Date: Saturday, March 17th at 8PMVenue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San FranciscoAdmission: $10.00 - Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415-558-8117
Featuring:
Lucky Draft Beer commercials: Like Cassavetes was persuaded to work for beer. Also file under: Alphaville without Irony.
This episode of The Fred Waring Show is an Irish musical story, part Ernest Lubitsch, part Saturday Night Live Lawrence Welk sketch. Terrible acting, wonderful singing, bonnie lasses and the luck of the Irish.
The Superstition of Walking Under a Ladder: Explained! By going back in time to revisit the original Greek story of a thief and a brother’s revenge, all before a picnic in the park. This hilarious short from 1934 is educational, if you are interested in overacted death scenes.
Nation of Immigrants (part one) Based on a book by John F. Kennedy, the remarkably JFK sounding and lookalike narrator tells us why, exactly, the luck of the Irish is not really that.
Telesports Digest: Motorcycles on Ice: a little skill, a lot of luck. All set in the mitten of Michigan.
Rarely, very rarely, does a doll look so evil yet accomplish so much good. In the 1962 extended public service announcement that is Safety Belt for Susie, we learn all about why we should all have life sized, dead-eyed amanuensis. Also: Crash Test Dummies!
Lucky Charms commercial. Pretty much as you remember it. Unlucky rabbit, annoying, hyperglycemic white kids.
The beloved Scholastic Rock (Xerox’s answer to Schoolhouse Rock which didn’t quite catch on) presents Lucky Seven Sampson, from 1973. There is so much to learn about the number Seven, goofy rabbit animation, and the anti-authoritarian tendencies of films in the 70’s. That, and prime numbers.
Don’t Push Your Luck, a 1967 work safety film, has the psychedelic effects and deeply subjective perspective that will remind you that Easy Rider was a product of it’s time. But in this film, bad luck (or a bad workplace safety decision) is worse than no luck at all. You might need to close your eyes.
Icarus-like, the subjects ofConsequences: Spinal Chord Injury tried their luck at hang-gliding, surfing and other exciting sports, only to discover that the Consequences catch up to you, even on a trampoline.
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Marlin Perkins goes to the ends of the Earth to sell insurance to Laplanders, while back at home, sudden injury makes your life insurance policy the salvation of your family. Moral of the story: You should have moved to Lapand when you had the chance.
Edmond Séchan’s charming 1959 film The Golden Fish won the Special Jury prize at Cannes and its easy to see why: a story deftly drawn in small moments, a boy, his fish, his bird, and a cat, enough joy and mastery to do without dialogue. Often compared stylistically to The Red Balloon, The Golden Fish is a captivating little film.
The Superstition of the Rabbit’s Foot: Explained! This series is too good not to revisit, as we learn about the superstition of the Rabbit’s foot, again from the Greeks. This one is unintentionally campy, with well-oiled Greek…scouts? In loincloths? There is luck written all over this one.
Wings To Ireland, a travelogue sponsored by Pan-American Airlines, features a kiss of the Blarney Stone and a sad eyed girl singing a lovely song.
