Americathon
US VHS cover for the film
Directed by	Neal Israel
Produced by	Joe Roth
Written by	Phil Proctor & Peter Bergman (play and adaptation) Neal Israel & Michael Mislove & Monica McGowan Johnson (screenplay)
Narrated by	George Carlin
Starring	John Ritter Harvey Korman Peter Riegert Fred Willard Jay Leno Chief Dan George Zane Busby Meat Loaf Elvis Costello Howard Hesseman George Carlin
Music by	Tom Scott
Cinematography	Gerald Hirschfeld
Editing by	John C. Howard
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	August 10, 1979 (USA)
Running time	86 min.
Country	U.S.A./West Germany
Language	English
Budget	Unknown
Gross revenue	$6,171,763
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Americathon (also known as Americathon 1998) is a 1979 comedy starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin, based on a play by Firesign Theatre alumni Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman. Others credited in the film include Elvis Costello, Jay Leno, Meat Loaf, Tommy Lasorda, and Chief Dan George. Image File history File links Americathon. ... Neal Israel is a writer and director best known for his comedic work in the 1980s. ... Joe Roth is a producer and film director, born on June 13, 1948 in New York City to a Jewish family. ... Philip Proctor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Autographed photo of Peter Bergman Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott Peter Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is a three time Emmy Award-winning American soap opera actor. ... Neal Israel is a writer and director best known for his comedic work in the 1980s. ... George Dennis Carlin (born May 12, 1937 in New York, New York)[2] is a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and author. ... Jonathan Southworth John Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor and comedian best known for his role of Jack Tripper in the sitcom Threes Company. ... Actor Harvey Korman in the 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles. ... Peter Riegert (born April 11, 1947 in New York City) is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Donald Schoenstein (aka Boon) in 1978s National Lampoons Animal House and as Sam Posner in the 1988 film, Crossing Delancey. ... Fred Willard (born September 18, 1939) is an American comedian and character actor, known for his improvisational comedy skills. ... James Douglas Muir Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an Emmy-winning American comedian who is best known as the current host of NBC televisions long-running variety and talk program The Tonight Show. ... Chief Dan George (July 24, 1899–September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Burrard Band, a Salish First Nations people located in Burrard Inlet, British Columbia. ... This article or section may contain excessive or improper use of copyrighted images and/or audio files. ... Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus August 25, 1954 in London) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. ... Howard Hesseman Howard Hesseman (born February 27, 1940 in Lebanon, Oregon) is an American actor. ... George Dennis Carlin (born May 12, 1937 in New York, New York)[2] is a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and author. ... There are different people named Tom Scott: Tom Scott, Scottish poet. ... The current United Artists logo (a variant was used during the 1980s). ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Events March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. ... Jonathan Southworth John Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor and comedian best known for his role of Jack Tripper in the sitcom Threes Company. ... Fred Willard (born September 18, 1939) is an American comedian and character actor, known for his improvisational comedy skills. ... Peter Riegert (born April 11, 1947 in New York City) is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Donald Schoenstein (aka Boon) in 1978s National Lampoons Animal House and as Sam Posner in the 1988 film, Crossing Delancey. ... Actor Harvey Korman in the 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles. ... Nancy Morgan This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... George Dennis Carlin (born May 12, 1937 in New York, New York)[2] is a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and author. ... The Firesign Theatre are a comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. ... Philip Proctor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Peter Bergman (born November 29, 1939, in Cleveland, Ohio) is a founding member of The Firesign Theatre. ... Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus August 25, 1954 in London) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. ... James Douglas Muir Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an Emmy-winning American comedian who is best known as the current host of NBC televisions long-running variety and talk program The Tonight Show. ... This article or section may contain excessive or improper use of copyrighted images and/or audio files. ... Tommy Lasorda, 2006 photo by Phil Konstantin Thomas Charles Lasorda (born September 22, 1927 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League baseball pitcher and manager. ... Chief Dan George (July 24, 1899–September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Burrard Band, a Salish First Nations people located in Burrard Inlet, British Columbia. ...

The premise of the film was that, sometime in the then-near future (actually 1998), the USA has run out of oil, and many Americans are literally living in their (now stationary) cars and either jog or ride bicycles to travel. The federal government, housed in "The Western White House" (a sub-leased condo in Marina del Rey, California), is near bankruptcy and in danger of being foreclosed by a cartel of Native Americans in control of Nike Inc. (which has been renamed "National Indian Knitting Enterprises"). President Chet Roosevelt, played by Ritter, decides that the only way he can raise money to prevent this from happening is to run a telethon. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Marina del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for Navy of the King, or Seacoast of the King) is a census-designated place seaside community located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, California. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration—see text) in the United Kingdom. ... A cartel is a group of formally independent producers whose goal is to increase their collective profits by means of price fixing, limiting supply, or other restrictive practices. ... Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... The Nike swoosh logo Nike, Inc. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... The 2005 Telethon on Seven Perth. ...

The soundtrack features It's A Beautiful Day by The Beach Boys. First formed in 1961, The Beach Boys are an American rock and roll band that gained popularity for their close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of surfing, girls and cars. ...

Trivia

Among the unintentionally prophetic elements in the story are:

• The People's Republic of China embracing capitalism and becoming a global economic superpower.
• Cliques of Native Americans becoming wealthy (although in reality much of their wealth would come from the gaming industry, mostly from tribal casinos).
• Nike becoming a huge multinational conglomerate (In 1979, their "Tailwind" running shoe was just starting to gain popularity).
• Vietnam becoming a major tourist attraction among Asia's wealthy and powerful.
• The continued existence of the the Beach Boys in 1998.
• A Western White House, however it would serve as a vacation home.
• The USSR breaking up.

An oddly unique commentary on American society is that, no matter how difficult situations became, Americans steadfastly refused to give up watching television. Capitalism generally refers to an economic system in which the means of production are all or mostly privately[1][2] owned and operated for profit, and in which investments, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a free market. ... The USA and USSR were the two superpowers during the Cold War. ... Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Caravaggio, The Cardsharps, c. ... // Native American gambling enterprises comprise gambling businesses operated on Indian reservations, which have limited sovereignty and therefore the ability to exist outside of federal restrictions. ... Nike, Inc. ... First formed in 1961, The Beach Boys are an American rock and roll band that gained popularity for their close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of surfing, girls and cars. ... President George W. Bush gives remarks on Hurricane Katrina and the Iraqi constitution from his Crawford, Texas ranch on Sunday August 28, 2005. ...

John Carradine was to have played "Uncle Sam" in this film, but his scenes were edited. John Carradine (February 5, 1906 - November 27, 1988) was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns. ...

Dorothy Stratten appears, uncredited, as one of the stage dancers. Dorothy Stratten (born Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten) (February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980) was Playboy magazines Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Playmate of the Year for 1980. ...

A photo novel of the film was also released in 1979. Fumetti or photo novels are a form of comics illustrated with photographs rather than drawings. ...

To promote the movie, in 1979 Ted Coombs roller skated across the United States and back and gained a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. // Ted Coombs (born Ronald Alvin Schlemeyer and later adopted as Theodore James Coombs born on June 19, 1954) American author, artist, and scientist. ... The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ...

External Links

Americathon listing at IMDB The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...