The Census Taker

Last updated

The Census Taker
The Census Taker theatrical poster.jpg
theatrical poster
Directed byBruce R. Cook
Written byBruce R. Cook
William Kerwin
W. Gordon Smith
Produced byRobert Bealmer
Starring Greg Mullavey
Meredith MacRae
Garrett Morris
Timothy Bottoms
CinematographyTom Jewett
Edited byBruce R. Cook
Music byJay Seagrave
The Residents
Production
company
Argentum Productions
Distributed bySeymour Borde & Associates
Release date
  • July 1984 (1984-07)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Census Taker is a 1984 black comedy directed by Bruce R. Cook. It stars Greg Mullavey, Meredith MacRae, Timothy Bottoms, and Garrett Morris. [1] [2] The film was The Residents' first film soundtrack commission when their participation was suggested by Penn Jillette to Cook. [3] [4] It was released by Trans World Entertainment on VHS in 1989 under the title Husbands, Wives, Money & Murder. [5] [6]

Contents

Plot

When George (Greg Mullavey) and Martha (Meredith MacRae) let Harvey (Garrett Morris), an annoying census taker, into their home, they find themselves under a barrage of increasingly abusive questions. Furious at his intrusiveness, and at their wit's end, they kill the census taker and with the help of their friends Pete (Timothy Bottoms) and Eva (Austen Tayler), must hide the body from a determined investigator.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garrett Morris</span> American actor (born 1937)

Garrett Isaac Morris is an American actor. He was part of the original cast and was the first black cast member of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980, and played Jimmy on The Jeffersons (1983–1984). Morris had one of the starring roles, as Junior "Uncle Junior" King, on the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, which aired from 1996 to 2001. Morris also had a starring role as Earl Washington on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, from 2011 to 2017. He is also known for his role in the sitcom Martin as Stan Winters, from 1992 to 1995, until he suffered an injury. Also, he made two guest appearances on The Wayans Bros. in season one, episode one as himself and again on episode ten as the brothers' uncle Leon (1995). He played a concerned teacher in the film Cooley High (1975), Slide in Car Wash (1976), and Carl in The Census Taker (1984).

<i>Gosford Park</i> 2001 period film directed by Robert Altman

Gosford Park is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. It was influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic La Règle du jeu.

<i>Charlies Angels: Full Throttle</i> 2003 American film by McG

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 American action comedy film directed by McG and written by John August, and Cormac and Marianne Wibberley. It is the sequel to 2000's Charlie's Angels and the second installment in the Charlie's Angels film series, which is a continuation of the story that began with the television series of the same name by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts.

<i>Husbands and Wives</i> 1992 comedy-drama film by Woody Allen

Husbands and Wives is a 1992 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. The film stars Allen, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack, Judy Davis, Lysette Anthony, Juliette Lewis, Liam Neeson and Blythe Danner. The film debuted shortly after the end of Allen and Farrow's romantic and professional partnership, and was the last of their 13 films together. The movie is filmed by Carlo Di Palma with a handheld camera style and features documentary-like interviews with the characters interspersed with the story.

The 28th Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 2001 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year (2000). As the World Turns tied with General Hospital for the most Daytime Emmys won in a single year, with a total of eight.

<i>The First Wives Club</i> 1996 film by Hugh Wilson

The First Wives Club is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Hugh Wilson, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Olivia Goldsmith. The film stars Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton as three divorcées who seek retribution on their ex-husbands for having left them for younger women. The supporting cast comprises Stockard Channing as Cynthia; Dan Hedaya, Victor Garber, and Stephen Collins as the three leads' ex-husbands; and Sarah Jessica Parker, Elizabeth Berkley, and Marcia Gay Harden as their respective lovers. Supporting roles are played by Maggie Smith, Bronson Pinchot, Rob Reiner, Eileen Heckart, Philip Bosco, and Timothy Olyphant in his feature film debut; cameo appearances include Gloria Steinem, Ed Koch, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Ivana Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meredith MacRae</span> American actress and singer (1944–2000)

Meredith Lynn MacRae was an American actress, singer and talk show host. She is most remembered for her roles as Sally Morrison on My Three Sons (1963–1965) and as Billie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction (1966–1970).

<i>The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue</i> 1998 American film

The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated musical adventure film produced by MGM Animation and the sequel to the 1982 animated film The Secret of NIMH. The plot, unrelated to Racso and the Rats of NIMH, the sequel to the book on which the original film was based, follows Timothy Brisby, the youngest son of Mrs. Brisby and her late husband, travels to Thorn Valley, hoping to become a hero like his father. There, he meets a young female mouse named Jenny and learns that the mice presumed dead during the NIMH escape are still alive, so they mount a rescue operation.

<i>Motorama</i> (film) 1991 American film

Motorama is a 1991 American black comedy road movie about a 10-year-old boy who drives a 1965 Mustang across a fictional landscape. The film features cameos by Drew Barrymore, Flea, Garrett Morris, Jack Nance, Robert Picardo, Martha Quinn, and Meat Loaf. It was directed by Barry Shills and written by Joseph Minion, screenwriter of After Hours, who Shills also worked with for Vampire's Kiss. In 2000, Barrymore reprised her role as Fantasy Girl for the film Skipped Parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Wayne</span> Fictional character, mother of Bruce Wayne (Batman)

Martha Wayne is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. She is the mother of Bruce Wayne (Batman), and wife of Dr. Thomas Wayne as well as the paternal grandmother of Damian Wayne, the fifth Robin. After she and her husband are murdered in a street robbery, her son becomes inspired to fight crime as the vigilante known as Batman.

<i>East Side Kids</i> (film) 1940 film by Robert F. Hill

East Side Kids is a 1940 film and the first in the East Side Kids film series. It is the only one not to star any of the original six Dead End Kids. The film was released by producer Sam Katzman. This was also his first project at Monogram Pictures, which he joined shortly after the folding of his company Victory Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Laswell</span> American musician

Greg Laswell is an American musician, recording engineer, and record producer from San Diego, California. He attended Valley Christian High School in Cerritos, California. He has released 7 studio albums: Good Movie in 2003, Through Toledo in 2006, Three Flights from Alto Nido in 2008, Take a Bow in 2010, Landline in 2012, I Was Going to be an Astronaut in 2014, Everyone Thinks I Dodged A Bullet in 2016, and Next Time in 2018, as well as several EPs and special singles. Many of his songs have been featured in films and television shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Mullavey</span> American film and television actor (born 1939)

Greg Mullavey is an American film and television actor who has had roles as Tom Hartman in the television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Carly and Spencer's grandfather in iCarly. He has appeared on and off Broadway, and continues to act on stage, having appeared in over a hundred theatre productions across North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth MacRae</span> American actress (born 1936)

Elizabeth Hendon MacRae is an American actress who performed in dozens of television series and in nine feature films, working predominantly in productions released between 1958 and the late 1980s. Among her more widely recognized roles is her recurring character as Lou-Ann Poovie on the sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., which was originally broadcast from 1964 to 1969.

<i>Sorority Row</i> 2009 American film

Sorority Row is a 2009 American slasher film directed by Stewart Hendler and written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger. A remake of the 1982 film The House on Sorority Row, the film stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge, and Carrie Fisher. It follows a group of sorority sisters who cover up the accidental death of a fellow sister after a prank goes horribly wrong. Eight months later, a masked killer begins stalking and murdering the girls on the night of their graduation.

<i>Parasomnia</i> (film) 2008 American film

Parasomnia is an independent horror film directed by William Malone and starring Jeffrey Combs, Timothy Bottoms, Sean Young, and Dylan Purcell. The filming was funded by Malone himself, and its release was delayed due to difficulties securing distribution.

<i>Batman: Earth One</i> Graphic novel series published by DC Comics

Batman: Earth One is a series of graphic novels written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank. The series is a modernized re-imagining of DC Comics' long-running Batman comic book franchise as part of the company's Earth One imprint. Earth One's Batman exists alongside other revamped DC characters in Earth One titles, including Superman: Earth One and Wonder Woman: Earth One, as well as other graphic novels.

<i>Bad Men of Missouri</i> 1941 film by Ray Enright

Bad Men of Missouri is a 1941 American western film directed by Ray Enright and written by Charles Grayson. The film stars Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Wayne Morris and Arthur Kennedy. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 26, 1941.

References

  1. "The Census Taker (1984)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2011. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  2. Michals, Bob (January 3, 1985). "Things Are Beginning To Look 'Berry Good' For Garrett Morris". The Palm Beach Post . Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  3. "The Residents Historical". residents.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  4. The Trouser Press guide to '90s rock (5th ed. 1997) ( ISBN   978-0684814377) (noting that the Residents "corkscrewed musical archetypes for the soundtrack of Saturday Night Live Alumnus Garrett Morris' 1985 film, The Census Taker (That score wound up on the Vileness Fats CD reissue)")
  5. O'Connor, Patricia T. (May 1, 1988). "Home Video / New Releases". New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  6. Atkinson, Terry (April 15, 1988). "What's In Store New Releases". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2010.