One of Steve Young’s tasks as a writer for David Letterman was to find unusual record albums for Letterman to feature on the show. During the process, he discovered industrial musicals, big budget shows (sometimes in the millions) that promote all manner of products from cars to mouthwash. Young chronicles his journey to discover more of these gems and meet some of these show’s songwriters and performers, including Florence Henderson. There are a few videos from some of the shows, which showcase what large-scale productions these were. This doc provides an entertaining look at this unique sales tool with Young’s nerdy delight front and center (he even wrote a book called “Bathtubs Over Broadway”). The audience for this subject may be limited, but Young’s obsessive enthusiasm and the mostly unknown history of this amazing “art form” is certainly fascinating. 
(3.5 / 5)
