''Young Americans'' is a 1967 American documentary film directed by
Alexander Grasshoff
Alexander Grasshoff (December 10, 1928 – April 5, 2008) was an American documentary filmmaker and director who received three Oscar nominations.
Along with fellow producer Robert Cohn, he is perhaps best known for writing and directing the doc ...
and chronicling the travel experiences of the
Young Americans
''Young Americans'' is the ninth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 7March 1975 through RCA Records. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and ...
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
. It was awarded an
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosoph ...
in 1969, though this was subsequently revoked because the film was released in 1967 and was thus ineligible. The documentary is the only film in history to have had its Oscar revoked.
Actress and singer
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Ann Lawrence ( Axelrad; born March 26, 1949), sometimes credited as Vicki Lawrence Schultz, is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for her character Mama (Thelma Harper). Lawrence originated multitudes of charact ...
, later of ''
The Carol Burnett Show
''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey ...
'', can also be seen in musical numbers.
Plot
A profile of the
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
based youth show choir The Young Americans, a group of teenage high school and college students who embody a sense of wholesomeness and patriotism under the direction of Milton Anderson, is dramatized as they prepare for a fall performing tour of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
via bus, and make plans for what they hope will be a European tour following. The audition and rehearsal process for a group that will be whittled down to thirty-six tour members - half males, half females - is shown, with Anderson looking for more than just vocalists in the group being a show choir, with some of those members, chosen or not, showing and telling why being part of the group is so important to them. They are shown on the tour, which would include stops in Boston, New York City, a state fair and the
Illinois State Penitentiary, not only in performance, but in social situations. But with a group of approximately fifty which also includes tour organizers, chaperons and crew members, not all always goes smoothly, especially as teenagers will sometimes just be teenagers despite what their adult authority figures want or expect.
Release
The film premiered at the Plaza Theatre in
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
on August 21, 1967, as a benefit for the Will Rogers Hospital.
See also
*
List of American films of 1967
References
External links
*
1967 films
American documentary films
1960s English-language films
Films directed by Alex Grasshoff
Documentary films about music and musicians
Columbia Pictures films
Show choirs
1960s American films
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