# Steve Martin's 1970s/80s TV specials

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-martins-1970s-80s-tv-specials/374057>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 25, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-martins-1970s-80s-tv-specials/374057 "2006-09-25T13:20:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-martins-1970s-80s-tv-specials/374057/1 "2006-09-25T13:20:19Z")

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I remember really enjoying these at the time they aired - are they still available somewhere? My favorite bits:

- Steve plays a sleazy used-car salesman who’s hooked up to a lie detector while he films a TV ad. Every time he lies, he gets an electric shock. An ugly woman wanders into frame, and Martin says, “This is my wife” BUZZ “my girlfriend” BUZZ “some woman I know.” Look of relief. “Isn’t she lovely?” BUZZ “I was drunk.”

- A music video of the song of “The Town of El Paso” populated entirely by Steve, chimps and an elephant.

- Martin playing Michael Jackson, dancing through “Billie Jean” and having to repeatedly tap on one panel of the electric sidewalk before it lights up.

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**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-martins-1970s-80s-tv-specials/374057/2 "2006-09-25T14:58:20Z")

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I recall one of these programs where Steve Martin did parodies of TV commercials.

For example, he reimagined the famous “Mean Joe” Green Coke commercial, featuring an exhausted sumo wrestler.

:eek:

I saw that back around 1981, and it still makes me laugh.

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-martins-1970s-80s-tv-specials/374057/3 "2006-09-25T16:57:49Z")

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Search for “steve martin special” on [youtube.com](http://youtube.com), that has some clips which I’ll need to watch when I get home.