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Director: Neil Israel
Cast: Harvey Korman, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Zane Buzby, Nancy Morgan, John Ritter, Richard Schall, Elvis Costello, Jay Leno
Americathon © 1979, Package Design © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.
In 1998 the world’s oil supply is exhausted. The U.S. Treasury is empty and in deep debt to a billionaire businessman (Chief Dan George) who’ll foreclose on the nation in 30 days. The solution: a telethon to save Uncle Sam from bankruptcy. And with this way-out-there premise as a launching pad, Americathon explodes into comic outer space. Written by Firesign Theatre veterans Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman, this wickedly funny – and 30 years later, outrageously timely – escapade stars Harvey Korman as an ego-tripping emcee, Fred Willard as a scheming White House aide and John Ritter as a mellow fellow of a President. Has the country got a prayer when the people running the show haven’t got a clue? Tune in to this all-stops-out extravaganza of hilarity and – strange but true – foreboding.
Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Mission Viejo, CA on 2/4/2012Comments about Americathon (DVD):
Laughter is theraputic
from Henderson, NV on 7/23/2011Comments about Americathon (DVD):
The film that proved all too prophetic. The USA is broke and out of oil, people living in their cars, wealthy Native Americans having great clout, Vietnam becoming the playground of Asia's elite and China becoming a global economic superpower. Back in 1979, it was a all a joke. Today, it's reality! It's so nice to watch a clear copy that's not on an aging VHS cassette, and the widescreen presentation along with the coming attractions trailer are a plus. While not a great film (the clumsily edited ending seemed like an afterthought), it is enjoyable and, in hindsight, eerie to see comical predictions coming true.
Comments about Americathon (DVD):
I remember seeing this film on cable when I was 11-12 years old. This was a Great Blast from the past! It's plot is Foreboding about a grim economic future of the USA. Its' satirical look at how Big Government seems to be run by people who don't have a clue.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Richmond, KY on 1/17/2011Comments about Americathon (DVD):
It would have been nice if the DVD had chapter listings.
from the bronx, n.y. on 1/14/2011Comments about Americathon (DVD):
seems like somethings never change.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Portland, OR on 1/3/2011Comments about Americathon (DVD):
I saw AMERICATHON theatrically when I was 9 years old and thought it was hilarious. It's a delight 30 years later to finally see a widescreen DVD release of this comedy classic. Wacky and memorable performances abound from Harvey Korman, John Ritter, Zane Buzby and more.Thanks to WB Archive for making the movie available. The picture quality is very good, and it looks just like any other DVD. Strongly recommended to '70s comedy fans.DSS
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from NJ on 12/20/2010Comments about Americathon (DVD):
Often hilarious, strangely prescient and relevant to where we're headed today, this underrated gem from the final days of the last decade long recession (also fueled by a pointless war we never should have gotten ourselves involved in, and which we similarly wound up "losing" in the end) seems to predict public cynicism, "reality TV", an ineffectual government run by buffoons, and a nation on the brink of financial collapse and complete ownership by an unfriendly foreign power. And that's not even getting into the whole oil shortage angle (everyone is reduced to riding bicycles in the film's dystopian world, and one of the best acts is the "car killer", where a thinner than you'd remember Meatloaf takes on a hostile motor vehicle American Gladiator style). Perhaps the only thing more frightening (yet amusing) than all of this being knife edge-close to current reality is how Meatloaf, once feted for his notable heft, seems comparatively trim compared to the average man on the street these days! Funny, biting, and recommended...though it is a bit slow and dated in parts.
