The Census Taker

1984 American film
  • July 1984 (1984-07)
Running time
95 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

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]

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. The film ended in a freeze-frame when Eva and Martha breathed and cried off-screen. (Note: They breathed on-screen, and they cried off-screen)

Cast

  • Greg Mullavey as George
  • Meredith MacRae as Martha
  • Garrett Morris as Harvey
  • Timothy Bottoms as Pete
  • Jennifer Finch as Punk Girl
  • Troy Alexander as Edward
  • Erin-Bruce Tolcharian as Robert
  • William R. Bremer as Sheriff

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.

External links

  • The Census Taker at the Internet Movie Database
  • Husbands, Wives, Money, and Murder at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Husbands, Wives, Money, and Murder at film.com
  • Husbands, Wives, Money, and Murder at movieretriever.com


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