Date: Saturday November 19, 2011 at 8:00PM Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp St., San Francisco (map)
Admission: $10.00 - Limited seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415-558-8117
Our cornucopia of food films includes:
You and Your Food (Technicolor, 1955) Part of a long series of short animated educational films produced by the prolific animator Walt Disn*y, this film covers a full course meal of information about food and nutrition. Hosted by that magic umbrella-toting grasshopper, who will walk you through different foods for different animals and the right foods for you and me.
In the Night Kitchen (Color, 1970) Based on a children’s book written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, this short film follows a young boy through a night-time adventure in the world of fat chefs, enormous foods, and kitchen magic. Haven’t had your fill with Where the Wild Things Are? Come out and catch this colorful animated beauty for a trip down memory lane for a midnight snack.
The Sugar Cereal Imitation Orange Breakfast (Color, 1973) As explained by the film can insert: “Comedian Marshall Efron, in boy’s cap and sweater gives some inside tips to other kids on how to manipulate Mom into buying those television advertised, heavily frosted, super-sugar, breakfast cereals- which unfortunately are low in nutrition and bad for the teeth. Then, turning his humor to a display of imitation orange juice products, Effron examines brand name concentrates, liquids and powders which variously contain water, sugar, chemicals, additives, and sometimes orange juice!”
Chemical Feast (Color, 1973) Join our host Marshall Efron again in another satirical look at today’s (or the 1970s) modern foods. Chef Effron cooks up a big ‘ol meal of slop based on the ingredients found in some common pre-packaged, heavily processed miracle ‘foods’.
How Do They Make Hot Dog Rolls? (Color, 1970) Join Woody Allen and Joanne Worley as they ask the big question and get an inside look at the process of making those tasty, ever so soft, wiener-warming buns. From flour sack to plastic bag, become entranced by the thousands of buns pouring out of huge machines at a mile a minute.
Pork: The Meal With the Squeal (Color, 1963) Take a break from all the swine flu hubbub with this pig-focused film. Is pork really going to be what’s for dinner after your get the low down on the other white meat? You bet your buck it will, what with all the hams bobbling in brine, hot dog strands miles long, and juicy chops sizzling away! Don’t forget to bring your pigskin wallet, hog’s hair paint brush, and other pig-based by products to round out the experience.
Deep Fat Frying (Color, 1969) Discover the wonderful world of deep fat fried foods. Our narrator takes us on a tour through the back rooms of all those grease-soaked restaurants that chef up nothing but pure, unadulterated fried goodness. Learn how the pros do it with proper fat maintenance, food preparation, and cooking guidelines to keep that fat hot and the food sizzling. Step back in time to your pimpled, minimum wage days with the folks in ‘Deep Fat Frying’ mmmm, greasy!
Waffles (Color, 1980) A little girl is transported to a place and time (through a dream, of course) where she can go straight to the farm and get all the ingredients she needs for a breakfast favorite. Starring: a milk cow, pet dog, egg-laying hen, and a sleepy-eyed blonde girl.
Beef: the Steak in the Grass (Color, 1973) Ahh, the bucolic world of beef production… Bucolic in the eyes of the Iowa Beef Industry Council, at least. Discover the many uses of our bovine friends through this educational short. This film ‘steers’ us through lush pasture land, to your local feedlot, right to the backyard BBQ, where Dad grills up some juicy, beefy burgers for the whole family to enjoy.
Raisins (Color, 1954) This Arthur Barr Production delves into the wide and fascinating world of raisins. Shot on location in sunny Fresno, California, the raisin capital of the world (at least in the ‘50s), the voice-over narrator explains every step of the process. Indulge your visual senses with this Kodachrome beauty and don’t forget to get grandma another box of delicious, plump California raisins on your way home from the show.
Peanuts and the Peanut Butter Plant (Color, 1974) From field to countertop, the versatile peanut (actually a legume) has a long way to go to become the staple of the American childhood diet. See how it all unfolds in this short educational film. Then go home and lay it on thick because who doesn’t love the most versatile spreadable edible? Oh, maybe people who are allergic…
Tuna Packing (Color, 1948) Photographed in stunning Kodachrome by Paul L. Hoefler, this short documentary-esque film reveals the colorful world of tuna packing. Huge buckets of frozen fish, labyrinths of log-flume like machines, huge steam cooking ovens, and scores of workers make the job of turning these large fish into tiny cans of shredded multi-purpose meat easy as pie, sort of…
Artistry In Sugar (Color, 1950s) Starring sugar artist, Eric Sage (who studied ornamental sugar crafting in Britain) and a plethora of sucrose sculptures, “Artistry in Sugar” is a must see for cake fanatics and culinary arts connoisseurs alike. As the beginning of the film states, “This presentation illustrates the salient features of sugar artistry. Every object featured in this picture is the product of sugar craftsmanship.” Animated sugarscapes, incredible cakes, and endless shots of sweet, sticky beauty will please your sweet tooth and stun your aesthetic sensibilities!
Food: Surviving the Chemical Feast (Color, 1975) from the ‘Coping With Tomorrow’ series, this film takes us on a journey through the daunting world of processed foods to a greener pasture where hippies browse the natural foods store and buy grains in bulk. Visit the commune farm (cultivated by shoeless long-hairs and naked babies, of course) and take a tour of the local market to see just what it is you’re buying when you pick up that cucumber and snap off a bite. Directed by Peter Thurling.
Curator Biography:
Jeremy Menzies is a San Francisco based artist and film curator working in 16mm film, photography, and printmaking. A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, he has worked as a projectionist, curator, and archivist with the San Francisco Cinematheque, Canyon Cinema, The Filmmakers’ Cooperative, and Millennium Film Workshop in San Francisco and New York.