Steve Martin

I am not a man of too many accomplishments, but there is one achievement that I am very proud of. In college, as a Theatre minor, I got to direct an adaptation of Steve Martin's play "WASP." "WASP" is a clever satire of 1950s American nostalgia, using a family of four as a vehicle to poke fun at the "Leave It to Beaver" traditionalism and "simplicity" of the time. I cast a group of friends and fellow Theatre folks for the project. One of them, a very talented young man who excelled at improv and creating eccentric characters, had a goatee and long, curly red hair; he was cast as the young boy of the family--the goatee remained. It was an introduction for me to theatre of the absurd.

Steve Martin, who was rightfully and humorously described by Steve Carell as an "American treasure," is one of the great masters of absurdism. Consider his stand-up career in the '70s when he would strut around the stage with an arrow through his head, or when he danced majestically with Gilda Radner on "Saturday Night Live." Hell, in his first movie, "The Jerk," he told us he was "born a poor black child" and is stunned to learn that in reality is white. "The Jerk" is not his funniest film--the winner of that title goes to John Hughes' "Planes, Trains & Automobiles." Playing a common man struggling to make it home in time for Thanksgiving, he faces hurdle after Job-like hurdle, and on his journey he is joined by the late, great John Candy. Martin's character clearly despises Candy's, despite how gosh-darn nice the latter is. Perhaps the most famous scene is when the two, forced to share a hotel room, wake up to find themselves a bit too close to each other. But the best scene, the scene where we really connect with him, is his diatribe to the car rental lady, and here it is verbatim:

Car Rental Agent: How may I help you?
Neal: You can start by wiping that fucking dumb-ass smile off your rosey, fucking cheeks. And you can give me a fucking automobile: a fucking Datsun, a fucking Toyota, a fucking Mustang, a fucking Buick! Four fucking wheels and a seat!
Car Rental Agent: I really don't care for the way you're speaking to me.
Neal: And I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn't fucking there. And I really didn't care to fucking walk, down a fucking highway, and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car right fucking now.
Car Rental Agent: May I see your rental agreement?
Neal: I threw it away.
Car Rental Agent: Oh, boy.
Neal: Oh boy what?
Car Rental Agent: You're fucked!

I think we all sort of fantasize about delivering a tirade in that manner when things don't go our way, particularly when we're up against a company, but the result Neal faces is what we truly fear and what ultimately deters us. Incidentally, reading the dialogue makes Neal appear quite psychotic, but watching Martin deliver the lines, slowly and clearly emphasizing all those f-bombs without being bombastic, shows us he's just really, really stressed and really, really thinks (knows) he has been wronged.

The American Film Institute's honor of Steve Martin will air tonight on TBS. Truth be told, the AFI ceremony is usually the best of the year. It's better than the Oscars, the Kennedy Center Honors, and even the Golden Globes. Past ceremonies have included Sean Connery dancing better than any man half his age to Scottish music, Jim Carrey bringing Meryl Streep to tears of laughter, Betty White performing an adaptation of "Hello Dolly" to Morgan Freeman, and William Shatner singing "My Way" to his fellow star voyager, George Lucas. Another highlight was when Bill Clinton showed up to explain to the audience how Warren Beatty single-handedly convinced a woman to vote for George McGovern (who also was in attendance that night). Martin himself is no stranger to the ceremonies, as he attended the one for Jack Lemmon and years later for Tom Hanks, reminding everyone that Hanks has spoken some of the most iconic lines in movie history: "Houston, we have a problem," "life is like a box of chocolates," and of course, "I prefer it my way, Mr. Spielberg."

In recent years, Martin, a legend of American comedy, has rightfully earned a plate of honors, and now the AFI award, which the AFI claims is the highest honor one can receive in American film. In addition to "The Jerk," "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," and the wonderful "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," attention might be given to some of the weaker Martin films, like "Three Amigos," but one way or another, with appearances by Conan O'Brien, Tina Fey, Martin Short and others, the show is likely to be an entertaining one. Steve Martin is one for the ages, a true delight, and one whom America will love for all time.