Daily Dialogue — October 19, 2018

“Huh? I am not a bum. I’m a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends, and… uh… my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin’ on the porch with my family, singin’ and dancin’ down in Mississippi…”

— The Jerk (1979), screenplay by Steve Martin & Carl Gottlieb & Michael Elias, story by Steve Martin & Carl Gottlieb

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Opening Line.

Trivia: In co-writing the script with Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias, Steve Martin said that their goal was to provide a laugh on each page of the screenplay.

Dialogue On Dialogue: I’m old enough to remember Martin’s debut comedy album “Let’s Get Small” which featured a bit about him being born a “poor black child which was genesis of these opening lines and the movie itself.