# Would Steve Martin be funny today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051 "2010-11-18T01:35:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/21 "2010-11-18T09:14:04Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I never thought Steve Martin was particularly funny as a comedian. Take a look at his Wild and Crazy Guy sketch]([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w\_zPmwvQFaM#t=00m39s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_zPmwvQFaM#t=00m39s)). Martin is very wooden in his line readings and overactive in his gestures. One of us is being whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/22 "2010-11-18T10:34:58Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > One of us is being whooshed. It ain’t you. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/23 "2010-11-18T12:31:51Z")
Grandpa bought a rubber. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/24 "2010-11-18T12:41:20Z")
My kids think he hilarious when they see parts of his act on TV. We use lines of his at home like; - “First: get a million dollars - THEN…” - “One day, when I was home doing terrible things to my dog with a fork, it hit me…” - “I’m starting a bank - Fred’s Bank - and I’ll put your money here…no, here.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/25 "2010-11-18T16:04:00Z")
_SCOOP_ Cheeseburger…_SCOOP_ Fries…_SCOOP_ here’s your change… ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/26 "2010-11-18T16:33:59Z")
I think a lot of comedy is a product of its time. This is why you can never remake \*the Three Stooges \*or _the Little Rascals_ today. Well you could but it would pale in comparison. I remember how everyone rushed home to watch _Laugh-In_. It didn’t hold up well. Other things are a mystery to me. In Chicago a low power station WWME-CA (Me-TV) runs _All In The Family_ and it’s consistently one of their best rated shows. Now I find it funny, but I find it hard to believe people who were not around at that time can relate to it or find it funny. But they do, another show, _Good Times_ was one of the most highly rated show for African American’s under 18, in Chicago. But it didn’t do nearly as well with African Americans over 18. So while some humour doesn’t work, some older shows still can connect on some level. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/27 "2010-11-18T16:42:13Z")
It would still be funny to the older crowd that gets the references. It wouldn’t be funny for somebody that didn’t get the references. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/28 "2010-11-18T16:48:22Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Hardly anything old is funny. There are a few exceptions, but comedy, in general, is fleeting. Generally, you’re right. However, a couple of years ago I saw Richard Pryor’s _Live in Concert_ for the first time. I laughed so hard I darn near lost control of my bodily functions. If I’d have had Popeye’s chicken for lunch, I would have needed a new pair of pants. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/29 "2010-11-18T16:49:55Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > Humor is time-sensitive - would Jackie Gleason be funny today? Now who doesn’t love a little bit of domestic violence humor? “One of these days, Alice; Pow! Right to the Moon!” George Carlin’s early work is still quite funny, and Richard Pryor has some staying power, but most humor does seem terribly rooted in its day. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/30 "2010-11-18T16:59:34Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Other things are a mystery to me. In Chicago a low power station WWME-CA (Me-TV) runs _All In The Family_ and it’s consistently one of their best rated shows. > > Now I find it funny, but I find it hard to believe people who were not around at that time can relate to it or find it funny. But they do, another show, _Good Times_ was one of the most highly rated show for African American’s under 18, in Chicago. But it didn’t do nearly as well with African Americans over 18. Neither of these surprise me. Ethnic humor, being a play on _différence_ that most people encounter regularly and are familiar with, is a naturally fertile ground for comedy. Most mainstream outlets shy away from it for threat of social censure–even Chris Rock has backed down somewhat. The Norman Lear comedies are like a time capsule for an era when those types of jokes could be told. They come off as fresh today because they are, in a way, more taboo now than when they were produced. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/31 "2010-11-18T17:12:14Z")
Hell, I still find Abbott & Costello pretty damn funny. Even _Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roasts_, which are _painfully_ dated due to the sheer number of racial and other now-taboo jokes, are also painfully hilarious. Granted, you do need to have a good understanding of the personalities who were around then, but even so it hasn’t lost its edge. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/32 "2010-11-18T17:20:45Z")
I’m laughing right now just reading the plot of _The Jerk_. I love this movie. > [@](#): > > He is the adopted white son of African American sharecroppers, who grows to adulthood naïvely unaware of his obvious adoption. He stands out in his family not just because of his skin color, but also because of his utter lack of rhythm when his adopted family plays spirited blues music. One night, he hears the staid and starchy Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra Song called “Crazy Rhythm” on the radio and his feet spontaneously begin to move with the urge to dance; he sees this as a calling and decides to hitchhike to St. Louis, from where the song was broadcast. On the way, he stops at a motel, where a dog wakes him up by barking at his door. Navin thinks the dog is trying to tell him there’s a fire and decides to name the dog “Lifesaver.” He wakes up the other hotel guests to rescue them, but when everyone realizes it was a false alarm, one man angrily suggests he call the dog “Shithead,” which Navin does throughout the film. > **[The Jerk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jerk)** > > The Jerk is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias (from a story by Martin and Gottlieb). This was Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The film also features Bernadette Peters, M. Emmet Walsh, Catlin Adams, Maurice Evans, and Jackie Mason. Critical reviews were mostly positive, and The Jerk was a major financial success. > Navin Johnson, a homeless person sleeping in a stairwell in Los Angeles, addresses the ... ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/33 "2010-11-18T18:02:41Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m laughing right now just reading the plot of _The Jerk_. I love this movie. Still one of my favorite movies ever. “For one dollar I’ll guess your weight, your height, or your sex.” Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/34 "2010-11-18T18:33:47Z")
I think absurdist humor like Steve Martin’s ages very well in general. _The Jerk_, _All of Me_ and _3 Amigos_ are still pee-myself-funny. He was also a master of short bit sketches like SNL, and _Little Shop of Horrors_. Shock-humor, though, ages very poorly. I used to find old routines of Pryor, Carlin, and Murphy hilarious back in the day, but they can’t even crack a smile to me today. ---
**Author:** ![Freud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/779978/32.png) [@Freud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freud)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/35 "2010-11-18T20:43:44Z")
I have always been mad for Steve Martin. I remember listening to _A Wild and Crazy Guy_ over and over again on my Grandma’s record player when I was a kid (_King Tut_ was the coolest song ever and is a regular on my mp3 player). “Cruel Shoes” was one of the first books I ever owned (still have it). I really, really dig this guy - do I think the 70s Steve Martin would go over well today? No. I think a lot of humor today has to be delivered quickly; “Just give me the punchline and let me go home”. The next day the routine is forgotten, save for some video phone shots on YouTube. IMO, there are very few comics today that stand out like Martin, Pryor, Kinison, etc… One who, unfortunately has passed, was Mitch Hedberg. He reminds me of a lazy Martin. Doug Stanhope is another that I definitely think is going to stick around - Sam Kinison and Richard Pryor had a baby and named it Doug. Martin is smart. Even in _The Jerk_ (of course, my favorite movie with the best quotable lines ever) he had that physical presence of being awkward and stilted but combined with his speaking and flailing movements - he was a complete goofball. His older writing is so absurd, but it makes sense in its own way. I think he has evolved very well with the changes in comedy and entertainment, but I still miss the silliness (maybe simply for the nostalgic value). “You mean I’m gonna stay this color?” ---
**Author:** ![AutumnLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@AutumnLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AutumnLeaves)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/36 "2010-11-18T21:03:39Z")
Depends what medium he was attempting to break into, I guess. But in an increasingly stupid Family Guy world, I don’t know if Martin’s charmingly silly routines would have a place if they debuted now, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/37 "2010-11-18T21:08:48Z")
I understood his early stand-up to be absurdist, and it very often killed. Sometimes it was just stupid. On the other hand, I didn’t win an Emmy for comedy writing when I was 23. 😃 I have nothing but respect for any person who writes well, performs comedy well, does straight acting well, and is an award-winning musician. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/38 "2010-11-18T21:26:38Z")
I hear he [plays the banjo](http://video.pbs.org/video/1633720535/) too. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/39 "2010-11-19T01:29:00Z")
Personally, I didn’t find him all that funny back in the 1970s. I remember seeing one of his TV specials “Comedy is not Pretty” with some friends who were ROTFLTAO and I was there, huh, you find that funny? Got one of his albums to meet the “10 for a penny” to join the record club and the only good thing was King Tut. But a number of his 1980s films are quite good. I especially liked “All of Me”. with that great exchange between lawyer and dying rich woman Martin “What makes you think you can cheat death”? Lily Tomlin “Because I’m rich” Maybe nowadays the path to success for a comedian is to host a comedy show, not be a guest on them. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051/40 "2010-11-19T01:44:31Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I didn’t much care for him until someone did a profile and said that Martin really wasn’t a standup comedian – he was an actor playing the part of a standup comedian. And I realized they were right – his act was an act. Like a lot of really excellent observations, that almost seems obvious in retrospect. Thinking back, a lot of his punchlines were delivered with an over-the-top element that mocked what he was doing while he was doing it, inviting us to laugh along with the delivery as much as the joke itself. And the arrow was great! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-steve-martin-be-funny-today/561051.md?page=1)