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1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show

Original title: Americathon
  • 1979
  • PG
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
958
YOUR RATING
1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
In a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by wealthy Native Americans.
Play trailer2:42
2 Videos
40 Photos
ComedyMusical

In a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by we... Read allIn a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by wealthy Native Americans.In a story told in narrative flashbacks, a young TV consultant is hired by the President of a bankrupt USA to organize a telethon in order to prevent the country from being repossessed by wealthy Native Americans.

  • Director
    • Neal Israel
  • Writers
    • Phil Proctor
    • Peter Bergman
    • Neal Israel
  • Stars
    • Harvey Korman
    • Fred Willard
    • Peter Riegert
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.5/10
    958
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Neal Israel
    • Writers
      • Phil Proctor
      • Peter Bergman
      • Neal Israel
    • Stars
      • Harvey Korman
      • Fred Willard
      • Peter Riegert
    • 19User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:42
    Watch Trailer
    Americathon Clip
    Clip 3:01
    Watch Americathon Clip

    Photos40

    Meatloaf "Americathon" 1979/Warner
    1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    John Ritter and Zane Buzby in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    Harvey Korman and David Pomeranz in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    Nancy Morgan in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    Meat Loaf in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    Zane Buzby in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    Peter Riegert in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Korman in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)
    Zane Buzby in 1998 - Die vier Milliarden Dollar Show (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Harvey Korman
    Harvey Korman
    • Monty Rushmore
    Fred Willard
    Fred Willard
    • Vincent Vanderhoff
    Peter Riegert
    Peter Riegert
    • Eric McMerkin
    Zane Buzby
    Zane Buzby
    • Mouling Jackson
    Nancy Morgan
    Nancy Morgan
    • Lucy Beth
    John Ritter
    John Ritter
    • President Chet Roosevelt
    Richard Schaal
    Richard Schaal
    • Jerry
    Allan Arbus
    Allan Arbus
    • Moishe Weitzman
    Elvis Costello
    Elvis Costello
    • Earl Manchester
    Chief Dan George
    Chief Dan George
    • Sam Birdwater
    Tommy Lasorda
    Tommy Lasorda
    • Jimmy Dunphy
    Jay Leno
    Jay Leno
    • Larry Miller (Poopy Butt)
    Peter Marshall
    Peter Marshall
    • Peter Marshall
    David Opatoshu
    David Opatoshu
    • Abdul Muhammad
    Meat Loaf
    Meat Loaf
    • Oklahoma Roy Budnitz
    George Carlin
    George Carlin
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Nellie Bellflower
    Nellie Bellflower
    • Missy, VP Advertising
    J.A. Preston
    J.A. Preston
    • Morty
    • Director
      • Neal Israel
    • Writers
      • Phil Proctor
      • Peter Bergman
      • Neal Israel
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As part of the promotion for this film's release in 1979, Ted Coombs traveled on roller-skates across the USA for a total of 5,193 miles, setting a world record. He is now a technology author, futurist, artist, and scientist.
    • Goofs
      The movie mentions that people all over the country were watching the telethon, including people from the first gay state, North Dakota. We then see a picture of Mount Rushmore which is in South Dakota
    • Quotes

      [opening sequence; two dinosaurs fighting]

      Jimmy Carter: What you're looking at is downtown Pittsburgh, one million B.C. Those two big guys are fighting for a parking space. This is where our story begins. If they could have just learned to live together like decent human beings, they'd still be around and there never would have been an energy crisis. But they died out, and what was left of them turned into fossil fuel... Oil. See, it's not cute when eleven tons gets cranky. Their problem was they were all teeth and no brain...

      [Shot of President Jimmy Carter]

      Narrator: ...which brings us to this guy. Jimmy Carter was President of the United States when everybody started to notice we were running out of dead dinosaurs. No more gas to run our cars. Fights at the pump. People getting nozzle-whipped. So what was his solution? He made a speech.

      Jimmy Carter: The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us. But it will, if we do not act quickly.

      Narrator: We didn't. When America finally ran out of gas, an angry mob broke into the White House and lynched him. Along with three or four of his snottier cabinet members.

    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Sunburn, Americathon, Hot Stuff, Meatballs, The Concorde: Airport '79 (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      It's A Beautiful Day
      Written by Mike Love and Al Jardine

      Performed by The Beach Boys

      Produced by Bruce Johnston

    User reviews19

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    4/10
    Good idea, not that good of an execution.
    "Americathon" is about the future (1998) where the state of the USA is so bad that it's incompetent president holds a telethon to raise 400 billion dollars. The movie has surprisingly high production values, and the idea sounds good on paper. It's the script and acting that mess things up a bit.

    The movie takes a while to start, mostly to squeeze in some future predictions and hit or miss jokes, but once the telethon does start, it is, yet again, mainly hit or miss jokes (mostly miss, but it did get some laughter out of me). The soundtrack was pretty good though.

    Now for the acting: In my opinion, it was one of Harvey Norman's weaker performances, and Zane buzby had a really annoying fake accent (that won her "worst fake female accent" in the Stinkers Awards), but other than those and a few other smaller parts, the acting was pretty average.

    Overall, it had average to weak acting, and not that good of a script. Although a neat thing about it is that some of the movie's predictions did come true later on (the collapse of the USSR and cellphones for example). 4/10.
    helpful•0
    0
    • finercreative
    • Feb 10, 2024

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    • How long is Americathon?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 10, 1979 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Americathon
    • Filming locations
      • Grand Street Overpass, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA(skating, cycling and skateboarding sequence)
    • Production companies
      • Lorimar Filmgesellschaft GmbH
      • Lorimar Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $6,171,763
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,171,763
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 26 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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