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The JerkOh for the days when Steve Martin was funny. Times were simpler then, kids could play in the streets.
Although his attempts at serious artistry aren't without their merit (The Spanish Prisoner being the pick of the bunch), Steve Martin's comedy CV has become something of a joke in recent years. Indeed, you could well understand why someone in their teens might wonder why their elder siblings and/or parents are great fans of the white haired one. There was a time, however, when the wacky guy from Waco, Texas, had a strong claim to being the funniest man in movies. This superbly silly golden era began in 1979 with The Jerk.
Co-written by Martin, Michael Elias and Jaws scribe Carl Gottlieb, The Jerk is the story of one Narvin R Johnson (Martin). The sort of imbecile who gives morons a bad name, Narvin - the adopted son of black parents - decides the time's right to leave his dowdy Mississippi home and explore the city of St Louis. Being a simpleminded man, he finds little that's good in 1970s America. But then numbskull Narvin invents something so straightforward and essential he 's swiftly elevated to society's upper echelons.
A satire so broad it could even cloak Orson Welles, The Jerk is a great advert for bringing together the hot comedy talent of the day with a true legend of American humour. Now best known as Ocean's Eleven's OAP conman, Carl Reiner co- wrote Mel Brooks's best material, won an Emmy for writing 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and sired This Is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner. A gifted performer in his own right (he picked up an Emmy for a guest appearance on US sitcom 'Mad About You'), Reiner was also big enough to admit when he'd found someone who could deliver his material better than he could. And in the young Steve Martin, he found his muse.
Between 1979 and 1984, Reiner and Martin made four films together - The Jerk, Don't Men Don't Wear Plaid, The Man With Two Brains and All Of Me. Although all these pictures are funny, The Jerk stands out since it showcases Martin doing what he does best, namely making idiocy look like an art form. Whether he's recounting his colourful upbringing ("I was born a poor black child") to enthusing over the arrival of the new telephone directory, Martin is the chump's Chaplin.
If only he could have satisfied himself with this area of expertise, people would still talk of Steve Martin as one of the kings of comic cinema. For while they'll always be people who can write and act better than Martin, he'll always be the Doyenne of Daft.
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