Writer/Director: Mike Lazorwitz

Cast (in order of appearance):

• Mike Lazorwitz (Dave Benson)
• Some neighborhood kids (Themselves)

Dave Benson stumbles home from work in the snow, having been forced to walk because his car wouldn't start. His coat won't open, he can't find the frozen french fries he wants to make, a frozen flavor pop fails to be warm, the oven has no handle, the water in his shower is too hot, then too cold, and that's before he even starts looking for the ketchup.

Uncooperative mustard, wet socks, refrigerator theives, and the weather pop up to oppose Dave in his condiment quest, but if and when he does find the ketchup, he'll have another problem to contend with: his fries are getting cold all along.

Trivia:

• Ketchup was completely improvised. Although Lazorwitz, along with trusty cameramen Jonathan Fedors and Mike Jiran, had intended to have the search for ketchup be just the first scene in a much more complex story about Dave Benson, it took on a life of its own.
• The rough cut of In Search of Ketchup ran about 40 minutes. In order to submit it along with his application to Emerson College, the writer/director/star had to cut it by 75% to meet the 10-minute time limit.
• As was the case on many Waste of Time sets at the time, Mike Jiran had to leave the set because he couldn't stop laughing. Although he was outside the house and at the other end of the block, he reported being able to hear Lazorwitz-as-Benson screaming, "DAMMIT! DAMMIT! FRENCH FRIES! G'DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" during the filming of the final scene.
• The banged-up Honda that appears as Dave Benson's immobile car belonged to Matt Lazorwitz, older brother of Mike Lazorwitz. Being pelted with snowballs might have been an improvement upon its prior condition.