Toots

Just saw the movie on DVD. Shor's granddaughter tells several stories: about Toots, about New York, about Prohibition, about the changing times of the 1960s, and about changing relationships between stars and the public. She's a good storyteller: she's dug out old photographs and news clips from the early 1900s through 1970; the black-and-white scenes of New York City's neon are wonderful; she's found aging sportswriters for whom Toots Shor's place was the watering hole in the age of Dimaggio, Mantle, and Gifford. She gives us a take on ethnicities and religious backgrounds (not so much on race) in the twentieth century. And at the center of it is this unique guy -- tough, quick-witted, generous, a warm father and husband, sly about his ego -- a man who saw things in terms of personal relationships. It's a personal film that transcends the personal. A master class in documentary film-making.