No surprise that people love to reminisce about restaurants. Good food, often in the company of friends, is a pleasure that makes lasting memories. Now pair this with a regional chain that specialized in unique technology for serving food, and you've got this documentary, a (no pun intended) slice of history which proves a tasty one.
The Automat of the title was a chain of informal dining rooms in Philadelphia and New York through most of the 20th century. Also known as Horn & Hardart, they were self-service with a unique twist: customers approached a vast wall of cubbies with glass doors, each holding an individual portion of side dishes, dessert, or main course. Put a nickel or two into the slot, and twist the knob, and the door would open to present your food. Behind these elaborate contraptions were the hidden kitchen staff who would periodically refill the cubbies.
Unless you're a veteran Philadelphian or New Yorker, almost the only people today who remember Automats are probably classic film/TV buffs who saw these on the screen. That wall of cubbies was an iconic sight. So it actually makes sense that I caught this documentary on Turner Classic Movies (I hear it's also appeared elsewhere). Clips of automats appearing in several old films starring Cary Grant, Burt Lancaster, and even Bugs Bunny are shown.
The doc not only evokes nostalgia, but also a sad sense of grandeur lost to modern mass production and chintzy taste. Even though Automats were informal dine-in, with food ready to eat, interestingly by all accounts it wasn't "fast food" as we know it. The Automats' low prices belied their high-quality cooking, as opposed to the thrown-together burgers and reheated slices of egg the same price gets you today. The original eateries were classy, too, even though they hosted throngs of people from all walks of life. Marble, brass, and ornate windows could be found.
The doc provides a solid overview of who started the Automats, how their system worked, and what it was like to work there. Interviews feature key people from the business, or their surviving descendants, including technicians and a laborer who are still proud of the company. Also covered is the Automats' gradual decline due to a few reasons. For example, as more people left the cities for suburbs, eating habits changed and this greatly affected the city-based Automats. The once-grand buildings became shabby, the neighborhoods rough. Ironically this inspired an ad campaign claiming they were not fancy, but good.
Along the way, the doc tries to celebrate Automats for promoting progressive virtues. Working women could get great lunches, people of all races sat together, etc. These are fair points but sometimes seem coincidental. And at the end of the screening on TCM, I was disappointed to hear the director say she cut some people from the doc because of their race or gender. No matter how fashionable this is among 2020s elite liberals, it's still discriminatory and wrong, not to mention a poor historical approach.
Maybe it's also why the doc feels a little lacking--it comes close to being great but doesn't quite reach that level. It's not that long so a couple minutes could've been spared for Ed Rendell and others who got cut. Or the doc could've trimmed the celebrities, whose contributions are mixed.
Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg and politician/general Colin Powell speak convincingly about how valuable Automats were to children from poor families, but their clowning about neckties, or brief critiques of men's clubs, seem irrelevant, and could've been dropped. Comedy writer/director Mel Brooks is heavily featured--virtually the protagonist, and spirit guide. Like I've seen him do elsewhere, his humor and helpfulness come with a dose of ego. A Starbucks CEO talks about how the Automat inspired him, and he and another guy suggest unconvincingly that the Automat's virtues live on at Starbucks. (I thought the Automat was famous for *affordable* coffee...)
Despite these sour notes, you might find this to be a tasty stew overall, especially if you're a history buff, or just curious about those funny restaurants with all those glass cabinets you saw in old movies and TV.
The Automat of the title was a chain of informal dining rooms in Philadelphia and New York through most of the 20th century. Also known as Horn & Hardart, they were self-service with a unique twist: customers approached a vast wall of cubbies with glass doors, each holding an individual portion of side dishes, dessert, or main course. Put a nickel or two into the slot, and twist the knob, and the door would open to present your food. Behind these elaborate contraptions were the hidden kitchen staff who would periodically refill the cubbies.
Unless you're a veteran Philadelphian or New Yorker, almost the only people today who remember Automats are probably classic film/TV buffs who saw these on the screen. That wall of cubbies was an iconic sight. So it actually makes sense that I caught this documentary on Turner Classic Movies (I hear it's also appeared elsewhere). Clips of automats appearing in several old films starring Cary Grant, Burt Lancaster, and even Bugs Bunny are shown.
The doc not only evokes nostalgia, but also a sad sense of grandeur lost to modern mass production and chintzy taste. Even though Automats were informal dine-in, with food ready to eat, interestingly by all accounts it wasn't "fast food" as we know it. The Automats' low prices belied their high-quality cooking, as opposed to the thrown-together burgers and reheated slices of egg the same price gets you today. The original eateries were classy, too, even though they hosted throngs of people from all walks of life. Marble, brass, and ornate windows could be found.
The doc provides a solid overview of who started the Automats, how their system worked, and what it was like to work there. Interviews feature key people from the business, or their surviving descendants, including technicians and a laborer who are still proud of the company. Also covered is the Automats' gradual decline due to a few reasons. For example, as more people left the cities for suburbs, eating habits changed and this greatly affected the city-based Automats. The once-grand buildings became shabby, the neighborhoods rough. Ironically this inspired an ad campaign claiming they were not fancy, but good.
Along the way, the doc tries to celebrate Automats for promoting progressive virtues. Working women could get great lunches, people of all races sat together, etc. These are fair points but sometimes seem coincidental. And at the end of the screening on TCM, I was disappointed to hear the director say she cut some people from the doc because of their race or gender. No matter how fashionable this is among 2020s elite liberals, it's still discriminatory and wrong, not to mention a poor historical approach.
Maybe it's also why the doc feels a little lacking--it comes close to being great but doesn't quite reach that level. It's not that long so a couple minutes could've been spared for Ed Rendell and others who got cut. Or the doc could've trimmed the celebrities, whose contributions are mixed.
Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg and politician/general Colin Powell speak convincingly about how valuable Automats were to children from poor families, but their clowning about neckties, or brief critiques of men's clubs, seem irrelevant, and could've been dropped. Comedy writer/director Mel Brooks is heavily featured--virtually the protagonist, and spirit guide. Like I've seen him do elsewhere, his humor and helpfulness come with a dose of ego. A Starbucks CEO talks about how the Automat inspired him, and he and another guy suggest unconvincingly that the Automat's virtues live on at Starbucks. (I thought the Automat was famous for *affordable* coffee...)
Despite these sour notes, you might find this to be a tasty stew overall, especially if you're a history buff, or just curious about those funny restaurants with all those glass cabinets you saw in old movies and TV.