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.

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The Funniest AFI Moments

This Saturday, TNT will present the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award to Mel Brooks, a man who certainly deserves it. For more than fifty years, he has made us practically cry laughing with films like "The Producers" in 1968 (along with the Broadway version and 2005 film version), "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles," "Spaceballs," and others. Do you like the old show "Get Smart"? Brooks was a co-creator. In fact, he has won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, making him one of the few individuals to win all four. The AFI Lifetime Achievement Award is, according to them, the highest honor an American in film can get. Fortunately, the show is often quite funny, and knowing the long list of co-workers and famous fans of Brooks, we can be sure that Saturday night's show will be good fun. For a brief history of such humor at the AFI awards, here are some of their funniest moments.    

Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, 2002

Steve Martin, perhaps the funniest man alive, opened the show expressing just a bit of faux-jealousy towards Hanks during the latter's "mid-life achievement award." Martin delivers the lines in that dry, sarcastic tone that he does best. "How did Tom come so far so quickly? Well, nepotism."    

Billy Crystal, Robert De Niro, 2003 

Billy Crystal, Robert De Niro's co-star from "Analyze This," doesn't exactly deliver a knee-slapper (but Robin Williams did during his hysterical roast that night of Martin Scorsese), but it gets the show off to a nice start. He lampoons De Niro's famous work ethic, compares his early look to that of the Monkees, and does a nice impression of De Niro's inability to make conversation (something Edward Norton and Leonardo DiCaprio also point out).  

Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, 2004

Unfortunately, the AFI, like the rest of Hollywood, does not honor as many women as it does men, and this is inexcusable. (Only seven out of the forty honorees have been women.) But in 2004, they honored arguably the greatest artist alive, Meryl Streep, or, as Jim Carrey claimed, the three nominees in the category of Best Actress Ever. Carrey's schtick is over the top, but that's to be expected, and if you are generally amused by him, then you will love his opening, especially when he gives Streep "advice" that "less is more," then goes into imitations of De Niro and Jack Nicholson, both in attendance.
   

William Shatner, George Lucas, 2005

You'll notice a bit of puzzlement from "Star Wars" alumni Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford as William Shatner (from Lucas' rival/inspiration "Star Trek") comes forward to open the show with mock confusion. "'Star Trek' changed everything," he says. "And aren't these conventions wonderful?" What he does next with a band of Stormtroopers is so perfect, I think it's best to simply watch. 

Mike Myers, Sean Connery 2006

Mike Myers, after noting that he practically owes his career to Sir Sean Connery, is hysterical, particularly when he compares some of Connery's Bond girlfriends (like Pussy Galore) with Myers' first girlfriend, "Closedlegs Finklestein." Unfortunately, though, after the laughs from Myers speech, we have to sit through two hours of bad Connery impressions (though Eddie Izzard's is pretty good). But fortunately, it ends with Connery dancing and giving a terrific speech.    

Robin Williams, Al Pacino 2007

Any AFI show with Robin Williams is a joy, and after a terrific montage of Pacino's great work at the beginning of the show (which, as far as I can tell, is not available on Youtube), Williams, Pacino's co-star from the under-appreciated "Insomnia," notes that the AFI "could've given you this award in 1975, but that would have been a little early" and that after incorrectly claiming Pacino won an Oscar for "Raging Bull," "if you put Robert De Niro in a dryer, you get Al Pacino!" He then leads the audience in one of Pacino's most famous movie lines.   

Betty White, Morgan Freeman, 2011

Betty White sings to Morgan Freeman. I don't think I need to write anything else.  

The showing will be at 9 pm (EST) on TNT with an encore showing on TCM on July 24.  Until then, it's always Springtime for Hitler.    

Okay, one more....

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