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''Americathon'' (also known as ''Americathon 1998'') is a 1979 American
science fiction comedy Science fiction comedy (sci-fi comedy) or comic science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that exploits the science fiction genre's conventions for comedic effect. The genre often mocks or satirizes standard science fic ...
film directed by
Neal Israel Neal Israel (born July 27, 1945) is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his comedic work in the 1980s for films such as ''Police Academy'', ''Real Genius'', and ''Bachelor Party''. Israel has also ...
and starring
John Ritter Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American comedian and actor. He was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason Ritter, Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is best known for ...
,
Fred Willard Frederick Charles Willard Jr. (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with Christopher Guest in his mockumentary films ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984), ''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), ''Be ...
,
Peter Riegert Peter Riegert ( ;) (born April 11, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in ''Animal House'' (1978), oil company executive "Mac" MacIntyre in '' Local Hero'' (1983), pickle store owner Sam Posner ...
,
Harvey Korman Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. He is best remembered as a main cast member alongside Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence on the ...
, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...
. It is based on a play by
Firesign Theatre The Firesign Theatre (also known as the Firesigns) was an American surreal humour, surreal comedy troupe who first appeared on November 17, 1966, in a live performance on the Los Angeles radio program ''Radio Free Oz'' on station KPFK FM broad ...
members
Phil Proctor Philip George Proctor (born July 28, 1940) is an American actor and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Early life Proctor was born in Goshen, Indiana, on July 2 ...
and
Peter Bergman Peter Michael Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is an American television actor best known for his portrayals on soap operas: as Cliff Warner on ''All My Children'' (1979–89) on ABC and as Jack Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1989–pre ...
. The movie includes appearances by
Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...
,
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
,
Tommy Lasorda Thomas Charles Lasorda (September 22, 1927 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 through 1996. He was inducted into the Nation ...
, and
Chief Dan George Chief Dan George (born Geswanouth Slahoot; July 24, 1899 – September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band whose Indian reserve is located on Burrard Inlet in the southeast area of the District of No ...
, with a musical performance by
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
.


Plot

In the (then-near future) year 1998, the United States has run out of oil. Many Americans are living in their now-stationary cars and using nonpowered means of transportation, such as jogging, riding bicycles, and rollerskating.
Tracksuit A tracksuit is an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket usually with a front zipper. Also known as ''sweatsuits'' or ''trackies'', tracksuits are designed to keep the body warm during and after athletic activity. It w ...
s have become a common attire, and paper money has lost all its value. All business transactions are now conducted in gold; even a coin-operated elevator explicitly states "Gold Coins Only." In the search for leadership, Americans elect Chet Roosevelt as the president of the United States. Roosevelt, a "cosmically inspired" former governor of California, is modeled on California governor
Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...
. Despite wearing a three-piece tracksuit with a
vest A waistcoat ( UK and Commonwealth, or ; colloquially called a weskit) or vest ( US and Canada) is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. It ...
, Roosevelt shares little in common with historical figures like
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
or
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, apart from his name. Roosevelt, an overly optimistic man who frequently quotes positive affirmation slogans, organizes a series of highly publicized fundraising events, all of which ultimately fail. His attention shifts to pursuing a relationship with
Vietnamese American Vietnamese Americans () are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They constitute a major part of all overseas Vietnamese. As of 2023, over 2.3 million people of Vietnamese descent live in the United States, making them the fourth largest Asian Ame ...
pop superstar Mouling Jackson. Real financial assistance comes in the form of loans from a
cartel A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other as well as agreeing not to compete with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. A cartel is an organization formed by producers ...
of Native Americans led by billionaire Sam Birdwater, who controls
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
(styled as National Indian Knitting Enterprises during the film's release when they were still emerging as a company). The federal government, now headquartered in "The Western
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
," a sub-leased condominium in
Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...
, faces national bankruptcy. The country is in danger of being foreclosed and repossessed when Birdwater publicly reveals on national television that he lent America billions of dollars and demands repayment. The alternative is foreclosure, with the country reverting to its original owners. Birdwater justifies his stance, stating, "Hey, I have to eat, too. Does that make me a bad guy?" In desperation, Roosevelt hires young television consultant Eric McMerkin to help produce a national raffle. However, they eventually decide that the only way to raise enough money to save America is to run a national telethon. They enlist the services of vapid TV celebrity Monty Rushmore to host it. Meanwhile, Presidential adviser Vincent Vanderhoff secretly plots to ensure the telethon's failure. His goal is to allow representatives of the United Hebrab Republic, formed by the merger of Israel and the Arab states, to purchase what remains of the country when Birdwater forecloses.


Cast

Dorothy Stratten Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten (February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980), known professionally as Dorothy Stratten, was a Canadian model and actress, primarily known for her appearances as a Playboy Playmate. Stratten was the ''Playboy'' Playmate of t ...
appears, uncredited and in a brief non-speaking role, in a
Playboy bunny A Playboy Bunny is a cocktail waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a straples ...
style outfit during a scene where Meat Loaf's character donates blood. The Del Rubio triplets can be seen performing "
America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...
" behind several posing bodybuilders. Director
Neal Israel Neal Israel (born July 27, 1945) is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his comedic work in the 1980s for films such as ''Police Academy'', ''Real Genius'', and ''Bachelor Party''. Israel has also ...
has a cameo as a protesting rabbi holding a picket sign reading "The President Is a Yutz" (Yiddish for "a stupid, clueless person").


Production

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later J ...
was cast as "Uncle Sam", but his scenes did not make the final cut. The soundtrack album, released August 18, 1979, features "
It's a Beautiful Day It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards. David LaFlamme, who as a youth had once p ...
" by
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
, "Crawling to the USA" by
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
and "Get a Move On" by
Eddie Money Edward Joseph Money ( Mahoney; March 21, 1949September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Paradise", " Think I'm in Love", " Shakin' ...
. In a scene that features a song by Vietnamese singer Mouling Jackson ( Zane Buzby, better known as a TV director and philanthropist), a large poster of actor
Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk ( Kwouk; ; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cato in the '' Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of I ...
can be seen. The photo is actually taken from the 1968 film ''
The Shoes of the Fisherman The Shoes of the Fisherman may refer to: * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (novel), a 1963 novel by the writer Morris West * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (film), a 1968 film based on the novel {{disambiguation ...
'', in which Kwouk played Chinese leader Chairman Peng. In a scene where Eric McMerkin is reading a list of "Government Approved" performers, the names of "Proctor & Bergman" (the co-authors of the original play) can be seen fifth on the list, credited as "Comics." Peter Bergman and Phil Proctor were members of the satirical comedy performance group Firesign Theatre.


Marketing

To promote the movie, Ted Coombs roller-skated across the United States and back and gained a place in the ''
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
.'' A photo novel of the movie was released in 1979, and the musical soundtrack was released on both vinyl and audiocassette by Lorimar Records.


Reception

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
gave the movie half of one star out of four and called it "a puerile exploitation of one very thin joke during 98 very long minutes." On his ''Sneak Previews'' program with
Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...
, Ebert said, "At times, it is a savage affront to the intelligence," and "It's not funny. It's one of the low points of my entire movie-going career." Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' wrote "The premise of ''Americathon'' is strong enough to sustain a 15-minute skit, but the movie has the ill fortune to drag on for an hour and a half." Dale Pollock of ''Variety'' stated "With a slow 85 minutes of ''Americathon'' to endure, film audience may go out and contribute to a fund to stop more pix like this from being made." Gene Siskel of the ''Chicago Tribune'' gave the movie one-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote, "'Americathon' is amusing in its first 20 minutes or so as it sets the stage for what's going on in 1998...But then it's 60 minutes of telethon, and frankly, even if you don't like
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
, Korman's sendup wears awfully thin." Linda Gross of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote "The film has a clever premise, some funny sight gags and a few good one-liners, but the gag is too drawn out and watching the movie becomes like watching a TV variety show that goes on and on." Judith Martin of ''The Washington Post'' called the movie "a gross comedy that depends for jokes on President Carter's teeth, Governor Brown's psychoculture and other nationally recognized targets that anyone can hit blindfolded. Mostly, that film just whacks crudely away, although now and then it hits its mark with an impressive smack."


Home media

The movie was made available on VHS and laserdisc in the 1980s by Lorimar Home Video, both of which are now out of print. The home video rights passed to Warner Bros. in the late 1980s as part of their purchase of Lorimar.
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...
made the movie available in January 2011 on DVD in widescreen (1.85:1) format as part of its
Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the int ...
Manufacture-on-demand collection.


Legacy

In 1984, New York City public radio station
WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...
sponsored a marathon of American music dubbed "Americathon '84."


Predictions

Referencing the movie's futuristic premise itself, there were many societal or political forecasts woven into the storyline, and a number of these have become reality since the film's release, including: * The People's Republic of China embraces
capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
and becomes a global economic
superpower Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to Sphere of influence, exert influence and Power projection, project power on a global scale. This is done through the comb ...
. *
Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...
becomes a huge multinational conglomerate. * The
collapse of the USSR The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
occurs. * The prevalence of
reality shows Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
on television. * Network television deals with previously taboo subjects accepted as normal (Monty Rushmore stars in the sitcom ''Both Father and Mother'' and plays a cross-dressing single father in the title role. The film's narrative also mentions ''The Schlong Show'', a game show where contestants are judged by their reproductive organs). * A
governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...
is elected president. * People in the 21st century began living increasingly in vans and RVs to offset the cost of unaffordable housing and property taxes.


References


Further reading

*


External links

* *
Americathon
on AFI
Americathon - Original Theatrical Trailer
on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

''Where Are All the Films About Economic Apocalypse?''
Article about the film on Vice.com {{Neal Israel 1979 films American satirical films American science fiction comedy films 1970s science fiction comedy films 1970s English-language films Films about fictional presidents of the United States American films based on plays Films directed by Neal Israel Films produced by Joe Roth Films scored by Tom Scott (saxophonist) Films about television Films set in 1998 Films set in the future Peak oil films Retrofuturism Films with screenplays by Monica Johnson United Artists films Films with screenplays by Neal Israel 1979 comedy films 1970s political comedy films 1970s American films 1979 science fiction films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language political comedy films