Film

Once Upon An El

1955 · 21m

"The poet Daisy Aldan (who brought Gerard Malanga into the world of experimental filmmaking) directed a beautifully evocative and impressionistic documentary, Once Upon an El, in 8mm color with a 7 1/2 ips tape soundtrack. The 15-minute film's cast included John Ashberry, James Broughton, Chester Kallman, Frank O'Hara, Olga Petroff, Kermit Sheets, and other luminaries of the Avant-Garde, the soundtrack was composed by Storm de Hirsch. Once Upon An El documented the activities of a group of writers and composers...[demonstrating] against the demolition of New York's Third Avenue elevated railway (FMC 1967, 7-8) , which was demolished anyway" - Wheeler Winston Dixon

James Broughton

Frank O'Hara

Kenward Elmslie

Jane Freilicher

Grace Hartigan

Leon Hecht

Robert Hellman

Chester Kallman

John Latouche

Richard Miller

Olga Petroff

Fabio Rieti

Toby Schneebaum

James Schuyler

Kermit Sheets

Florio Vecchi

• Daisy AldanDirector

Release date

January 1, 1955

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

21m