The Absent-Minded Waiter

1977 0h 7m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 22

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Bernie Cates requests the services of the most absent-minded waiter he's ever seen, who pours water before setting the glasses, endlessly repeats questions, brings wrong orders, and ruins everything- but the bill.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Steve Martin
Steven
Teri Garr
Susan Cates
Buck Henry
Bernie Cates
Naomi Stevens
Naomi
Ivor Barry
Peter Elbling
Kurt Taylor
Beans Morocco

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Carl Gottlieb
Writers: Steve Martin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 7-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Steve Martin and Teri Garr and Buck Henry carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0075626 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 22 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Carl Gottlieb directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 7-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
249 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Steve Martin and Teri Garr and Buck Henry carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0075626 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 22 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Runtime: 7 min · 0h 7m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977)

Also by

Carl Gottlieb

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-12
★ 6/10
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.

Production companies