year? Perhaps because so many documentaries, the vast majority, are serious and often eager to expose troubling events in the world, it's hard to imagine such a film being delightful and charmingly eccentric. Yet that is exactly what this documentary is. One of a kind, this is a nostalgic look at a type of entertainment that existed only on the stages of auditoriums hosting company business conferences. Car and tractor companies, dog food manufacturers, and plumbing and bathroom suppliers - all financed these peculiar stage musicals to entertain and encourage their salesmen and employees in cities across the U.S.A. One of the head writers of the David Letterman Show seems to have literally discovered this forgotten branch on the tree of show business. The results of his digging around obscure record shops and interviewing writers and actors, as well as uncovering rare film clips of some of these lively performances - are on display here. For fans of Broadway style musicals and the fringes of show business, this gets close to heaven.

Way back in the seventies the business school mantra was "nothing happens until a sale is made". So how does American ingenuity foster ever greater sales? Turns out there was a unique thing designed to do just that. The Industrial Musical Theater. The biggest juggernauts of industry signed on to a new way in the years post WW II. They hired some of Broadway's best song and theater talent to make a kind of double secret type of sales motivation in the form of Broadway show productions just to fire up the guys and gals in the trenches selling a wide variety of wares. These shows were just for sales meetings and often the budgets were much greater than the Broadway hits of the day. To provide a souvenir that kept motivating afterwards the biggest productions pressed record albums chock full of all of the creative jingles which made up the productions. Largely lost to time and obscurity it took a unique, off-kilter, person to act as a archaeological excavator. That would be long-time comedy writer Steve Young. Young spent several decades exclusively writing for The David Letterman Show. Dave's oft used record collection segments became Young's exclusive territory. Young would find obscure, often unintentionally hilarious, records to feature on the segment. It opened up a world Young never knew existed. Like a moth to a flame Young became obsessed with the genre of the Industrial Musical. This film sheds a spotlight on this singular sales tool which combined Broadway musical productions with overtly clever sales pitches. Now, this film isn't for everyone. Few will find a deep interest I think it's safe to say in the utterly over-the-top method of selling more bath fixtures by way of a slick song and dance number. Or will they? I surprised myself by watching it all. It turns out a lot happens before a sale is made and to insure that final result American ingenuity went to a bit of strange and wonderful creativity. There may even be a message buried in the film as to why America innovated and led the world for a pivotal period and how we need to return to a new era of immense pride in what we make. The present day song and dance production at the end is quite up-lifting. I'm glad Steve Young was able to bring his passion on forgotten Americana to the written page and the screen. If it's worth doing it's worth singing about.

Musicals to motivate American salespeople? For real? Afraid so. And we're so much better for it. At least I am, after seeing Bathtubs Over Broadway. Excellent storytelling. Mr. Young took me down unexpected paths. I thoroughly enjoyed each new discovery along with him. He's got a joy and drive for discovery that you can't help but embrace.

An absolute gem. These arcane industrial musicals aren't particularly compelling, but the stories behind them are fetching, lovingly told, and peppered with sweet reveals that sneak up on you and steal your heart. The finale features a life lesson that is inspiring and pitch perfect.

One needn't enter into viewing this documentary with any background knowledge of either musical theater or the corporate world to find oneself deeply moved by an exploration of the strange landscape where those two worlds meet. Initially, the film presents itself as a quirky investigation of the bizarre world of industrial musicals, played for laughs. By the end, it turns into something much sweeter and stranger, a testament to friendship, passion, and the human spirit. I laughed, cried, smiled, and wondered. The film is worth every minute of your time.