Steve Martin Accepts the 43rd AFI Life Achievement Award

how do i top this parade of stars who've been so so funny easy I have to say Mel when you announce my name it was a total surprise I had no idea of how you kept it from me I'll never know one Thank You Carl for coming gee Carl was my second father really Thank You Marty short and all the people who have spoken and I love working with Marty because he understands the concept of 60/40 and in an amazing coincidence Martin Short is also the name I use to check into hotels when I want to be anonymous but tonight is especially meaningful for me because when I was a kid I used to get all dressed up and play AFI Life Achievement Award my early movie career was handled by my agents Marty Klein and John Gaines and one day in the 80s sue mingers called me another very powerful agent in Hollywood and she said Steve I don't like the movies John Gaines is putting you in and I said but sue I wrote those movies Conan Conan O'Brien thank you for being here tonight Conan is here because well a gift basket is a gift basket and Thank You Lorne Michaels Lauren is really responsible Lauren Lauren is really responsible for my being here tonight Lauren thank you for driving Nancy Meyers and Charles Shire collaborated on one of my most resident movies father of the bride and one afternoon Marty and I were in Diane's trailer and Marty and I are on the sofa and Dianne was watching the OJ Simpson trial and she was fixated on it and Marty and I were kind of clowning around in the back and finally she turned and she said if you two don't shut up I'm going to blow you and Marty said Diane you have to work on your threats now I've heard tonight the phrase comic genius we know who that applies to Chaplin and Buster Keaton and I always wondered what exactly is a comic genius now I know what a scientific genius is someone who explains the universe or cures diseases but what is a comic genius is it someone who always gets a laugh is every movie a hit but after all these years of work and luck and mentors and compatriots and successes and failures elation always balanced with an equal amount of insecurities self-doubt good audiences tough audiences surprised hits and surprise misses I have finally realized what a comic genius is a comic genius is someone who decides never to go into comedy I'm so proud to have this honor and I thank you the AFI I deeply appreciate this I'll leave you tonight with a quote from one of my favorites Jack Benny he was at at an event getting an award and he said this I don't really deserve this award but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either thank you very much you

Channel: American Film Institute

Views: 530,992

Rating: 4.9288831 out of 5

Keywords: 43rd AFI Life Achievement Award, AFI Life Achievement Award (Award), Steve Martin (Celebrity), Comedy (Theater Genre), Awards, American Film Institute (College/University)

Id: nRvaoaIOq0s

Length: 4min 43sec (283 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 30 2015