Oscar honors Steve Martin
The comedian-actor-writer-musician Steve Martin, who has starred in such timeless comedies as "The Jerk," "All of Me," "Little Shop of Horrors," and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," will be honored with a lifetime achievement Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, at the 5th annual Governors Awards, on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan
Happy Feet
Martin's standup act - sly and silly routines, laced with slapstick, that were self-mocking, ironic and absurd - was a break with the tradition of telling jokes. He created a character who seemed a bit out-of-control.
"I was studying philosophy in college, and philosophy taught me, 'Question everything,'" he told correspondent Rita Braver in 2007. "And so I just turned it on my act. And I thought that, 'Well, the audience, they're sitting there waiting for these punchlines. And then a punchline comes and they go, Ha, ha, ha, nut, it's not really real.' They're kind of being told when to laugh. And I thought, 'What if I never indicated to them where to laugh?' Then they would sit there for a while. And pretty soon they would -- I hoped -- find their own place to laugh. And then they would be laughing for real."
Left: Martin gets "happy feet" on "The Tonight Show.
A Wild and Crazy Guy
"I was looking for absurd things for my act and I went back to those early props," Martin said. "And I thought they're so stupid that I wanted to use them in some ironic way."
Martin's act was all about irony; for example, his "Wild and Crazy Guy." As his popularity started to build, he noticed that people were coming to his shows wearing arrows through their heads or with balloon animals.
"And I thought, 'That's odd,'" Martin said.
SNL
Among Martin's memorable characters from his many guest appearances on "SNL" was his portrayal, with Dan Aykroyd, of "two wild and crazy guys" (left, in 1978).
"The Muppet Show"
King Tut
"Well, it felt very satisfying. I knew this was a rare thing to happen to anybody, to sort of burst on a comedy scene. I was also worried about the future," he told Braver. "I knew I had become this thing and I knew that it's eventually something I have to break out of."
"The Jerk"
"Pennies From Heaven"
"Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"
"The Man with Two Brains"
"All of Me"
"The Lonely Guy"
"Little Shop of Horrors"
"Three Amigos"
"Planes, Trains and Automobiles"
"Roxanne"
"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"
"Parenthood"
"My Blue Heaven"
In a weird bit of synchronicity, "My Blue Heaven" was written by Nora Ephron, who was married to Nicholas Pileggi, author of the book on which Martin Scorsese's "GoodFellas" was based. That film, of a mobster who flees into the witness protection program, was also released by Warner Brothers that same year.
"L.A. Story"
"Father of the Bride"
"Grand Canyon"
"The Spanish Prisoner"
"The Out-of-Towners"
"Bowfinger"
"Novocaine"
"Looney Tunes: Back in Action"
"The Late Show"
"Shopgirl"
"Shopgirl"
Mark Twain Prize
Previous recipients of the award included Richard Pryor, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, and Lorne Michaels.
"The Pink Panther"
"The Pink Panther 2"
Kennedy Center Honors
"Baby Mama"
In Concert
"It's Complicated"
Academy Awards
Bonnaroo
Steve Martin performs with the Steep Canyon Rangers during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Friday, June 11, 2010, in Manchester, Tenn.
Library Lions Benefit
Carnegie Hall
Sting, James Taylor and Steve Martin perform at the 120th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall, April 12, 2011 in New York City.
In Conversation
Tina Fey And Steve Martin appear "In Conversation" to benefit KPCC and KCET, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, April 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Bluegrass
Steve Martin performs with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers, at The Largo at The Coronet, May 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
International Bluegrass Awards
Steve Martin after he and the Steep Canyon Rangers won for Entertainer of the Year at the 2011 International Bluegrass Awards, at the Ryman Auditorium, September 29, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Stagecoach Country Music Festival
Musician-actor Steve Martin performs onstage during the Stagecoach Country Music Festival held at the Empire Polo Field on April 28, 2012 in Indio, California.
"The Big Year"
Costume Designers Guild Awards
Presenters Maya Rudolph, Steve Martin and Amy Poehler attend the 15th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, February 19, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California.
Martin & Short
Martin Short performs with Steve Martin at the 2013 Toys 'R' Us Children's Fund Gala on Thursday, May 16, in New York City.
"Dueling Banjos"
Governors Awards
For more info:
Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Piero Tosi to receive Academy honors
oscars.org
Governors Awards (AMPAS)
stevemartin.com
"Steve Martin: The Television Stuff" (Shout Factory DVD)
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan