The Absent-Minded Waiter

With the combination of Steve Martin, Buck Henry and Teri Garr, you know that you're in for something good. And the Academy Award-nominated short "The Absent-Minded Waiter" is just that. Martin stars as the inept title character who messes up Henry's and Garr's dinner experience every step of the way. If one wanted to take a serious look at this short, I might compare it to a scene in "The Graduate", for which Henry wrote the screenplay (you may recall the scene where Ben does everything possible to make Elaine feel uncomfortable during the date).

This is apparently available on a box set of Steve Martin's TV appearances, but I saw it on YouTube. With any luck, all Oscar-nominated shorts will eventually be available there.

Good one.

A couple arrive at a fine dining establishment and specifically ask for the table serviced by "Steven" (Steve Martin). This man can barely hold his pencil up the right way and the ensuing service is shambolic at best. Not unreasonably, she (Teri Garr) isn't very impressed with her husband (Buck Henry) for suggesting this place but he's clearly got a plan - and it could be the gift that keeps on giving. We had a slew of compendium sketch shows in the UK in the 1970s and this would have fitted easily within one of them, only not at what seemed quite a long seven minutes. It's just too ridiculous on just about every level, and isn't really very funny either. Not really for me, sorry.

I saw this as a kid and it remains one of my favorite shorts of all-time. The script by Buck Henry is the best kind of smart/stupid comedy, the set-up of the main gag is patient and well-constructed, and the performances by Steve Martin, Buck Henry, and Terry Gar are pitch perfect. I believe it was nominated, and may have won, the Oscar for best live action short film. If you are a fan of either Steve Martin or Buck Henry, you should go out of your way to find this semi obscure gem.

This was previewed for audiences on PBS' recent Mark Twain award to Steve Martin. (Which was a very entertaining presentation in itself.) It stars Martin (he also wrote the script) as a forgetful waiter serving Bernie (Buck Henry) and his wife/girlfriend. Steven the Waiter can't remember anything and continually asks the same questions - "Would you like anything to drink?" "Anything to drink?" "Anything to drink?" Then he brings six martinis and a lard omelet - which they didn't even order to begin with.

He brings out the desserts before the main courses, and so on and so forth.

This was presented at the awards show as the Oscar winner of 1977 for Best Short Feature. I'm not sure if it's Oscar-worthy but Martin IS very funny in it and his physical and intellectual humor is already beginning to take form in film at an early age. His stand-up shows were already hilarious and this was just another transition for him to the big screen.

If you're a fan of Martin, I highly recommend this. Also worth noting is that it was directed by Carl Gottlieb, who had a role in the movie "JAWS" and - if I'm not mistaken - helped write various forms of the screenplay.

When we "go to the show" in these 21st Century times, we typically go to a multi-screen,super theatre, which is usually part of a big, national chain. We usually see but one movie, preceded by lotsa trailers. Before these 'previews of coming attractions', we, the movie going public, can count on viewing seemingly countless commercials. Everything from the latest cola sensations to local real estate lady is hawked.

In years past, there were many different types of movie shown at the cinema, which were one screen operations and typically located in the neighborhood business district. In addition to the Feature,one would see several different kinds of film, which depended on day and time.Travelogs,Newsreels, Cartoons and Serial Chapters were examples of program content. Also a format that thrived from the earliest days of film right up to the 1950's was the Comedy Short.

THE ABSENT MINDED WAITER is a fine example of a sort of throw back to those zany, illogical but always laugh making little films. Just like so many of those comedy series, ABSENT MINDED showcases the talents and comic routines of a comedian which was conceived as a live set piece, then honed, fine tuned and perfected in front of a live audience. No matter if the venue was Vaudiville or a modern Comedy Club. It could be the English Music Hall or today's Las Vegas.

Steve Martin tried something different with his ABSENT MINDED WAITER. He succeeded, but in a field (Short Subjects, usually 1 to 3 reels long)which is greatly diminished from its former status. Whereas now a short like this is a real,reel novelty; at one time, some performers lived there almost exclusively.

We're sure that had Mr.Martin been around in "the Old Days", he would have been right up there with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, The Marxes, Laurel & Hardy, The Stooges,Joe McDoakes, etc.,etc.,etc...........