The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce “Bathtubs Over Broadway” as the opening night showcase, with special guests Dava Whisenant and Steve Young in attendance.
This highly acclaimed, crowd-pleasing documentary won awards at both the Tribeca and Palm Springs Film Festivals. It also recently took home the Writers Guild of America’s Award for Best Documentary Screenplay.
Synopsis:
In this musical documentary, comedy writer Steve Young’s assignment to scour bargain-bin vinyl for a “Late Night” segment becomes an unexpected, decades-spanning obsession when he stumbles upon the strange and hilarious world of corporate musicals.
Bizarre cast recordings – marked “internal use only” – revealed Broadway-style musical shows about some of the most recognizable corporations in America. These productions frequently featured writers and performers that would become legends, such as Chita Rivera, Kander and Ebb, Florence Henderson, and Bob Fosse.
“Bathtubs Over Broadway” follows Young on his quest to uncover all he can about this fascinating hidden world. The movie features David Letterman, Martin Short, Chita Rivera, Susan Stroman, Florence Henderson, and more.
Steve Young (Featured Subject)
Steve Young is a New York-based comedy writer, author, songwriter, and lecturer. His writing credits include “Late Night” and “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Simpsons,” “Maya and Marty,” and the animated holiday special “Olive the Other Reindeer,” which also featured his song lyrics. He is the co-author of “Everything’s Coming Up Profits: The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals.” Young is also an instructor at New York University, teaching television history.
Dava Whisenant (Director/Producer/Co-Writer/Editor)
Dava Whisenant is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker making her directorial debut with “Bathtubs Over Broadway.” She was the co-
producer and editor of “Two Trains Runnin,” a Grammy-nominated blues and civil rights documentary. Dava was also an editor for the 3D documentary “Under the Electric Sky” (Sundance 2014). Her diverse experience includes serving as supervising producer for
BBC Worldwide, an editing assistant to Steven Soderbergh, and several years as an editor at “The Late Show With David
Letterman.” Dava is a 2016 Sundance Fellow.
“Bathtubs Over Broadway” will screen at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 at the Fargo Theatre.
Director Dava Whisenant and star Steve Young will participate in a Q and A following the screening.