Steve Martin has been a novelist, playwright, stand-up comedian, musician, and so much more. But for many people, he is best loved as a man of the movies. From his first movie, The Jerk, on through classics like The Three Amigos!, Roxanne, Father of the Bride, Housesitter, Bowfinger, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, he has stolen the hearts of movie lovers worldwide. Now, he has opened up to share some of the stories of his years in movie making in Number One Is Walking, with illustrations from Harry Bliss.
The first half of the book is Martin’s stories of working in Hollywood, illustrated with charming, whimsical drawings by Bliss. He’s fishing with Bliss’s dog Penny when he reminisces about working on All of Me with Lily Tomlin and director Carl Reiner.
They’re driving around when Martin talks about the shooting of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. He said that John Candy had always made him laugh. They spent a lot of time ad-libbing, so much so that John Hughes’ first cut of the movie was well over 4 hours long. While Bliss chops wood for a fire, Martin talks about how he did Waiting for Godot Off-Broadway with Robin Williams, directed by Mike Nichols.
He talks about how he and Martin Short worshipped Diane Keaton in Father of the Bride. He talks about being an evil dentist in two different films. He shares how he met Jerry Springer backstage at a late night talk show. And then he talks about why he stopped making movies.
The second half is a collection of comics from Bliss, but Martin’s humor is definitely there as well. To me, it felt like these cartoons had come out of the time they spent together and the humor they share. They are playful and sharp and surprising, with punch lines like, “I just blow-dried the cat.”
There is a lot of love about Number One Is Walking. It’s fun to see Martin revisit his movies and his friendships, and the illustrations add so much life. But I have to be honest here. As much as I enjoyed the stories and the comics, it’s Bliss’s dog Penny who steals the show. Penny features in the stories a lot, adding smart comments or asking the perfect question at the right time, and I just couldn’t help but fall in love with the dog.
My only real disappointment with the book is that Martin only talks about certain movies. He’s done a lot of films, and it would be a thick book if there were stories about them all. I understand that. But I fell deeply in love with L.A. Story back in the day, and that didn’t get a mention. And My Blue Heaven or Mixed Nuts? I adore both of those movies (I do realize not everyone does), but not one story about Nora Ephron? Basically, I loved this book. I just wanted more of it.
A copy of Number One Is Walking was provided by Celadon Books, with many thanks.
