Penny Lane’s documentary—comprising archival material, animated sequences, and the occasional talking head—blooms into an incredible almanac of early twentieth-century quackery and innovation as she focuses on J. R. Brinkley, an early broadcasting baron, direct-mail pioneer, and an evangelical proponent of goat-testicle implants. An empire built on spurious claims and fear-mongering seems unstoppable—until an obscure regional newspaper dares to question its foundations.
Part of the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival at the BAMPFA!
Penny Lane’s documentary—comprising archival material, animated sequences, and the occasional talking head—blooms into an incredible almanac of early twentieth-century quackery and innovation as she focuses on J. R. Brinkley, an early broadcasting baron, direct-mail pioneer, and an evangelical proponent of goat-testicle implants. An empire built on spurious claims and fear-mongering seems unstoppable—until an obscure regional newspaper dares to question its foundations.
Part of the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival at the BAMPFA!
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