The Typewriter in the 21st Century

This largely fascinating documentary on the state of the typewriter in the computer age—a story of people passionately attached to relics—begins with a partial history, acknowledging American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes of Milwaukee, whose patent found its way to mass production by Remington. After a bit of discussion about how the clacking machines revolutionized office technology, brought women into the workforce, and even raised sexual tension on the job, directors Christopher Lockett and Gary Nicholson arrive at their main subject: those who still use, collect, or repair typewriters today. In the U.S., certain bureaucracies (police stations, prisons) rely on typewriters, it turns out, which are also still common in developing countries. Various American authors continue to write on the workhorses they've had for decades: historians Robert Caro and David McCullough, for instance, talk about how essential their typewriters are to the writing process. Showing off their vintage models are several collectors, including Steve Soboroff, who owns John Lennon's, as well as those of Ray Bradbury, Ernest Hemingway, and George Bernard Shaw, among other literary luminaries. Viewers also meet several repair technicians (who claim there is no end to their restoration work for enthusiasts), and hear from artists and innovators who have found new and creative purposes for the once ubiquitous Smith-Coronas, Remingtons, Royals, and Underwoods. An entertaining portrait of the typewriter's continuing legacy, this is recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)