Eating at THE AUTOMAT

 One famous man tells of having paid as much as $35.00 for a cup of coffee in Europe, but the coffee couldn't compare to the 5 cent cup of coffee he had at the automat. The automat's coffee and pie inspired Irving Berling to write a song for a Broadway show. The automat was highlighted in movies and network TV shows. The automat inspired a painting by Edward Hopper. A dying gentleman ordered a beef pie from the automat to have as a last meal. The automat inspired Starbucks and some social attitudes of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The Horn & Hardart automat, once a truly iconic longtime eatery in New York City, is the subject of THE AUTOMAT. This documentary, directed and produced by Lisa Hurwitz, runs 1 hour and 20 minutes. It's not just about the celebrated coffee and food.

We recently saw the majestic funeral services for England's Queen Elizabeth II. On network news, contributors who covered the Royal Family and Brits who lined the streets for hours to see the royal coffin and mourn the Queen's, passing praised her for her extraordinary service, her consistency, her devotion to crown and country. She was loved.

You feel those qualities in the history of Horn & Hardart. The men who started the company were dedicated to service, quality and the people.

The documentary opens with Mel Brooks sharing his memories of the automat. They are great memories. He also gives a few tips to director Lisa Hurwitz. Mel's tagged as "comedian," onscreen. He should've been tagged as "comedian and filmmaker." Mel leads us into the history of the automat's origins with comments from historians and relatives of the owners. We see the art deco design of the place that was so popular and get a sense of the warmth given by its staff. Horn & Hardart locations were very welcoming and democratic. And the coffee was great. Not just that -- items cost only a nickel. In the Depression this was a blessing.

The descriptions of and the comments about the food will make your mouth water.

Then the documentary takes on some added juice when Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Colin Powell speak. We learn how significant the eatery was at a time when restaurants discriminated. Horn & Hardart didn't discriminate. It welcomed racial inclusion. You see how Horn & Hardart was involved with TV shows that had very young, future Broadway talent such as Elliott Gould and Madeline Kahn. It's a fascinating history. Here's a trailer.

As society changed after World War 2 and the Vietnam War, H&H could not keep up its locations and its quality. Folks had moved to the suburbs. Fast food chains were looming large on the scene. Expensive coffees at places like Starbucks had replaced the famous 5 cent cups of coffee.

I loved seeing this New York history. It goes from the 1930s to the early 1990s. I knew of the automat and loved seeing images of its old art deco design plus the windows of foods, windows that opened when you put nickels in a slot. But I didn't know about its social significance and the company's longtime devotion to service and quality -- a devotion that made employees love working for the company.

You can see THE AUTOMAT on Amazon Prime Video. For more information on it, go here:  www.automatmovie.com.

The documentary ends with a song about the automat written by and performed by the Tony Award winning songwriter -- Mel Brooks.