Americathon (1979)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Neal Israel

Writers:

Phil Proctor (play) &
Peter Bergman (play) ...

Release Date:

10 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The ultimate spectacle is now a movie.

Plot:

In a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by wealthy Native Americans.

Plot Keywords:

Telethon | Native American | Government | 1990s | Finance

Cast

John Ritter	...	President Chet Roosevelt
Harvey Korman	...	Monty Rushmore
Fred Willard	...	Vincent Vanderhoff
Chief Dan George	...	Sam Birdwater
Richard Schaal	...	Jerry
Peter Riegert	...	Eric McMurkin
Nancy Morgan	...	Lucy Beth
Zane Buzby	...	Mouling Jackson
Meat Loaf	...	Oklahoma Daredevil, Roy Budnitz
Elvis Costello	...	The Earl of Manchester
Terence McGovern	...	Danny Olson (as Terry McGovern)
Tommy Lasorda	...	Jimmy Dunphy
Howard Hesseman	...	Kip Margolis
Jay Leno	...	Larry Miller (Poopy Butt)
Peter Marshall	...	Himself

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:15 | USA:PG | Iceland:12

Company:

Lorimar Filmgesellschaft GmbH

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The movie mentions that people all over the country were watching the telethon, including people from the first gay state, North Dakota. We then see a picture of Mount Rushmore which is in South Dakota

Quotes:

Mouling Jackson: [singing] Don't you ever say 'No' to me / Listen, I'm a lady, period. / Classy, too. / Wont'cha come over here / And I'll prove it to you / And then if you still don't think / I got style and grace / I'm gonna oh, so gracefully / rip the lips off of your face!

Movie Connections:

Edited into 42nd Street Forever Part 4 (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

Car Wars

Harbinger of doom!

I will give the film points for being extremely prescient. The year is 1998. The world is completely out of oil and America is deep in debt thanks to dimwit President Chet Roosevelt (Ritter) who was elected by a TV worshiping public merely because of the family name. Sound familiar? Scary! Anyway, Chet and media specialist Riegert decide to hold a 30 day telethon to save America (home to the first gay state North Dakota!). To host it they choose washed up actor Monty Rushmore (Korman), who is now the pill popping star of a cross dressing sitcom called "Both Mother and Father." But sneaky Presidential aide Vincent Vanderhoff (Willard) wants this to fail so the Hebarabs (the Jews and Arabs have joined forces) can take over America. His plan? Booking only ventriloquist acts. Whew!

Wow, how can a film starring Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, Fred Willard and John Ritter be so painfully unfunny? I only laughed once during this futuristic comedy (at a joke involving Peter Marshall!). Director Neal Israel really blows it here. He has no idea how to set up a proper sight gag and everyone seems so subdued. The whole time I kept thinking how much better it would be if Mel Brooks had directed it. The only lively performance is by Zane Busby as Vietnamese "puke rock" sensation Mouling Jackson. Bizarre cameos include Meat Loaf, Elvis Costello and Jay Leno.