'California Typewriter'
★★ ½
Cast: Tom Hanks, John Mayer, David McCullough, Herbert Per million, Sam Shepard, Mason Williams (Unrated), 1:44 Documentary filmmaker Doug Nichol’s debut feature celebrates the surprising staying power of a technology that has become almost obsolete. Although many of its subjects are endearing, the film’s scattered approach undermines its point about the longevity of an artifact. Taking its name from a Berkeley repair shop, “California Typewriter” opens with the reminiscence of musician Mason Williams, who, with his friend, painter Ed Ruscha, once threw a Royal typewriter out the window of a moving car, documenting the predictable results, with photographer Robert Blackwell, in the 1967art book “Royal Road Test.” Nichol never provides any context for Williams, best known for the 1968instrumental hit “Classical Gas,” or for Ruscha, a pivotal figure in pop art. The true heart of “California Typewriter,” though, is the struggling shop, whose owner, Herb Permillion III, takes pride in a skill that is all but extinct. It’s mesmerizing to watch him and a few dedicated craftsmen take apart these ingeniously constructed machines, which were once ubiquitous. Although Nichol supplements the film with interviews featuring such collectors of vintage typewriters as actor Tom Hanks, the film could easily have focused only on Permillion’s business as a way of looking at the history of the typewriter and the dizzying range of designs. Instead, the movie takes some long detours: Singer-songwriter (and typewriter enthusiast) John Mayer argues for the machine as a potent creative tool, but he seems oddly unengaged with Nichol’s camera. Another celebrity endorser is the late playwright and actor Sam Shepard. His insights into the creative process are worth hearing.