Grab your banjo, it's Steve Martin time! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks of the many times that Steve Martin showed us just how awesome he is.
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00:00I've got this.
00:01I just have to say one word after another, faster than any human ever should."
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks of the many times that Steve
00:10Martin showed us just how awesome he is.
00:13I suppose you could think of something better?
00:15Yeah, I think I could think of something better.
00:19Come here.
00:2010.
00:21Roger's refusal to lose control of his body
00:25All of me.
00:26Steve Martin's character, Roger, finds himself on the end of a mystical soul transfer gone
00:31wrong.
00:32Now sharing his body with someone else, he has to fight for control.
00:36I feel like the healthiest woman alive.
00:40Oh!
00:41Who said that?
00:43I did.
00:45That's when the movement element of Steve Martin's comedy takes center stage.
00:50His arms and legs jerk around as passersby see his odd behavior.
00:54After the other soul's voice suggests it's both of their bodies, Martin's character has
00:59a hilarious response.
01:01We obviously have mutual control over our body.
01:04Our body?
01:05It's my body.
01:06I'm not sharing my body with anyone.
01:07Everybody's gonna be real disappointed.
01:08As an audience, we absolutely felt for him in this moment, laughing even further as he
01:14talked to his hand and continued lurching around.
01:17This is peak Steve Martin physical comedy gold.
01:20Just stop it.
01:21If you want me out of you, then you must stop this ridiculous behavior.
01:25Number 9.
01:26The Sobriety Test – The Man With Two Brains Oftentimes, Steve Martin's bodily movements
01:32elevate a good piece of comedy into a great one.
01:36In The Man With Two Brains, that idea is on full display.
01:40Dr. Michael Hofar gets pulled over by an Austrian policeman.
01:44What's the matter with her?
01:46She's just drunk.
01:47Dead drunk.
01:48Uh-huh.
01:49And you?
01:50You have a little to drink, too?
01:51Hmm?
01:52Oh, no, no, no.
01:53I don't dink.
01:54Don't drink.
01:55Uh-huh.
01:56Suspicions of drunk driving lead to the funniest and one of the most absurd scenes in the movie.
02:01Martin's character is forced to do a series of peculiar and weirdly difficult sobriety
02:06tests.
02:07Walking on two hands makes us giggle, then one hand makes us laugh harder.
02:12Now do.
02:13Roll over, turn over, and flip-flop.
02:19How can you not be entertained and impressed by these acrobatics?
02:23The finale of the hardest, most ridiculous sobriety test of all time doesn't disappoint
02:28either.
02:29Watching Martin's character nail it is extremely amusing.
02:32Catalina, Magdalena, Lupita Nyong'o, Dr. Hofar, what's her name?
02:37All right, you're not drunk.
02:41Number 8.
02:42Lucky Day's El Guapo Speech – Three Amigos
02:45There are inspirational speeches, and then there's Lucky Day's El Guapo speech to the
02:50people of Santa Poco.
02:51The people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to
02:57be the actual El Guapo.
02:59In this Western comedy film, Lucky Day finds himself and his two amigos in a battle against
03:05a group of bandits.
03:06In this iconic speech, he uses the antagonist, referred to as El Guapo, as a metaphor.
03:12For some, shyness might be their El Guapo, for others, a lack of education might be their
03:19El Guapo.
03:20For us, El Guapo is a big dangerous guy who wants to kill us.
03:24Martin's character tries to uplift and inspire the villagers in what can be characterized
03:29as a heroic moment.
03:31What makes this moment even more amazing is knowing everything that preceded it, including
03:36the fact that Lucky Day and his two amigos were originally in town as actors filming
03:41a movie.
03:42Now immersed in the Santa Poco environment and dangers, this speech cements Lucky's status
03:48as a hero.
03:49Remember our film, Amigos, Amigos, Amigos?
03:52Yes.
03:53Remember what we did in that movie?
03:54Gee, do you think it could work?
03:57It's got to work.
03:59It's our only hope.
04:00Number 7.
04:01The Banjo Player comic act
04:04The Tonight Show, starring Johnny Carson.
04:06Steve Martin first played the banjo in his teens.
04:10His interest in stand-up comedy grew around the same time.
04:13Both interests significantly influenced the development of his famous persona.
04:18I recorded an album a couple of months ago, and two days from tonight, that will be this
04:23coming Thursday, we're going to erase it.
04:25So if you could just let me do it.
04:28Okay.
04:29That's right.
04:30Professional comedian can't trust a thing I say.
04:34In his late 20s, Martin made frequent appearances as a stand-up comedian on TV shows, including
04:40The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
04:42Perhaps his most memorable moment on the show occurred in 1975, when he combined his banjo
04:48playing with his comedic talents.
04:50I think people who are out of work, instead of giving them money, we should give them
04:54a banjo.
04:55Because it's so happy.
04:56They can just go home and, did you get a job today, dear?
04:59Nope.
05:00Doesn't matter, though.
05:04While continuously delaying his banjo playing with jokes, Martin earned a series of deserved
05:10laughs from the audience.
05:11Besides the humorous jokes, Martin's cheerful demeanor and stylish 70s outfit made him all
05:17the more admirable.
05:19This outstanding act relatively early in his career surely earned him plenty of new fans.
05:25I thought the banjo was the one thing that could have saved Nixon.
05:28You know, if he went on television and went,
05:30Hi, everything's great.
05:33Number six, King Tut, Saturday Night Live
05:37In this classic SNL sketch, Martin cleverly critiques the commercialization of King Tut
05:42in an unforgettable way.
05:44And about three months ago, I was up in the woods and I wrote a song.
05:49I tried to use the ancient modalities and melodies, and we'd like to do it for you right
05:53now.
05:54Maybe we can all learn something.
05:55The lyrics, combined with Martin's distinctive singing voice and dance moves, stirred a great
06:01deal of laughter from the audience, and rightfully so.
06:04Tutankhamen died around the age of 18.
06:07The sketch contains a theme of the young boy's death, leading to unparalleled commercialism,
06:13tourism and global fascination with his tomb and Egyptian culture in general.
06:18Now if I'd known the light of just a seed, I'd taken all my money and bought me a museum.
06:26The humorous manner in which Martin prompted audience members to consider this perspective
06:31made this arguably his most memorable SNL performance.
06:35This is especially the case given that it aired in the 1970s during the height of the
06:40world-famous Treasures of Tutankhamen exhibition.
06:43Tut, tut, dancing by the night, disco, tut, tut, the ladies love to stop.
06:51Number 5.
06:52The Nose Jokes, Roxanne
06:54Laugh and the world laughs with you, sneeze and it's goodbye Seattle.
06:59Portraying a fire chief in the movie Roxanne, Steve Martin's character C.D. Bales has a
07:05defining physical characteristic, his large nose.
07:09Personality-wise, he is very likable, smart and witty.
07:13Obscure.
07:14I'd hate to see the grindstone.
07:18Well, think about it.
07:20One particularly awesome scene from the movie occurs after a guy in a bar insults C.D.'s
07:25nose.
07:26C.D. scoffs at the quality of his insult, and then challenges him to a game where the
07:31man's dart throw score determines how many better nose jokes C.D. will deliver.
07:36The people in the bar are then thoroughly entertained, and so are we.
07:41This scene showcases Martin's comedic talent and makes his character even more likable
07:45than he already was in prior scenes.
07:48The Lord giveth, and he just kept on giving, didn't he?
07:52Number 4.
07:53The How to Tell a Story Advice, Planes, Trains and Automobiles
07:58Neil and Del, played by Steve Martin and John Candy respectively, get off on the wrong foot
08:03in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
08:05After a plane-diverting blizzard and a reluctant deal lead the two to stay in a motel room
08:10together, things don't get any better.
08:13I could tolerate any insurance seminar.
08:17For days, I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face.
08:21They'd say, how can you stand it?
08:23And I'd say, because I've been with Del Griffith, I can take anything.
08:29Martin's character does the large majority of the talking in this scene, or ranting,
08:33you could say.
08:34He absolutely berates Del's lack of storytelling ability.
08:38To top it all off, Martin's character gives Del one final piece of storytelling advice.
08:43Here's a good idea.
08:45Have a point.
08:46It makes it so much more interesting for the listener.
08:49His fitting tone and superb execution of this humorous line embody Martin's brilliance.
08:55The fact it comes in one of his all-time classic movies makes it all the more iconic.
09:00You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting.
09:05You're a miracle.
09:07Your stories have none of that.
09:08Number three, the hamburger pronunciation lesson.
09:12The Pink Panther.
09:13Having a burger is a great way to immerse yourself into American culture.
09:18In an iconic scene in The Pink Panther, Steve Martin's Inspector Clouseau works on his
09:24English so that he can properly order one.
09:26I would like to buy a hamburger.
09:29I would like to buy a hamburger.
09:33I would like to buy a hamburger.
09:38No, no, no.
09:39Let's break it down.
09:40With a relaxed demeanor and laser-sharp focus, he struggles mightily through an ESL lesson.
09:46After his many failed pronunciations, the teacher suggests they stop, but Clouseau doesn't
09:52give up that easily.
09:54We don't quit.
09:55We do not quit.
09:56Again.
09:57Again.
09:58You've got to respect his dedication and drive.
10:00He really, really wants to get it right.
10:03Throughout this scene, his pronunciations, mannerisms, and determination make this a
10:08hilarious and utterly unforgettable moment in the movie.
10:12I would like to buy a hamburger.
10:14I would like to buy a hamburger.
10:17Number two, the hot dog buns rant.
10:20Father of the Bride.
10:21That was the low point, flipping out over four hot dog buns.
10:26I couldn't figure out why I'd gotten so nuts.
10:29Have you wished the supermarket sold an item in a different quantity?
10:33If so, you certainly can relate to George Banks in this incredible Father of the Bride
10:37scene.
10:38When he starts tearing open hot dog bun packages, you can't help but question why.
10:43But when a worker questions him, it all begins to make sense.
10:47I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them.
10:52But no one sells eight hot dog buns.
10:54They only sell 12 hot dog buns.
10:56So I end up paying for four buns I don't need.
10:59So I am removing the superfluous bun.
11:02Martin's character brings up an excellent point that not only makes us laugh, but also
11:07enlightens us to the illogical reality of the hot dogs and hot dog buns packaging discrepancy.
11:14The word choices in this legendary rant are brilliantly executed.
11:18We thank Mr. Martin for making us consider this perspective and for fighting for wiener
11:23and bunny quality.
11:25Because I'm not paying for one more thing I don't need.
11:27George Banks is saying no!
11:31Who's George Banks?
11:34Me!
11:36Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:40His acceptance speech.
11:42Mark Twain prize for American humor.
11:44Martin made the audience laugh by discussing his ability to make them laugh.
11:48If I have made you laugh four times, which is twice as many as two times, I am ecstatic.
11:57If I have made you laugh five or possibly six times, but I feel like I'm losing you.
12:05The Ruprecht dinner scene.
12:07Dirty rotten scandals.
12:09Martin nailed the facial expressions during this popular comedy film.
12:13Excuse me.
12:14May I go to the bathroom first?
12:17Of course you may.
12:28The pretend exit.
12:29The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.
12:32Martin hilariously pretended he had to leave the show.
12:36I was lying!
12:37I see all the big stars come on me, I just have to leave.
12:49The book show comment.
12:50Late night with Conan O'Brien.
12:52Martin took a humorous shot at Conan's show.
12:55They said, do you want to do like a comedy show?
12:57I said, no.
12:58I want to do a show that when I look at it, I think of books.
13:08Which of the Pickwick triplets did it?
13:10Only murders in the building.
13:12Martin put his musical talent on full display.
13:14Which of the Pickwick triplets did it?
13:17Who of the crew would commit this crime?
13:19Mighty little brat, big ol' Bonnie goes flat.
13:21It's a story pretty gory for a nursery rhyme.
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13:41The All I Need monologue.
13:43The Jerk.
13:44In this comedy classic, Navin Johnson is ready to take on adulthood and find his purpose.
13:50He goes on a series of adventures marked by humor, naivety, resilience, and personal growth.
13:56Along this humorous and unexpected journey, he finds wealth and love.
14:01In one particularly memorable scene, Navin gets into an argument with his wife after
14:06becoming broke again.
14:07I just want you like you used to be.
14:08What happened to that man?
14:09Me?
14:10What happened to the girl I believed in?
14:11The girl I fell in love with?
14:12The girl that believed in me?
14:22This emotional yet humorous leaving home moment is Martin at his best.
14:27He effectively conveys the fitting emotion, tone, and hilarious repetition of All I Need.
14:51This was Martin's first leading role in a feature film, one that accelerated his stardom
14:56as a comedy actor.
14:58This scene especially showed us that all we need is more Steve Martin.
15:09Let us know in the comments what Steve Martin moment made you laugh the hardest.
15:14What better time than now to take a moment and recount all the awards I've received.
15:19Do you agree with our picks?
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