Mama Don't Take My Kodachrome Away! July 24, 2009

Event: “Mama Don’t Take My Kodachrome Away!” Guest curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare vintage Kodachrome films. On June 22nd, 2009 Kodak announced that it was ceasing production of its famed Kodachrome film. Introduced in 1935, it was the world’s first successful commercial color film and was well loved for it’s rich tones, faithful color reproduction and long lasting quality. Oddball has many Kodachrome titles in its archive- prepare to be blown away by the color in these vintage shorts! Films Include: “The Challenge of Tomorrow”; “San Francisco: Queen of the West”; “Sunsteps”; “Glass”; “Dudin’”; “Time For Clocks”; and “The Day The Colors Went Away”. Plus- vintage Kodak TV commercials!
Date: Friday, July 24, 2009 at 8:30PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco 94110
Admission: $10.00 RSVP Only to: 415-558-8117 or [email protected]
Web: http://www.flarerecord.com/?p=268

"Mama Don’t Take My Kodachrome Away!”
Screens at Oddball Films

On Friday, July 24, Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of rare vintage Kodachrome films. On June 22nd, 2009 Kodak announced that it was ceasing production of its famed Kodachrome film, marking the end of an era. Introduced in 1935, it was the world’s first successful commercial color film and was well loved for it’s rich tones, faithful color reproduction and long lasting quality. Paul Simon, who sadly will not be able to appear, permanently etched Kodachrome into the pop culture consciousness:

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don't take my Kodachrome away

Show time is 8:30PM and admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP is preferred to: [email protected] or 415-558-8117.

Films Include:

“The Challenge of Tomorrow” (Color, 1964)

This RCA promotional film contains some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful Kodachrome color and stunning visuals in the Oddball Film Archive. Covers the RCA corporation’s multi-faceted electronic manufacturing and entertainment fields; from electron tube manufacturing, vinyl record manufacturing and recording, TV cameras, computers, space technology and more. The retro future never looked better!

“San Francisco: Queen of the West” (Color, 1947)
Lost San Francisco in stunning color- this post-war travelogue covers all the sights our fair city is famous for; some is remarkably the same, others lost to history. Notable shots include Chinatown’s own telephone exchange and the colossal neon nightlife Babylon.

“Sunsteps” (Color, late 1940’s)
Rare promotional film made by the BF Goodrich shoe company, touting their new line of women’s casual shoes. Lots of models on location sport the bright, gaily colored new design. Vintage fashionistas and shoe fetishists won’t want to miss this- looks like it was filmed yesterday!
“Glass” (Color, 1958)
Brilliant Academy Award winning short juxtaposes traditional glass blowing with “modern” glass manufacturing. Made by Bert Haanstra (Netherlands), the wordless Glass is a near perfect film, perfectly balancing images and rhythm with the wonderful cool jazz soundtrack by the Pim Jacobs Quintet.

“Dudin’” (Color, 1955)
Not gay porn as the title would suggest, but a nonetheless very campy promo film for a Colorado Dude Ranch- where one could “vacation” on a working ranch and get a taste of the wild (and mild) west.

“Time For Clocks” (Color, 1958, excerpt)
High production-value educational film on the principles of telling time. Bizarre super-square rhyming narration but beautiful 1950s details and dress- and, of course, stunning Kodachrome color.

“The Day The Colors Went Away” (Color, 1971)
Charming Polish stop-motion animation about a messy painter girl. The colors in her paint box are fed up with her messy painting style and hit the road- taking all the world’s colors with them. Stuck in a black and white world, the little girl sets out to find the colors (who have gathered in a rainbow) and re-paint the world.

PLUS- Vintage Kodak TV commercials!

Curator Biography:
Pete Gowdy (aka DJ Chas Gaudi) is host of San Francisco’s Shellac Shack, a weekly 78 rpm listening party and a DJ specializing in vintage sounds: soul, jazz, country, punk and new wave. A graduate of the Vassar College Film Program, he is an associate producer of Marc Huestis Presents, the long-running movie legend tributes at the Castro Theatre.

Official Website: http://www.flarerecord.com/?p=268