The Absent-Minded Waiter
Encyclopedia
The Absent-Minded Waiter is a 1977 short film starring Steve Martin
, Teri Garr
, and Buck Henry
. It was written by Martin and directed by Carl Gottlieb
. The film was produced by William E. McEuen, who would go on to produce Steve Martin's next six films.
A couple (Henry and Garr) have gone out to dinner at a fancy restaurant the husband claims has the world's most absent-minded waiter. Martin plays a poor waiter. He has many mishaps, including pouring water before placing down the glasses, forcing the couple to repeat their order of "two martinis" three times, and subsequently bringing them six martinis. The film culminates with the wife becoming angry that she got dressed up, hired a babysitter and then was brought out to a restaurant with such amazingly bad service. The husband pleads with her: "Trust me . . . trust me." Immediately afterwards, the waiter returns with their "change" – $10,000 worth – before the couple had even paid. As they gleefully get up from their chairs to leave, the waiter comes back to ask, "Two for dinner?", to which the wife quickly responds, "Yes, two please," and the couple then sits right back down at their table.
The short was shown at Steve Martin's stand-up shows before he went on, and is included on the 1977 VHS release of Steve Martin Live, now out of print. Martin also recreated this sketch during one of his hosting appearances on Saturday Night Live
in the late '70s.
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
.
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
, Teri Garr
Teri Garr
-Early life:Garr was born in Lakewood, Ohio in 1947. Her father, Eddie Garr , was a vaudeville performer, comedian and actor whose career peaked when he briefly took over the lead role in the Broadway drama Tobacco Road...
, and Buck Henry
Buck Henry
Henry Zuckerman, better known as Buck Henry , is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director.-Early life:...
. It was written by Martin and directed by Carl Gottlieb
Carl Gottlieb
Carl Gottlieb is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian and executive. He is probably best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, as well as directing the 1981 low-budget cult film Caveman.-Early life:...
. The film was produced by William E. McEuen, who would go on to produce Steve Martin's next six films.
A couple (Henry and Garr) have gone out to dinner at a fancy restaurant the husband claims has the world's most absent-minded waiter. Martin plays a poor waiter. He has many mishaps, including pouring water before placing down the glasses, forcing the couple to repeat their order of "two martinis" three times, and subsequently bringing them six martinis. The film culminates with the wife becoming angry that she got dressed up, hired a babysitter and then was brought out to a restaurant with such amazingly bad service. The husband pleads with her: "Trust me . . . trust me." Immediately afterwards, the waiter returns with their "change" – $10,000 worth – before the couple had even paid. As they gleefully get up from their chairs to leave, the waiter comes back to ask, "Two for dinner?", to which the wife quickly responds, "Yes, two please," and the couple then sits right back down at their table.
The short was shown at Steve Martin's stand-up shows before he went on, and is included on the 1977 VHS release of Steve Martin Live, now out of print. Martin also recreated this sketch during one of his hosting appearances on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
in the late '70s.
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
.