A while back, a collection of Steve Martin's TV specials from the 1970s and 80s was on sale for very little on Amazon. I bought a copy because I had remembered enjoying some of them. Well, I've now seen all five and most did not live up to my expectations...but this special and the one that preceded it ("A Wild and Crazy Guy") have held up well. Instead of relying on his stand-up routine or his SNL appearances, these two specials are simply ultra-bizarre and make his appearance in "The Jerk" seem like "Masterpiece Theater"!! Sure, some of the skits fell very flat...but they came so rapidly that it never got dull.
The show begins with a Dr. Frankenstein-like exec (Peter Graves) whipping Igor (Marty Allen) and telling him to bring him the Steve Martin script. Instead, the disgruntled Igor brings him an evil script...which explains the ultra-bizarreness of what follows! The weirdest is the first, a music video of Marty Robbins' song "El Paso"...with chimps and Steve riding off on an elephant! It's not so much funny as intriguing. Other skits include a PSA about allowing drunk friends to drive steamrollers as well as a PSA about selling Plutonium to terrorists and a funny take on "In Search Of" style TV shows. Well worth seeing...even if a few skits fall flat.
The show begins with a Dr. Frankenstein-like exec (Peter Graves) whipping Igor (Marty Allen) and telling him to bring him the Steve Martin script. Instead, the disgruntled Igor brings him an evil script...which explains the ultra-bizarreness of what follows! The weirdest is the first, a music video of Marty Robbins' song "El Paso"...with chimps and Steve riding off on an elephant! It's not so much funny as intriguing. Other skits include a PSA about allowing drunk friends to drive steamrollers as well as a PSA about selling Plutonium to terrorists and a funny take on "In Search Of" style TV shows. Well worth seeing...even if a few skits fall flat.