Vintage Bicycle Film Fest June 26, 2009

Event: “Vintage Bicycle Film Fest: Fat Tires, Monkeys and Choppers”. Guest curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of vintage films on bicycle safety, history and more.
Highlights include: the early 60’s cult favorite “One Got Fat; the kooky “Just Like A Car”; “Bicycles Are Beautiful” with Bill Cosby; “Riding On Air”, a 1959 short focused on the bike craze in Britain; “How To Protect Your Bike”, a hilarious 1970’s look at foiling bike thieves; “Bicycle Safely”, bike history and safety; plus early TV segments, “The Bicycle Clown”, vintage commercials and more! Free admission for anyone in a full monkey suit.
Date: Friday, June 26, 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=226

"Vintage Bicycle Film Fest”
Fat Tires, Monkeys and Choppers
Screens at Oddball Films

On Friday, June 26, Guest Curator Pete Gowdy and Oddball Films present an evening of vintage bicycle films- bike safety, maintenance, history and more.
Bikes are everywhere these days and gaining in popularity by the minute. Amidst the bicycle revolution taking place in San Francisco and other cities, for some it simply a great and healthy means of transportation; for many, it’s become a way of life. There is now a Bicycle Film Fest touring the major cities (in SF July 14) featuring all new films about bikes: Oddball is happy to dust off some oldies but goodies from the 50,000+ archive that will appeal to the bike crowd, vintage and camp enthusiasts alike.
Showtime is 8:30PM and admission is $10.00. Seating is limited so RSVP is preferred to: [email protected] or 415-558-8117.

Highlights Include:

“One Got Fat” (color, 1963)

Bizarre/legendary bike safety film- 10 young cyclists acting like monkeys (wearing masks and tails!) head to a city park for a picnic. 9 out of 10 makes a bonehead mistake and suffers a major accident- all but one, who reaches the park and…
Here’s how a few of the characters meet their demise:
1. Tinkerbell ("Tink") McDillinfiddy forgets to watch out for a stop sign, and is hit by a large truck.
2. Phillip ("Floog") Floogle rides on the left…POW!
3. Mossby Pomegranate’s bike is stolen, police can’t find it because it wasn't registered, as a result of running between one and nine blocks, his feet arches collapse.
4. Slim Jim ("Slim") Maguffny and Trigby Phipps ride double, due to Trigby's lack of vision because of Slim blocking his head, he steers right into an open manhole covering.
Find out Friday the fate of the others!
“Just Like A Car” (Color, 1972)
Superior bike safety film utilizes lots of historical footage from early slapstick films as a boy attempts to cross town safely on his killer Raleigh Chopper. Inspiration for the 1979 film “The Warriors”???

“Riding On Air” (b+w, 1959)
British film documents the nation’s post-war 9 million daily cyclists (1/5 of the population). To work, for work, for pleasure- everyone’s on a bike!

“Bicycles Are Beautiful” (color, 1974)
The ubiquitous Bill Cosby hosts this McDonald’s-sponsored bike safety, maintenance and lifestyle film. Features the bike trails of Tiburon and some San Francisco scenes. Music by Vince Guaraldi.

“How To Protect Your Bike” (Color, early 70’s)
Kooky film about protecting your precious chopper from thieves, made with the cooperation of the Santa Monica PD. Filmed on and around the Venice Board Walk in Santa Monica, the wily thief (played by an unknown character actor who’s played the heavy in hundreds of 70s TV shows and movies). Learn all the tricks!

“Bicycle Safely” (Color, b+w, 1974)
Short history of the bicycle from penny Farthings to early 70s choppers and 10 speeds, with a focus on safety tips.

“Industry On Parade” (b+w, 1954)
Segment from the TV serial entitled “Saving Young Lives!” showing a parade of youngsters who have transformed their bikes into crazy works of art- stoplights, tanks, hearses and more.

PLUS! “The Bicycle Clown” (b+w, 1958), a 1949 Penny Farthing race, vintage bike commercials and more!

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=226