“I was born a poor black child….”
The Jerk was released in 1979.
It was Steve Martin’s first starring role in a film
In my opinion, it continues to be the funniest movie that Steve Martin has made.
Steve Martin was one of the most successful stand-up comedians during the 1970′s. He won acclaim by winning Grammy Awards for his Comedy Albums, for his frequent guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, and by frequently performing his comedy routine throughout the country.
With the release of “The Jerk“, Steve Martin quickly transitioned from Stand-up comedian to full-blown comedic film star.
I know the humor is silly, childish, idiotic, and goofy….but the film still draws a ton of laughs each time you watch it, even 30+ years later.
The film starred:
Steve Martin – Navin Johnson
Bernadette Peters – Marie Johnson
Bill Macy – Stan Fox
M. Emmett Walsh – The Madman
Jackie Mason – Harry Hartounian
Carl Reiner – Himself
Catlin Adams – Patty Bernstein
Unknown canine actor – Shithead
The movie is stuffed full of too many memorable quotes and lines that it would be impossible to list them all. It is best to remember Navin Johnson’s words of wisdom at taught to him by his black parents…
“Lord loves a workin’ man; don’t trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it.”
The Director of “The Jerk” was Carl Reiner. As part of my autograph collecting hobby, I have been able to get autographed photos from both Steve Martin and Carl Reiner.
Steve Martin co-wrote the screenplay for the film.
Steve Martin’s next film was “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” which came out in 1982. It did not do nearly as well at the box office as “The Jerk”.
Carl Reiner’s next directoral effort was also “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid“.
Steve Martin has starred in a lot of highly successful comedies over the years since “The Jerk”. The film will never win any artistic awards but it is usually always listed on any list of the Top-100 Comedy Films of All-Time. If you want to watch this great comedian in his comedic prime, rent this movie or watch some of the early Saturday Night Live shows that he did. The man was a comedy genius!
