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American Playhouse

Overdrawn at the Memory Bank

  • Episode aired 1983
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
2.2/10
2.5K
YOUR RATING
All episodes
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  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Raul Julia and Edward Herrmann in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Romance
The mind of a computer programmer forced to take a virtual vacation is removed by a totalitarian government and accidentally trapped in the virtual reality simulation. He must find a way out... Read allThe mind of a computer programmer forced to take a virtual vacation is removed by a totalitarian government and accidentally trapped in the virtual reality simulation. He must find a way out before he expires.The mind of a computer programmer forced to take a virtual vacation is removed by a totalitarian government and accidentally trapped in the virtual reality simulation. He must find a way out before he expires.
IMDb RATING
2.2/10
2.5K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Douglas Williams
  • Writers
    • John Varley(short story)
    • Corinne Jacker(teleplay)
  • Stars
    • Raul Julia
    • Linda Griffiths
    • Donald Moore
Top credits
  • Director
    • Douglas Williams
  • Writers
    • John Varley(short story)
    • Corinne Jacker(teleplay)
  • Stars
    • Raul Julia
    • Linda Griffiths
    • Donald Moore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 98User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

    Raul Julia in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)
    Raul Julia in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)
    Raul Julia in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)
    Raul Julia in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)
    Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)
    Raul Julia in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Raul Julia
    Raul Julia
    • Aram Fingalas Aram Fingal…
    Linda Griffiths
    • Computech Apollonia Jamesas Computech Apollonia James
    Donald Moore
    • Novicorp Chairmanas Novicorp Chairman…
    Wanda Cannon
    Wanda Cannon
    • Felicia Varleyas Felicia Varley…
    Helen Carscallen
    • Dr. Darwinas Dr. Darwin
    Rex Hagon
    • Shuttle Passengeras Shuttle Passenger
    • (as Rex Hagan)
    Patrick Brymer
    • Nirvana Clerkas Nirvana Clerk
    Chapelle Jaffe
    Chapelle Jaffe
    • Djamillaas Djamilla
    Denise Pidgeon
    • Doppling Medicoas Doppling Medico
    • (as Denise Pigeon)
    Bunty Webb
    • Teacheras Teacher
    Audra Williams
    • Desiréeas Desirée
    Hadley Kay
    • Marcoas Marco
    Gary Farmer
    Gary Farmer
    • Toobyas Tooby
    Arnie Achtman
    • Slavinas Slavin
    Maury Chaykin
    Maury Chaykin
    • Gondolas Gondol
    Paula Barrett
    Paula Barrett
    • Lexicorp Reporteras Lexicorp Reporter
    Sugith Varughese
    Sugith Varughese
    • Transcorp Reporteras Transcorp Reporter
    Larry Schwartz
    • Plinthas Plinth
    • Director
      • Douglas Williams
    • Writers
      • John Varley(short story)
      • Corinne Jacker(teleplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    Storyline

    Edit
    Raul Julia plays Aram Fingal, a very intelligent computer programmer and a very bored man in the employ of Novicorp, a mega-corporation that exists somewhere in the future. When caught watching "Casablanca" at his desk, Fingal is required to undergo rehabilitation therapy called "doppling." Doppled patients find their minds transferred into the bodies of animals for a new outlook on life (and for a number of amusing nature documentary sequences narrated by Julia). However, Fingal's body is misplaced and he is transferred into a computer while the body is located. With the help of Appolonia James, a medical technician played by Linda Griffiths, Fingal manages to reprogram himself into a simulation of Casablanca and eventually gains access to Novicorp's financial computers, bringing the company to its knees. But Fingal's real problem is getting back into his body before his memory patterns are erased. —Chris Holland <cholland@atlantic.net>
    • fat man
    • sci fi episode
    • psychotronic episode
    • virtual reality simulation
    • trapped in virtual reality
    • 52 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • They want to control his mind but can't even find his body.
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Part of a series of PBS's literary adaptations, which included The Lathe of Heaven (1980).
    • Goofs
      We see that for the six hours of real time, the equivalent of several months pass for Aram Fingal inside the computer. However, in numerous scenes, Appollonia (in the real world) speaks to Fingal at a normal pace. To Fingal, these few seconds should have seemed to stretch out for hours; he should not have been able to comprehend them as they were spoken.
    • Quotes

      Aram Fingal: I got 47 credits. What kind of a dopple do you think that buys?

      Train passenger: An anteater? Maybe.

    • Connections
      Featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1997)

    User reviews98

    Review
    Top review
    2/10
    Hard to follow this PBS made film, but Raul Julia is in it!
    I am sure many people probably saw this PBS made film back in the day because back when it was made there were less channels and stuff and sometimes it was either something like this or nothing! Granted, I am sure a majority of people chose the latter. I saw this film thanks to the cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 and I am quite sure a good number of people were exposed to it for the first time thanks to the show. Even those who may have seen bits and pieces of it back in the day, probably did not witness the whole thing until it was featured on MST3K because I just cannot see anyone making it through all the jumbled mess that this film consisted of. Though, I just said it was a film, but it is not shot on film...rather it looks as if it were recorded on a camcorder. They did manage to land Raul Julia, but he was not as big when this one came out as he would later become. Then again, he did star in Street Fighter so he may not be too picky about parts; however, he had a sweet reason to be in Street Fighter and that was because I believe a nephew was a fan of the video game. Here, maybe he was a fan of PBS and thought he would star in this film and give it some merit. Which he probably did, as bad as it was, I do not think Mystery Science Theater would have even touched this thing without such a big star being in it.

    The story, well it is kind of difficult to explain. This is probably due to several factors as I do not think this was a whole movie to begin with, but actually a film that had parts to it. Then there is the fact it was a MST3K episode, which means that it was probably further edited down to accommodate the show's run time. Still, even when you take into account this things the film is rather confusing. A future society where everyone works and are no longer able to watch cinemas like Casablanca. One man tires of the routine and finds a way to watch said film and others, though Casablanca is apparently the only one they were allowed to partly show. He gets caught and gets sent to rehab which consists of having his mind placed in a baboon. His body is lost because even in the future they do stupid things like allow children into areas they shouldn't be in and he is soon placed in the computer where he meets Rick and soon Aram Fingal (the hero) tries to interface with the computer while Apollonia James tries to help Fingal, but she also eats and gets fat off flav-o-fives while the fat man gets mad at Fingal messing around his computer! Aram and Rick are both played by Raul who does put some effort into his role here.

    The film made for a very funny episode of MST3K as there is just a lot of things to make fun of. The strange names of the people and of certain things, the whole Casablanca setting in the computer and when Raul's character makes his moves on a blond. There is no shortage of things to riff here, which in turn makes this a very strong and consistent episode with no real weak spots within. The bumps were pretty good, with the one featuring Servo being doppeled being the highlight.

    So no, this is not a film I would care to see without MST3K. Granted, there may be a few things one could gain as far as understanding the plot, but this thing is such a mess that I just do not believe seeing it uncut is going to help all that much. This was just one of those strange movies or whatever you wanna call it that would occasionally come on after you watched Sesame Street that bored you to tears, but you just did not have the ability to turn the television yet! Of course, I did learn something from this film and that is that the anteater is the most horrific animal ever!
    helpful•3
    2
    • Aaron1375
    • May 29, 2016

    FAQ1

    • If this movie was released in 1983, and then again it was aired in 1985 as an episode of "American Playhouse", shouldn't it be considered as a stand-alone movie and not just as a part of a series?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Canada
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Abandomoviez.net
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Excesso de carga num computador
    • Filming locations
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • RSL
      • SFTV
      • Thirteen / WNET
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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