The Jerk (film)The Jerk (1979) is Carl Reiner's rags-to-riches film comedy of belated self-discovery. Steve Martin stars. The film also features Bernadette Peters, M. Emmett Walsh, Jackie Mason, and Trinidad Silva. Reiner has a cameo appearance and his son Rob Reiner has an uncredited bit part. Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.Navin Johnson (Martin) is the adopted white son of black sharecroppers, who grows to adulthood naïvely unaware of the fact of his adoption, then goes into the world to make his fortune. The characters include a variety of ethnic stereotypes: simple-minded rural blacks, redneck whites, Hispanic con men, greedy Jews. However, the stereotypes are so blatant that their inclusion in the film could be considered as the filmmakers' ironic comment on the evils of stereotyping. Quotes"I was born a poor black child." "There's something about that music (in reference to blues music). It depresses me." Navin Johnson, responding to a sniper trying to shoot him and hitting oil cans: "He hates these cans!" This page about movie The Jerk includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about movie The Jerk News stories about movie The Jerk External links for movie The Jerk Videos for movie The Jerk Wikis about movie The Jerk Discussion Groups about movie The Jerk Blogs about movie The Jerk Images of movie The Jerk |
|
Navin Johnson, responding to a sniper trying to shoot him and hitting oil cans: "He hates these cans!". An earlier film Silver Streak starring Charles Starrett was made in 1934 using the Pioneer Zephyr trainset. The 1934 film has little in common with the 1976 film of the same name, and also differs somewhat from the trip on the original "Silver Streak" Zephyr that same year. It depresses me.". When brake couplings failed, the train skidded for two miles and passed right through the stationmaster's office at the end of track 16 at a speed estimated at 30 to 50 mph, demolishing it, but miraculously killing no one. "There's something about that music (in reference to blues music). At the time, it was the most spectacular modern runaway passenger train wreck. "I was born a poor black child.". The spectacular ending when the train arrives at Union Station (Chicago) was apparently inspired by the wreck of the 16-car Federal Express at Union Station (Washington, DC) on , the morning of January 15, 1953 (see link). However, the stereotypes are so blatant that their inclusion in the film could be considered as the filmmakers' ironic comment on the evils of stereotyping. Of course, no murders or other spectacular events featured in the movie are known to have taken place on the 1934 inaugural run. The characters include a variety of ethnic stereotypes: simple-minded rural blacks, redneck whites, Hispanic con men, greedy Jews. On that famous trip, the Pioneer Zephyr was also headed for Chicago, but at a much faster average speed of 77 miles per hour. Navin Johnson (Martin) is the adopted white son of black sharecroppers, who grows to adulthood naïvely unaware of the fact of his adoption, then goes into the world to make his fortune. The name "Silver Streak" was termed by the news media reporting on the record setting 1934 trip of the Pioneer Zephyr, the first passenger train which featured a stainless steel consist. Reiner has a cameo appearance and his son Rob Reiner has an uncredited bit part. Most of the interior station scenes are of Union Station in Toronto, Ontario. Emmett Walsh, Jackie Mason, and Trinidad Silva. The film features some beautiful train operations, scenery, and lots of "action" shots, as the protagonist and allies battle the bad guys on board and on top of the train, and get thrown off or jump on and off the moving train amazingly often. The film also features Bernadette Peters, M. All exterior train shots were filmed on the Canadian Pacific railway line in Alberta despite ostensibly being set in the United States, and operated by the fictional railroad "AMRoad". Steve Martin stars. While loosely based on Amtrak trains, Amtrak was not involved with the filming of the movie. The Jerk (1979) is Carl Reiner's rags-to-riches film comedy of belated self-discovery. Caldwell falls in love with secretary Hilly Burns (Clayburgh) but also bears witness to the murder of Burns' boss and, after being thrown off the train by some the murderers' thugs, must enlist the help of a thief (Pryor) to save their lives. Publisher George Caldwell (Wilder) is traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago on the titular train, Silver Streak. Silver Streak is a 1976 comedy film starring Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh, Richard Pryor, Patrick McGoohan and Ned Beatty and directed by Arthur Hiller. |