SummaryA late night comedy writer stumbles upon a hilarious, hidden world of entertainment and finds an unexpected connection to his fellow man.
Directed By:Dava Whisenant
Written By:Ozzy Inguanzo, Dava Whisenant
Bathtubs Over Broadway
Metascore
Generally Favorable
78
User score
Mixed or Average
5.4
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
100% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Nov 29, 2018
90
Bathtubs Over Broadway is pure pleasure, both in its exploration of a hidden and uniquely American corner of show business and its portrait of the charmingly nerdy Young and his singular path toward rescuing this sub-sub-sub-genre while many of its executors are still alive to tell their stories.
Jan 3, 2019
88
Bathtubs Over Broadway offers plenty of evidence that these shows contained material from songwriting greats.
Feb 7, 2019
80
You’re definitely going to laugh and laugh out loud. Young has several hilarious moments with his subjects, and the absurdity of these musicals and songs create an endless stream of silly giggles.
Nov 29, 2018
80
Young and Whisenant hatch a finale that is corny and wonderful — a rare chance to watch someone's dream come true, and an exhortation for others to follow their own weird enthusiasms wherever they might lead.
Dec 12, 2018
75
Bathtubs Over Broadway rediscovers the forgotten world of industrial musicals through rare recordings and film clips, and it is as smoothly entertaining as showbiz set piece, and at times flat-out funny.
Dec 7, 2018
75
Dava Whisenant’s documentary, Bathtubs Over Broadway, offers a glimpse into a world few are aware of: industrial musicals — Broadway-style productions similar to Broadway shows except that they promote products like bathtub fixtures, surgical supplies, and John Deere tractors. They were performed exclusively for company members, sometimes recorded or filmed, then forgotten.
Nov 29, 2018
70
There is a guileless quality to the enterprise as Young interviews stars such as Chita Rivera, Florence Henderson and Martin Short who worked in industrials, as well as the lesser known performers and songwriters who became his heroes.
User score
Mixed or Average
71% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
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29% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Jan 16, 2022
7
One of Steve Young's tasks as a writer for David Letterman was to find unusual record albums for Letterman to feature on the show. During the process, he discovered industrial musicals, big budget shows (sometimes in the millions) that promote all manner of products from cars to mouthwash. Young chronicles his journey to discover more of these gems and meet some of these show's songwriters and performers, including Florence Henderson. There are a few videos from some of the shows, which showcase what large-scale productions these were. This doc provides an entertaining look at this unique sales tool with Young's nerdy delight front and center (he even wrote a book called "Bathtubs Over Broadway"). The audience for this subject may be limited, but Young's obsessive enthusiasm and the mostly unknown history of this amazing "art form" is certainly fascinating.
Production Company:
- Blumhouse Television
- Cactus Flower Films
- Impact Partners
Release Date:Nov 30, 2018
Duration:1 h 27 m
Rating:PG-13
Awards
Film Club's The Lost Weekend
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Heartland International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Palm Springs International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
