Mill City Museum
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Film "Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat"
Film Description and Background Information
The newest attraction at Mill City Museum, “Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat,” is a lighthearted take on the city’s history by local humorist, playwright and radio personality Kevin Kling. Through photos, film and television footage, his own stories and memories, and animation reminiscent of another Minnesotan – Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam – Kling offers a whirlwind tour of our fair city.
The short film mixes Kling’s trademark laconic humor and shrewd observation with an elegiac description of what makes Minneapolis unique. Kling expounds on the following questions related to the city: “Who started it?” “Why is it here?” “How did it get named?” and “What’s with all the Lutherans?” Along the way, Kling describes characters ranging from the mighty and powerful – Father Hennepin, Franklin Steele, Wilbur Foshay – to the notorious and entertaining – Kid Cann, the Andrews Sisters, Prince. In his words, “A city lives through its people and its spirit is housed in their stories.”
In creating the film, Kling collaborated with a team from the Minnesota Historical Society led by Ellen Miller. Miller approached Kling when the opportunity arose to make a film for Mill City Museum’s new West Engine House theater. She provided him with historical background on Minneapolis history, which Kling adapted into a script. The creative team then plumbed the resources of the Society’s extensive visual archives, collections, museums and multimedia lab to bring the Minneapolis story to life.
To arrange a preview screening of the film, please contact Angela Casselton, public relations manager at the Minnesota Historical Society, at 651-296-4681 or by e-mail at angela.casselton@mnhs.org.
