15 Seconds of Fame
May 31, 2015 5:17 PM   Subscribe

Mad Max: Fury Road has a number of colorful characters who, despite being referred to by name and being quite memorable, have just a couple of minutes or even seconds of screen time. Nobody could ever forget Jesus Quintana's three minutes from The Big Lebowski, or the five seconds they spent with Amazing Larry in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. What are some other memorable, colorful movie characters with names that spend three minutes or less on-screen total?

I should probably clarify that I'm not looking for characters who may make brief appearances in multiple films in the same franchise, such as Q in the James Bond movies, or a character who makes a cameo appearance in one work after having a larger role in another, like Boba Fett. There has to be 3 minutes or less of the character in the entire story or franchise or universe, total.

Also disqualified: animated characters. Part of the novelty is that a performer is well-known for a role that amounts to a just few seconds.

Also disqualified: narrators who are heard throughout a film but seen rarely.

Named characters who somehow manage less than three minutes across multiple films or TV episodes, however - like Heidi, who appears multiple times in the Twin Peaks series and film yet amasses only 40 seconds or so of screen time - that's fair game.

Thank you!
posted by eschatfische to Media & Arts (71 answers total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
Eddie in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
posted by tomboko at 5:20 PM on May 31, 2015 [4 favorites]


Best answer: Large Marge
posted by bondcliff at 5:26 PM on May 31, 2015 [5 favorites]


You go, Glen Coco!
posted by phunniemee at 5:31 PM on May 31, 2015 [6 favorites]


Bronson Pinchot carved out an entire career for himself by stealing a single scene from Eddie Murphy.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:35 PM on May 31, 2015 [14 favorites]


I am Enzo, the baker.
posted by phunniemee at 5:36 PM on May 31, 2015 [4 favorites]


You would love the podcast "I Was There Too." He interviews (just for instance) maybe the ultimate version of this, Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Ryerson from Groundhog Day).

First thing I thought of was Back to the Future, which has a ton of characters like this: Principal Strickland, Marvin Berry, Mayor Goldie Wilson, even the "I Think He Took His Wallet" guy from BTTF2.
posted by gerryblog at 5:48 PM on May 31, 2015 [3 favorites]


Tilda Swinton as Madame D. in Grand Budapest Hotel?
posted by cecic at 5:50 PM on May 31, 2015


The UPS guy in Legally Blonde
posted by Ideefixe at 5:51 PM on May 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


Ellen Dow, best known as the rapping granny from The Wedding Singer, passed away earlier this month at the age of 101.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:54 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


Oops, Ned Ryerson tips the scales at 4 minutes 26 seconds (though in his defense it's almost all the same scene over and over...)
posted by gerryblog at 5:57 PM on May 31, 2015 [7 favorites]


Not sure about the absolute time on screen, but in The Third Man, Orson Welles only appears on screen for a short time.

(a short clip)
posted by sciencegeek at 6:13 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


Brazil, Harry Tuttle Especially his last scene.
posted by effluvia at 6:14 PM on May 31, 2015 [6 favorites]


Sister Mary Stigmata from The Blues Brothers.
posted by N-stoff at 6:18 PM on May 31, 2015 [4 favorites]


It's way longer than 3 minutes, but for sheer screen-time-to-influence ratio, Alec Baldwin's 7-minute appearance in Glengarry Glen Ross is pretty much the most memorable thing in the whole film.
posted by jackbishop at 6:22 PM on May 31, 2015 [11 favorites]


I immediately thought of the the gas station attendant in No Country for Old Men (although that's more about the interaction rather than the character)

And Beatrice Straight won an Oscar for ~5 minutes of screen time and Judi Dench for ~8 minutes.
posted by Ideal Impulse at 6:43 PM on May 31, 2015


Response by poster: Three minutes or less! They must be named!

While Enzo and Serge and Sister Mary Stigmata are really good suggestions, I believe each has over three minutes of screen time across their franchises (even if nobody really wants to admit Beverly Hills Cop III or Blues Brothers 2000 happened). Let me know if I'm wrong.

I will give Eddie from Rocky Horror a pass, since he doesn't make it all the way to four minutes in the film... alive.

Harry Tuttle, less than three minutes? If that's true, and I think it is, that's amazing.
posted by eschatfische at 6:51 PM on May 31, 2015


Geena Davis in Tootsie
Annette Bening in Postcards from the Edge
posted by Ideefixe at 6:53 PM on May 31, 2015


Ben Affleck in Shakespeare in Love.
posted by Melismata at 7:07 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


Adrian Brody has a memorable turn as Salvador Dali in Midnight in Paris.
posted by cazoo at 7:09 PM on May 31, 2015


Brian Doyle-Murray in National Lampoon's Vacation.
posted by mullacc at 7:22 PM on May 31, 2015


How about all the Mission Control guys in Apollo 13? I doubt any of them got three minutes individually, they're mostly unnamed, but everyone remembers them for their particular lines.

[Several technicians dump boxes containing the same equipment and tools that the astronauts have with them onto a table]
Technician: We've got to find a way to make this ...
[square CSM LiOH canister]
Technician: ... fit into the hole for this ...
[round LEM canister]
Technician: ... using nothing but that.

posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:26 PM on May 31, 2015


How long was the Sinatra-loving cab driver on screen in Spinal Tap?
posted by matildaben at 7:30 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


The Player (Richard Dreyfuss) in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead". He had only a few minutes of screen time, but they're golden.
posted by adamrice at 7:38 PM on May 31, 2015


I don't know how long his scene was, but Eric Stolz as the Mime Who Wouldn't Shut Up was the only good thing about the movie Singles. It was definitely brief.
posted by vitabellosi at 7:50 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


Can't remember and Google isn't helping, but wasn't Bill Murray in Zombieland for just a few (awesome) minutes?
posted by jessicapierce at 7:53 PM on May 31, 2015


The film BUCKAROO BANZAI has quite a few. Including, arguably, a watermelon.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:03 PM on May 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


Best answer: My first thought was Steve Buscemi's bit as Chet in Barton Fink.
posted by komara at 8:03 PM on May 31, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: A serious man, Rabbi MarshakSo many great cameos in this film, I also love the easement guy at the law firm. This is such a gem of a film. I love the parallel between the tefillin and the transistor radio. Oh, I love this film so much.
posted by effluvia at 8:04 PM on May 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Walken as Annie's brother Duane in Annie Hall.
posted by neroli at 8:33 PM on May 31, 2015 [4 favorites]


Admiral Ackbar in Return of the Jedi. He's the one who says, "It's a trap!"

He was on screen several times, but never for more than 10 or 15 seconds at a time. I'm willing to bet his total screen time was less than 3 minutes. But you remember him, don't you?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:53 PM on May 31, 2015 [7 favorites]


Paul Reubens as Howie "Hamburger Dude" in Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams. Also Timothy Leary, but he's not named.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:30 PM on May 31, 2015


Best answer: Valery, aka The Russian in The Sopranos. (NSFW, Spoiler Alarm)

So, so many Coen Bros characters. In addition to what's been mentioned, off the top of my head there's also Knox Harrington.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:42 PM on May 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


Jared Leto in The Thin Red Line, he's the one who sends his two guys forward, sees them shot, then has to order everyone else forward.
posted by biffa at 10:20 PM on May 31, 2015


So, so many Coen Bros characters. In addition to what's been mentioned, off the top of my head there's also Knox Harrington.

Also see: Mike Yanagita, via Fargo.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 10:42 PM on May 31, 2015


Stereotypical Asian Eye Manufacturer, played by the awesome James Hong.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 10:47 PM on May 31, 2015 [2 favorites]


TVTropes: One-Scene Wonder

"A character that has limited screen time, and usually not much in the way of plot relevance, but is still one of the most memorable things in the movie."
posted by Rhaomi at 11:43 PM on May 31, 2015 [3 favorites]


A lot of Star Wars characters have transcended their brief screen time, but one that best fits the criteria might be everyman X-Wing pilot Jek Porkins. In an alternate universe, he even blew up the Death Star.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:04 AM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


It's a little longer than 3 mins, but Bill Murray's dental fetishist in Little Shop of Horrors is a scream.
posted by fonetik at 3:07 AM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


Charlie Sheen appears on camera for about three minutes in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (though the scenes he's in total just under 4 minutes). Boy in Police Station was memorable enough to be reprised in The Goldbergs thirty years later.
posted by apparently at 3:45 AM on June 1, 2015 [4 favorites]


One of my favorite movies is Before Sunrise, and it has multiple characters like this: the fortune teller, the poet, the actors who are performing in "Bring Me the Head of Wilmington's Cow," the bartender who gives them a bottle of wine. If you've seen it, you'll know what I mean.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 3:46 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Stephen Stucker as Johnny in Airplane!

(I double checked, and he's in Airplane II: The Sequel, but not as Johnny.)
posted by Room 641-A at 4:37 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


* smacks forehead * Oh my god, Blue In The Face is flippin' full of these! The whole movie is just a bunch of vignettes Harvey Keitel's character has with different people; Harvey Keitel plays the owner and operator of a tobacconist's in Brooklyn:

* Jim Jarmusch plays himself, and comes in because he's quitting smoking and has decided to smoke his last cigarette with the gang. He delivers this 100% improvised riff on smoking in movies.

* Michael J. Fox plays a guy who's being paid to conduct weird surveys and gives one to Giancarlo Esposito's character, and freaks him out.

* Madonna plays a singing telegram delivery girl.

* Rosanne plays the wife of the shop's main investor and harranges him into taking her to Vegas (a scene that was actually NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE MOVIE).

* Lily Tomlin plays a stoned guy in search of Belgian waffles.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:51 AM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


Princess Bride has a few of these. Miracle Max is actually 4:30, but Peter Cook is only 1:27. The Albino is only on for a couple of minutes too.
posted by kjs4 at 5:34 AM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


Looks like Peter Falk and Fred Savage are only on for a few minutes too.
posted by kjs4 at 5:43 AM on June 1, 2015


Rowan Atkinson in Four weddings and a funeral. The wedding is three minutes long, but I do believe he's in a few other scenes.
posted by kjs4 at 5:46 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


The Saxophone guy from The Lost Boys.

No dialogue, probably only 15 seconds screen time (after viewing 3 'remixes' I'm not looking again for the original to confirm), and there are shoutout SNL gags, fan clubs, and "Where are they now?" articles for the 'Epic Sax Man' 'Greasy Sax Guy' and other epithets.
posted by Elysum at 6:21 AM on June 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


Best answer: "Shortest performance to be nominated for an acting Oscar:
Hermione Baddeley in Room at the Top (1959) - 2 minutes and 19 seconds."

"Hermione Baddeley's performance in the tiny role of Elspeth is shockingly effective. Baddeley's is a vivid, defining presence in Room at the Top and the actress's work in the role -- her voice, her face, her eyes -- contours the emotional texture of the narrative in ways essential to the film."
"Her presence in the film is brief, but incredibly vivid."


Listicles like this one could also be of interest.
posted by iviken at 6:30 AM on June 1, 2015


Herr and Fraulein Leuchtag in Casablanca, who provide a little bit of comedy with their "What watch?" repartee.
posted by fitnr at 7:15 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


Edie McClurg has been doing this for awhile.
posted by doctor tough love at 7:56 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


I think John Hurt's character "Ollivander" in Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone would qualify for this. I don't think that scene was more than three minutes long, and he doesn't appear again in the canon until the last pair of films. (Which I haven't seen, and maybe his part is larger in those.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:28 AM on June 1, 2015


Best answer: So many of these in Pee Wee's Big Adventure, but I think Jan Hooks's Tina stole that whole movie.
posted by Mchelly at 9:39 AM on June 1, 2015


Best answer: Hi! Artie Fufkin, Polymer Records. (Spinal Tap)
posted by thefang at 10:24 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


The Bride of Frankenstein. The movie is named after her, everyone knows what she looks like, but she has less than five minutes of screen time and no lines at all.
posted by darchildre at 10:44 AM on June 1, 2015


David Bowie (as himself) in Zoolander. For that matter, how about Billy Zane in the lead-up to the walk-off? "Listen to your friend Billy Zane. He's a cool dude. He's trying to help you out."
posted by mhum at 10:53 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


You (& others above) mentioned Pee-Wee's Big Adventure...does Large Marge meet the time limit?

I enjoy the Munchkin coroner with a pseudo-Irish accent who verifies that the Wicked Witch of the East is "really most sincerely dead" in The Wizard of Oz. He's probably on-screen for less than three minutes too.
posted by homelystar at 11:13 AM on June 1, 2015


Blues Hammer is a legendary band after playing a mere 45 seconds of music in Ghost World. Entire music careers have never seemed the same after their time on screen.
posted by bendybendy at 11:32 AM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


Check out the films of Roy Andersson, or even his commercials. They are all loaded with wonderful, unforgettable characters. Songs from the Second Floor and You, the Living. They're both gems from start to finish. Lots of little clips of YouTube.
posted by effluvia at 11:39 AM on June 1, 2015


Seeing the words Fraulein Leuchtag above immediately reminded me of the existence of Frau Blucher, and if her name doesn't strike fear into your heart then I guess you haven't watched Young Frankenstein.

I don't have my copy of the movie handy but I'd wager that her screen time comes in under 3 min.
posted by komara at 12:10 PM on June 1, 2015


I'm pretty sure Harland Williams' scene as the hitchhiker in There's Something About Mary ("7 minute abs!") was under 3 minutes and was one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
posted by rocket88 at 12:14 PM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


Natalie Zea as Cristinith and Brett Gelman as her husband Hal in The Other Guys.
Steve Buscemi as Danny McGrath in Billy Madison.
posted by mhum at 12:28 PM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


jessicapierce: "Can't remember and Google isn't helping, but wasn't Bill Murray in Zombieland for just a few (awesome) minutes?"

Yes, he was (and it was indeed awesome). Judging from these two clips, he's on-screen for something like four minutes.
posted by mhum at 12:37 PM on June 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


Walken as Annie's brother Duane in Annie Hall.
posted by neroli at 8:33 PM on May 31


Annie Hall is stuffed full of great cameos. My favorites are Paul Simon as a thinly veiled Warren Beatty, Jeff Goldblum ("Yeah..., I... I forgot my mantra".), Marshall McLuhan (You know nothing of my work. How you got to teach anything is totally amazing.!)

(Sorry, I know Jeff Goldblum's character is never named, but I still think it's one of the most memorable one-liners.)
posted by marsha56 at 1:10 PM on June 1, 2015


Larry Miller as Mr Hollister in Pretty Woman, well under 3 minutes of screen time.
posted by tomcooke at 3:11 PM on June 1, 2015


Best answer: Belushi as Ron Decline remains one of my out-of-nowhere movie steals. Bonus points for recognizing his assistants.
posted by Sphinx at 4:08 PM on June 1, 2015


I agree with the "I just do eyes" man from Blade Runner, but technically I guess he doesn't have a name. James Hong is great though. Anyhow, same bloke, different haircut: Leon "I'll tell you about my mother" the replicant.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:38 PM on June 1, 2015


Whoops, I forgot Leon has another scene. I still reckon if you added them both together it clocks in at 3 min, ish. Both of those clips are longer than Leon's screen time in them.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:42 PM on June 1, 2015


Chris Rock in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:14 PM on June 1, 2015


Max Von Sydow in Deathwatch.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:18 PM on June 1, 2015


From The Blues Brothers:

John Lee Hooker
Ray Charles
Carrie Fisher
Frank Oz
Steven Spielberg
Twiggy

Many other cameos in that movie of course, but they clock more time on screen.

Not counting his voiceover, Same Elliot clocks about four minutes in The Big Lebowski
posted by dry white toast at 7:27 PM on June 1, 2015


Phil Hartman as Vicky, the Alcatraz tour guide in So I Married an Axe Murderer. I was on a tour of a world heritage prison a few weeks ago and was a little disappointed when our tour guide didn't introduce himself as "Vicky".
posted by barnacles at 10:05 PM on June 2, 2015


Paul F. Tompkins in "The Informant!"
posted by ostranenie at 5:43 PM on June 3, 2015


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