The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (1996)

Director:

Susan Warms Dryfoos

Writer:

Susan Warms Dryfoos (writer)

Release Date:

27 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot:

The childhood, adolescence, and incredible adult years of Al Hirshfeld, celebrated creator of thousands of line drawings of famous people...

Plot Keywords:

1960s | New York | 1970s | Cartoonist | 1940s

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Lauren Bacall	...	Herself
Carol Channing	...	Herself
Joan Collins	...	Herself
Jules Feiffer	...	Himself
Robert Goulet	...	Himself
Dolly Haas	...	Herself
Al Hirschfeld	...	Himself
Joseph Papp	...	Himself
Barbara Walters	...	Herself
Nina Hirschfeld West	...	Herself
Katharine Hepburn	...	Herself (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Susan Warms Dryfoos

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Susan Warms Dryfoos		writer

Produced by
Angelo Corrao	....	associate producer
Susan Warms Dryfoos	....	producer

Cinematography by
Dick Blofson		(as Richard Blofson)
Jeffrey Grunther

Film Editing by
Angelo Corrao

Sound Department
Ken Hahn	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ray Palagy	....	sound editor

Editorial Department
Michelle Harrison	....	assistant editor
Philip Shane	....	assistant editor

Production Companies

• Castle Hill Productions
• New York Times Productions
• Times History

Distributors

• Castle Hill Productions (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1999) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Also Known As:

The Line King

Runtime:

USA:86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Castle Hill Productions

Quotes:

Al Hirschfeld: Scuplture is really a drawing that you fall over in the dark.

Movie Connections:

References Hollywood Party (1934)

A Title Well Earned

Amid the entertainment super-stars of the twentieth century—Carol Channing, Lauren Bacall, Joan Collins, Barbara Walters, and more—the white-bearded, bright-eyed Al Hirschfeld cuts a humorous and humble figure. This visual historian doesn't make the stars beautiful in his drawings; he makes them interesting. ESP-like, the line of Hirschfeld's pen reveals an essential and vital character within each of the performers he draws, capturing the rare exuberance with amazing specificity: the gestures, the movements, the facial expressions—all become playfully recognizable as the spirit manifest. What the documentary does especially well is show Hirschfeld at work, and talking about the work. He was 90 years old when interviewed in the film, but seems almost childlike in his delight for his life-long passion. Hirschfeld emerges as the century's most beloved cartoonist, truly earning him the title of The Line King.