05 June 2015

Steve Martin is

the 43rd person to receive the American Film Institute's lifetime achievement award.

at one time this was the most prestigous award in Hollywood. along the way it became a tv event with winners only in their 40s.  so I rarely even watch the telecast.

but in those glory days I went to many of the dinners -- beginning with Bette Davis who was the 5th winner back in 1977.

the last time I went to one was in 1990 when David Lean was honord. & at that dinner I took this picture of Martin:


4 comments:

richard lopez said...

is that victoria tennant standing in front of martin? i believe he made the movie L.A. STORY as a love letter to both the city of los angeles and to tennant. i wonderful, happy, goofy movie. one of my favorite films of martin's middle period.

Alex Gildzen said...

it is indeed

MjB said...

When my wife and I watched LA Story many years ago for the first time, we rented it on VCR. The VCR unit we had at the time was also old, and something was not set right. We watched LA Story in black-and-white, not realizing it was supposed to be in color. Perhaps we're not the smartest tools in the shed, but I thought the highway scenes where the road signs communicate with Martin were remarkable in black and white. They were extraordinary, in fact. I was telling a more knowledgeable friend about this incredible black-and-white Steve Martin movie I saw, and he was very confused! I've seen it since a couple times in color, and it's funny, but it doesn't feel the same to me. Strange.

richard lopez said...

i bet it was incredible in black and white! the movie shines for me with a late 80s/early 90s sheen scoring the film with soaring synths and photographing the city in day-glo light. my first exposure to venice beach is thru this film. a couple years later my brother and i went to venice and we saw many of the street performers and beachcombers that were featured in this flick. the movies had come to life!