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QUIZ

One Wild and Crazy Guy

Test your knowledge of Steve Martin

By Sean Monkman

Steve Martin attained stardom through fluffy bunny ears, rib-tickling stand-up performances, memorable TV appearances and smash hit comedy albums. With success already in his grasp, he made the brave decision to shift focus from stand-up comic to film actor. During the years since, he has advanced his comedic genius beyond screwball typecasting and into a variety of dramatic roles. Martin has also established himself as a successful writer of plays, short stories, essays and novellas. He stars as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the update of The Pink Panther series that hits theatres on Feb. 10.

1. Steve Martin won a 1969 Emmy award as a member of the writing staff for what comedy program?
	The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
	Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
	Gilligan’s Island
	The Jack Benny Program
	My Mother the Car

2. Which was not a trademark of Martin’s stand-up career?
	Wearing a white suit
	Wearing a fake arrow through the head
	Playing the banjo
	Making balloon animals
	Smashing watermelons with an oversized mallet

3. During an early appearance on The Tonight Show, Martin incensed host Johnny Carson by doing what?
	Making fun of Carson’s golf swing
	Reading names from a phone book, and telling jokes to four dogs gathered onstage
	Insisting on playing his banjo with the band
	Sitting on Ed McMahon’s lap and playing with his hair
	Ripping off Carson’s “Karnac the Magnificent” bit

4. In 1978, Martin landed in the U.S. Top 40 by selling 1.5 million copies of a novelty single that was based upon, and titled for, what historical figure?
	Isaac Newton
	King Tut
	William Tell
	Charlemagne
	Samuel de Champlain

5. Steve Martin ushered in a new period of career success when he co-wrote and starred in what 1979 Carl Reiner comedy?
	Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
	The Muppet Movie
	Pennies from Heaven
	The Jerk
	The Man with Two Brains

6. Martin made his Broadway debut in 1988, playing opposite Robin Williams as one of a pair of clowns. What was the production?
	Sweeney Todd
	Waiting for Godot
	The Elephant Man
	You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
	M. Butterfly

7. Who was “The Great Flydini”?
	A vaudevillian who was Martin’s first mentor in the entertainment field
	The role Martin played as a cameo in The Muppet Movie
	The main character of Martin’s play Picasso at the Lapin Agile
	Martin’s Labrador retriever
	The name of a Martin magic act wherein a miraculous selection of objects emerged from his unzipped fly

8. What TV program has Martin hosted a record 14 times?
	Saturday Night Live
	The Academy Awards
	The Emmy Awards
	The MuchMusic Video Awards
	The Late Show with David Letterman

9. What career decision was Martin referring to when he said the following? “People thought it was a bold move, but it wasn’t bold at all. I had no other choice.”
	Turning down an offer to join the inaugural cast of Saturday Night Live
	Playing a shady, decidedly unfunny businessman in The Spanish Prisoner
	Sharing a bed with John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles
	Quitting stand-up comedy
	Taking banjo lessons

10. What is the name of Steve Martin’s first novella, published in 2000, which became a film last year with Martin starring alongside Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman?
	Cruel Shoes
	Shopgirl
	Pure Drivel
	The Pleasure of My Company
	Roxanne