See You Next Wednesday is a recurring gag in most of the films directed by John Landis, usually referring to a fictional film that is rarely seen and never in its entirety. Each instance of See You Next Wednesday in Landis's films seems to be a completely different film.
Landis got the title See You Next Wednesday from the 1968 movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is the last line spoken by Frank Poole's father during Poole's videophone conversation with his parents.[1]
In Landis's first film, Schlock (1973), SYNW is mentioned twice and is also shown as a poster. Brief casting and plot descriptions are given each time that it is mentioned, making it clear that this is in fact two different films, both titled See You Next Wednesday.
In the sketch comedy film The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), the film is a melodrama presented in "Feel-Around," a technique where an usher stands behind each movie patron and does things to them as they occur in the film, enhancing the movie-going experience, at least until the scene where the woman puts a knife to the man's throat.
File:Synw.JPGSee You Next Wednesday billboard as seen in The Blues Brothers In The Blues Brothers (1980), SYNW is glimpsed on a billboard which also features a huge gorilla. It also appears on the cinema sign behind where the Nazi Pinto crashes through the road. It also says under the title on the marquee "Starring Donald Sutherland". Since Sutherland took $50,000 cash for his role in the Landis film Animal House instead of the offered 15%, he lost millions when the film became a huge hit. The film is directed by the fictional Carl La Fong, a reference to the W. C. Fields comedy It's a Gift (1934) and a character name that Landis has used as an anonymous credit on some of his other films.
In An American Werewolf in London (1981), SYNW is a porn film being shown in a seedy London porno theater. Advertised as "A Non-Stop Orgy", scenes from the movie are actually shown as the characters talk in the theater. A poster of SYNW can also be seen on the wall in the Tube station.
At the end of Coming Soon (1982) there is a series of clips from recent Universal Studios film trailers with the final being watercolor poster art for See You Next Wednesday, followed by Jamie Lee Curtis giggling at the inside joke.
In the Michael Jackson music video Thriller (1983), the phrase is spoken by a deputy in the horror movie that Michael and his girlfriend are watching. It is also visible as a poster on the outside of the cinema as they leave.
In Spies Like Us (1985), an army recruiting poster can be seen behind Colonel Rhumbus (Bernie Casey) right after the vertical impact simulation scene that says "The army can teach you a skill. See You Next Wednesday."
In Into the Night (1985), posters for the movie are shown.
In the first episode of the 1990 TV series Dream On (which Landis directed), Martin (Brian Benben) says to his maid (Marianne Muellerleile), "See you next Thursday". She corrects him saying, "Wednesday".
In the Michael Jackson music video Black or White (1991) SYNW is shown on the window which Michael Jackson throws a garbage can through, the window is that of a company named "See You Next Wednesday Storage Co."
In the "Video Pirates" segment of Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), pirates find a treasure chest filled with golden video cassettes; among the numerous in-jokes visible on the tapes, one of the cassette cases is labeled "See You Next Wednesday" (while Landis directed several segments of the film, the "Video Pirates" segment was directed by frequent Landis collaborator Robert K. Weiss). The movie poster of the An American Werewolf in London version of SYNW (the Non-Stop Orgy) is in the Tower Records store in the last sketch of the movie.
In the video game Deus Ex, an email found on Paul Denton's computer contains a notice from a movie rental company, mentioning the movies See You Next Wednesday and Blue Harvest.
In the video game NetHack, the phrase "See you next Wednesday" can appear as graffiti on the floor.
In the movie Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, when Pete (Topher Grace) is flipping channels while Rosalee (Kate Bosworth) is on a date with Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel), a TV advertisement shows Hamilton riding a motorcycle over a hill, then drinking a soda while a voiceover says "¡Hasta el próximo miércoles!" (until next Wednesday)
In the movie Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the film's name is on the marquee of a theater in the shot of a city street, but as "SEE YOU NEXT _ _ _ N _ SDAY".
In a promotional video for the Mozilla future browser concept "Aurora", a character says the phrase at the end of the video.
The video for Michael Bublé's song Hollywood features a cinema showing See You Next Wednesday.
In the season 6 episode of Psych entitled "This Episode Sucks", SYNW is referenced.
In the documentary American Grindhouse to which John Landis contributed, "See You Next Wednesday" is included in the end credit list of film clips used with the production company "miracle".
In the Brighton club scene, See You Next Wednesday (stylised C U NEXT WEDNESDAY or CUNW) is a popular student night, seemingly mocking the already present C U Next Tuesday club night.
