‘At The Automat’ Original Song By Mel Brooks Strikes A Chord For New Doc On Iconic Eatery – Specialty Box Office
deadline.comThe cast of luminaries that first-time filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz assembles in documentary have one thing in common – extreme adoration for the famed Horn & Hardart eateries, whose soaring ceilings, famed coffee and wholesome vending-machine meals for a nickel dominated the food scene in Philadelphia and NYC through much of last century.Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Colin Powell, Starbucks founder Howard Shultz and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg get kind of emotional recalling the thrill of putting a coin in a slot, opening a glass window and pulling out Salisbury steak, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach.
And dessert. Brooks and Reiner looked downright hungry recalling the coconut cream and chocolate pudding pie. Brooks was such a fan that he wrote and performed a song, “At the Automat,” with a 26-piece orchestra. (“I’ve tasted every kind of brew at every coffee shop.
Some were good, and some great, but this one was the top.”)The Automat phenomenon started in 1902 on Chestnut Street in Philly.
Ten years later, its its first NYC location opened in Times Square. It expanded fast, fueled by immigration and women joining the workforce.
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