Rowan & Martin at the Movies (1968)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writer:

Paul Keyes (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Documentary | Short

Plot:

This public service short for U.S. Savings Bonds starts out with Rowan and Martin arriving at a TV studio...

Plot Keywords:

Public Service | Punctuation In Title | Ampersand In Title | Character Name In Title

Cast

Dan Rowan	...	Himself
Dick Martin	...	Himself
Herb Alpert	...	Himself
Dan Blocker	...	Himself
Les Brown	...	Himself
Carol Burnett	...	Herself
Doris Day	...	Herself (archive footage)
Phyllis Diller	...	Herself
Kirk Douglas	...	Himself
Lorne Greene	...	Himself
Andy Griffith	...	Himself
Charlton Heston	...	Himself
Bob Hope	...	Himself
Don Knotts	...	Himself
Michael Landon	...	Himself (as Mike Landon)

Runtime:

11 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Movie Connections:

Edited from The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)

Soundtrack:

For Once In My Life

Not Hollywood Canteen, but still

I was a big fan of Laugh-In, even though I was just 5 or 6, and half the jokes sailed over my head. Which means I'm old enough to remember PSAs pitching the payroll savings plan, which went into US Savings Bonds. But this one is striking, as it mentions the troops (in Vietnam), and that this is a way to show them your support. It was made in 1968, well before public sentiment turned against the war.

It's a pretty soft sell, mentioned in passing, but it's notable in light of our more recent wars. During the World Wars, bonds were heavily pitched, and everybody with a little extra change at the end of the week was encouraged to contribute to the war effort.

These days, we're not asked to give up anything, at least not by our government. I think it's kinda sad.