What the F(ilm)?! gets Political: Presidential Cine-Insanity - Fri. Feb. 19th - 8PM

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Oddball Films presents What the F(ilm)?! gets Political: Presidential Cine-Insanity, an evening of some of the most bizarre, hilarious and insane politically-themed films from our massive 16mm collection. With primary fever in the air and the democractic process playing out in all its glory, this month we're tapping into the historical and hysterical vaults of the collection with tons of cartoons, commercials, spoofs, smut, propaganda and musical numbers. A tiny Shirley Temple tarts it up and tries to cheat an honest man in the "Baby Burlesk" Polly Tix in Washington (1933). Betty Boop sings for your vote in Betty Boop for President (1932). Escalation (1968) an animated anti-war short from Academy Award-winning Di$ney animator Ward Kimball is jam-packed with a montage of everything from erotic imagery to commercial mascots to skewering LBJ's policies on Vietnam. Fictitious candidate Roy Hardale preens and poses like a model while spouting his campaign promises in the hilarious spoof Political Posture (1984). Ford Motor Company sponsors the vintage voter guilt trip Where Were You? (1960). Walter Cronkite surveys the great American pastime of yellow journalism in a segment of Smear: The Game of Dirty Politics (1964) from the TV show The Twentieth Century. Psychedelic animator Vince Collins produced the mind-bending animation 200 (1975) for the country's bicentennial, and it will still blow your eyeballs out today. Kinestatic collage documentarian, Chuck Braverman tells the story of America in 3 minutes utilizing 1300 still images in American Time Capsule (1968). Take a feminist musical break with Schoolhouse Rock and Sufferin' till Suffrage (1974). See why America is number one in consumption in the capitalist propaganda cartoon Meet King Joe (1949). Plus, a girl gets hot and horny for a magazine spread of Richard Nixon in a Tricky Dick Cheesecake Reel, footage from journalist and activist Robert Scheer's local grassroots congressional campaign and William Howard Taft's 1908 campaign, a bouncing ball Sing-Along cartoon of When I'm the President (1945), Lance Kerwin in an excerpt of afterschool special PJ and the President's Son (1976), the trailer for All the President's Men (1976), 1970s political ads from Virginia, a creepy animated turkey commercial, Ronald Reagan hosting GE Theater, and more weirdness! This compendium of 16mm political madness is too strange to be believed and too baffling to be forgotten.

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Polly Tix in Washington (B+W, 1933)

One of the weirdest things to come out of the depression, this “Baby Burlesk” casts a group of toddlers in adult roles, including Shirley Temple starring as a prostitute who discovers her heart of gold in the face of on honest politician. The result is cringe-worthy, but gives an honest glimpse of the laissez faire attitude towards censorship in the pre-code era. 

Shirley Temple later called this film "a cynical exploitation of our childish innocence." In her autobiography Shirley Temple Black recalls the plot: "I was a strumpet on the payroll of the Nipple Trust and Anti-Castor Oil Lobby. Mine was the task of seducing a newly arrived bumpkin senator." Shirley’s mother designed the black lace undergarments and bra her daughter wears on screen.

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Political Posture (Color, 1984)  

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A hilarious and Oscar-nominated short skewering political campaign commercials. Taking his movements from television advertisements featuring sinuous performers who posture for the camera as they fashion blue jeans, fictitious presidential candidate Ray Hardale offers his platform as he humorously poses for the camera. Writer and Director, Bill Tunnicliffe.

Schoolhouse Rock: Sufferin' Till Sufferage (Color, 1974)
Line up for the voting booth with this super groovy musical break for the ladies from the iconic cartoonucational show Schoolhouse Rock about the women's suffrage movement.

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Betty Boop For President (B+W, 1932, excerpt) 

Betty runs for the office of President against Mr. Nobody while parodying real candidates. Both candidates state their platform through song and dance, referring to political issues of the time. The House of Representatives is portrayed by elephants and asses-just like they are in real life! 
Betty sings: “Oh, when I'm the president, When I'm the president, I'll give you all a great big kiss, When I'm the president!” We see Times Square with billboards proclaiming that Betty Boop has been elected; there are fireworks and a tickertape parade.

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Where Were You? (B+W, 1960)
Ford Motor Company sponsored this campy long form PSA on why everyone needs to do their part in participating in elections or we'll all end up with somebody nobody really wanted.  This pro-voting propaganda will surely guilt you all the way to the polls.

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Meet King Joe (Color, 1951)

Subtitled “Fun And Facts About America”, this animated, Technicolor propaganda short from MGM demonstrates how Americans are better off than the rest of the world, singling out the Chinese in particular with racist portrayals (America was at war in Korea at the time, often fighting North-allied Chinese forces).  “Americans own practically all the refrigerators in existence… as we drive about in 72% of the world’s automobiles”, crows the narrator.

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Tricky Dick Cheesecake Reel (Color, 1960s, excerpt)
One girl's got it bad for Richard Nixon as she gets down and dirty with herself and a Time Magazine with Nixon on the cover. 

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Smear: The Game of Dirty Politics (B+W, 1964, excerpt)
Walter Cronkite examines the mudslinging and yellow journalism that accompanies the presidency from its earliest roots against George Washington and up through the Nixon/Kennedy campaigns.  Features tons of historical political cartoons and salacious smears against all your favorite presidents.

Taft Election from Screen Souvenirs (B+W, 1931)

Catch highlights of the 1908 election with William Jennings Bryan and William Howard Taft and Taft's indoor inauguration during a blizzard in 1909.

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200 (Color, 1975)

Vince Collin’s supremely psychedelic animated celebration of our nation’s bicentennial, sponsored by the United States Information Agency.  They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.  But then again, not as many LSD-inspired animators make it through the grant process.

American Time Capsule (Color/B+W, 1968)
Chuck Braverman presents the history of the United States up to 1968 in 3 minutes, utilizing a montage of 1300 images set to the music of Sandy Nelson’s Beat That Drum. Originally aired on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

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PJ and the President's Son (Color, 1976, excerpt)

Child-star Lance Kerwin takes a double roll in this ABC Afterschool Special adaptation of "The Prince and the Pauper". It's tough being the president's only son, even with the entire staff of the White House at your disposal. When his limo nearly runs over his doppelganger delivering groceries, both Lances get a shot at a new and exciting life.

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For the Early Birds:

Soup for President (Color, 1978)

Rob's not cut out for politics. His best friend Soup is running for class president, but so is Norma Jean, the prettiest girl in school who promises a relationship in exchange for his vote. What makes matters worse is Rob and Soup's arch-nemesis Janice is Norma Jean's campaign manager. What's a boy to do? An ABC Weekend Special starring Shane Sinutko and Christian Berrigan, directed by afterschool special veteran Larry Ellikan, and based on the books by Robert Newton Peck.

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Kat Shuchter is a graduate of UC Berkeley in Film Studies. She is a filmmaker, artist and esoteric film hoarder. She has helped program shows at the PFA, The Nuart and Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater and was crowned “Found Footage Queen” of Los Angeles, 2009. She has programmed over 200 shows at Oddball on everything from puberty primers to experimental animation.