THE ABSENT-MINDED WAITER (1977) Steve Martin, Buck Henry, Teri Garr Oscar nominated short film

Scanned from a pink 35mm print, here we have the classic Steve Martin short film THE ABSENT-MINDED WAITER from 1977 co-starring the always great Buck Henry and the always fabulous Teri Garr.
A comedy great. Enjoy!

[@hammondsgc100]

RIP the fabulous and beautiful Teri Garr

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

Just reading Teri Garr’s book Speedbumps. She mentions working in this short. She knew Martin as they had jobs at Disneyland years before. Buck Henry was a friend of her neighbors along with Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner. They were all hiring each other for projects. Carl Gottlieb the director of this short was one of their friends and he went on to be a producer. He also co wrote The Jerk with Steve Martin. (Garr and Henry were paid with Betamax machines)

[@MaryAnneRosato]

In college back in the day, a group of us used to watch The Absent Minded Waiter over and over again. Someone had it on VHS and we literally watched it multiple times a day, every day. Good memories.

[@bobbywolff1274]

"lets smoke a jay and watch again!" ;)

[@bobbywolff1274]

...thats called A CLASSIC :)

[@Martin-iv6lq]

We used to watch your mom over and over again

[@joeduggan8409]

yep same here

[@prestonfreeman1967]

damn the weed was good back then.

[@rBennich]

Lol, the way the couple in the background just takes the desert wagon crashing into their table without making a single noise or getting angry. Just business as usual.

[@SteveStalzle]

I never knew about this short film! This was made before his first film, The Jerk. This is great. I got to speak to Steve 1x, at a screening of Pennies From Heaven.

[@mrcydonia]

I love Buck Henry's grin at 3:09, "it begins!"

[@har9020]

Now I know where Spielberg got the idea for the dissolve from the Paramount logo to a mountain-shaped object for the Indiana Jones movies.

[@kramnam4716]

One of my dessert island films .. along with anything by Mel brooks or Monty python

[@Rob_Kates]

"Mr. Short Term Memory" from SNL was like this.

[@courtreinland6285]

The birth of a comedic genius.

[@davemustaki134]

Niles crane references this in an episode of Frasier when the waiter at nervosa can't get his order right lol

[@bobbywolff1274]

dave, what EXACTLY did Niles say?, plz

[@davemustaki134]

@@bobbywolff1274 the waiter keeps forgetting what Niles had ordered and recaps the order by saying to Niles you had the?... And Niles replies the absent minded waiter lol I can't remember what episode and what season it was but I hope this helped?

[@davemustaki134]

I think we have all at one stage of our life been served by the type of waiter Steve Martin plays here even been given extra change lol

[@makiburgess5733]

Teri Garr is gorgeous.

[@adewight5667]

I remember watching this years ago. The Bahamas joke still makes me laugh.

[@WestlineDI]

I still use that line to this day

[@Elitist20]

Heard it on one of his records - so this is where it comes from!

[@YouTubeallowedmynametobestolen]

I'm watching, enjoying the over-the-top silliness of the humor, but also wondering, "How are they going to make a whole movie of this?" Then I got to "The End" and realized it wasn't a clip from a movie, but an entire short.

[@taydrabrookshire347]

This displays his fullest potential. I’m kinda pissed it didn’t win the Academy Award it was nominated for

[@browneye1967]

Vale Buck Henry! The amount of times I ran this through a projector.....

[@ChubbyChecker182]

The Only Steve Martin Movie to be Oscar Nominated. (The Jerk should have been, and Planes, Trains).

[@johnnycats5157]

oh shit i remember seeing this when i was a kid. forgot all about it. so awesome.

[@eldoradony]

I saw Steve when I was in college before he made it big. I never saw this short before. I was laughing my ass off!

[@lisaemilyfox6848]

When I was a kid and I’d make a mess my mum would say ‘pigsss must have been here’

[@Garysopinion]

I usually take a mini vacation to Hawaii. Those 20 foot waves are mesmerizing.

[@nazaretsalinas2691]

This should have been a show

[@esmewvimes2901]

This is my Cinderella's slipper. If I ever see something, or do something really dumb, I'll say, "Just call me the Absent Minded Waiter." One day, someone will look at me, laugh uproariously, and I will propose.

[@mcgillicuddyq7662]

How bout some nice dutch sugar jelly cake, it's good for you. *goes catatonic* 🤣

[@jugularmusic]

"A Steve Martin Short" please make that title into a movie starring Steve Martin & Martin Short!

[@davemustaki134]

A Steve Martin short Martin short short

[@howardhughes7596]

That's art. Terri was so pretty. Steve so goofy. And Buck being Buck. Cute little tale. Nice to see it and I wonder if this little gem has made its way into the National Archive?

[@Watery_Tart]

When people find me in a zone out, I often reply, "Sorry just went to the Bahamas for a moment." Only the cool people know what I'm referencing.

[@jamespfitz]

That's what I tell the dentist when he asks "You doing ok?"

[@SimpLeeBeth]

3 superstars!!! ❤❤❤

[@patrickhenry8799]

Saw this in Vegas when Steve Martin opened for Helen Reddy.

[@pillettadoinswartsh4974]

Not only had I never seen this, I didn't know it even existed. Let alone that it was nominated.........

[@edlawn5481]

RIP Teri Garr.

[@peterdavies2960]

Inspector Clouseau’s original job before he got in the Police 😂

[@nmdakini358]

My favorite quintessential Martin

[@jamesbruno1519]

i used some of these lines in a improv class…i used to make the other actors corpse with laughter

[@nazaretsalinas2691]

5:12 Hotel Hell, When your manager is going to give you your paycheck for the first time after 10 years.

[@christinei3032]

That brought me here from watching what would you do show Absent minded waiter!😂

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

This was the short feature before the main attraction on the "Homage to Steve" VHS tape I had years ago. Basically it was Steve Martin live in concert from 1980 I believe. You can probably find it on KZbin somewhere.

[@robertcenzer6679]

Martin did this on the Smothers Brothers show in the 60's

[@mulemule]

*It has a real "Mel-Brooks-Channels-Monty-Python" vibe. (Except it's funny.)*

[@peterdavies2960]

Buck Henry kinda looks like Alec Guinness at the end 😂

[@DamianKurtz]

0:17 And now, we're pleased to bring you our feature presentation.

[@davemustaki134]

Steve Martin was a big character back in the day almost a national American treasure now you don't see or hear much from him

[@esmewvimes2901]

He's actually touring as part of a band and he plays the banjo, of course. All these multi talented people. He's written a couple of books as well. If you like Appalachian style music you'd enjoy his concert. His bandmares are some of the greatest talent in that genre, and I think he even met Earl Scruggs. Scruggs is to the banjo what VanHalen or Page are too the guitar.

[@davemustaki134]

@@esmewvimes2901 I'm in Australia I doubt he will be here anytime soon but that is interesting

[@taydrabrookshire347]

He has a Hulu show 😎

[@davemustaki134]

@@taydrabrookshire347 yeah but I don't think we have Hulu here in Australia I mainly just remember him from his comedy movies when I was a kid enjoyed many of his films I guess he can't act forever

[@taydrabrookshire347]

@@davemustaki134 Disney+ has it there I believe

[@dogwoodservicesinc.2972]

Love it. Trust me.

[@crapstermcduck6593]

Really funny.

[@davemustaki134]

She resembles Lisa Kudrow so much!

[@davemustaki134]

@Glenn Reeve I think she might have I can't exactly remember I'm sure a Google search will tell you

[@sharathshankarand5043]

That was Phoebe's mother. Pheobe!!

[@johndalton3180]

He plays a variation of this in The Muppet Movie, if I'm not mistaken.

[@philliptigue]

Would you like to sniff the bottle cap?

[@jeanyjerome3898]

Hahaha...HMMMMMMMM.what is with Teri Garr & the mountain of mashed potatoes? It seemed as though it may have been her first encounter with Steve the Waiter - Buck had a Sucker in His Palms

[@AstralPixie]

* Water... and glasses *

[@Someonesaidthis]

Did this play in the theaters before the movie started?

[@WestlineDI]

Yes

[@fosbury68]

Paramount sent it along with the movie “Grease” as a short to be played with the coming attractions.

[@nazaretsalinas2691]

A series I mean

[@markcopeland4448]

Is the chef the same chef with tourettes from Curb Your Enthusiasm?

[@Danfrombackhome]

So how did the band get bowling for soup from this?

[@nighttimedaytime1192]

I dont get it either...

[@waxorchard1692]

pigs must have been here

[@davemustaki134]

Makes you wonder why they kept him on if he so unprofessional?

[@SaucerheadTharp]

It's all about the payoff, as it were.

[@chrisktcpt1252]

Pigs must have been here....

[@SteveHallintheVale]

Saw him in concert back when his King Tut song was the big thing. The show opened with this showing on a giant screen. Thought it was hilarious. First time I've seen it since then ... did not age well. 😕

[@JamieSmith-fz2mz]

I saw him Pine Knob, a 15k seat amphitheater in Detroit that summer. Same show. Not much from that era aged well, but this sure killed in 1977. The place was upside down with laughs.

[@sarahsilverlight2064]

I definitely disagree. I think it aged just fine. True classics never get old 😊

[@SteveHallintheVale]

@@sarahsilverlight2064 It's entirely possible that I didn't have well ... in fact it's very likely

[@sarahsilverlight2064]

@@SteveHallintheVale Huh? Lol. Not understanding your comment, not trying to be mean, but maybe something was lost in translation 🙂

[@otrdriverchris]

I don't get S.M. It must be me.

[@Vichedges]

He’s OK. Humor is subjective.

[@edlawn5481]

@@Vichedges Comedy isn't pretty.

[@tommym321]

4:36 the judgmental look he gives him after serving the six martinis is pretty funny

[@jbcoops]

It was nominated in 1978 and should've won imho! Here were the nominees: Short Film (Live Action) Winner I'll Find a Way Beverly Shaffer and Yuki Yoshida, Producers Nominees The Absent-Minded Waiter William E. McEuen, Producer Floating Free Jerry Butts, Producer Notes on the Popular Arts Saul Bass, Producer Spaceborne Philip Dauber, Producer The winner, "I'll Find a Way" was a documentary about Nadia, a 9-year-old girl with spina bifida. It is definitely excellent, and a serious documentary. To me it's appalling that it was in the same category as AMW! Here it is if anyone cares to watch it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipTZdJmXmtN2ppI

[@ScorpionF1RE----USA]

lolol

[@WestlineDI]

Re-scan with way better gear... kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqG1XoKvodaId7c

[@topoftheinning]

Pigs must have been here.

[@peterdavies2960]

Did he really have grey hair as a young man or is that just a wig he’s wearing? 🤨

[@WestlineDI]

That was his hair color

[@jimreadey4837]

In 2023, just a silly sketch... in 1977, an Academy Award nominee. How standards change.

[@jamesdrynan]

Sorry. I fail to see the humor. The cheese stands alone, I guess.

[@timh2356]

This is so woke.

[@Brian01987]

Im a big fan of steve martin but this movie's dialogue was poorly written.

[@john-lenin]

Comedy is Anticipation, Repetition, and Timing.