Number One is Walking- My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions by Steve Martin
$15.00
Product Details
Web ID: 153370352 years ago
from Naugatuck, Ct
Great Read!
This book is just as funny and insightful as you would expect from Steve Martin, especially in comic book form! I loved the illustrations. No one tells a story quite like Steve Martin and yes he does know everyone in show business! I thank @CeladonBooks and @BlissCartoons for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2 years ago
from Kansas City
martin, movies, memories, and mirth
Steve Martin has been a novelist, playwright, stand-up comedian, musician, and so much more. But for many people, he is best loved as a man of the movies. From his first movie, The Jerk, on through classics like The Three Amigos!, Roxanne, Father of the Bride, Housesitter, Bowfinger, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, he has stolen the hearts of movie lovers worldwide. Now, he has opened up to share some of the stories of his years in movie making in Number One Is Walking, with illustrations from Harry Bliss. The first half of the book is Martin’s stories of working in Hollywood, illustrated with charming, whimsical drawings by Bliss. He’s fishing with Bliss’s dog Penny when he reminisces about working on All of Me with Lily Tomlin and director Carl Reiner. They’re driving around when Martin talks about the shooting of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. He said that John Candy had always made him laugh. They spent a lot of time ad-libbing, so much so that John Hughes’ first cut of the movie was well over 4 hours long. While Bliss chops wood for a fire, Martin talks about how he did Waiting for Godot Off-Broadway with Robin Williams, directed by Mike Nichols. He talks about how he and Martin Short worshipped Diane Keaton in Father of the Bride. He talks about being an evil dentist in two different films. He shares how he met Jerry Springer backstage at a late night talk show. And then he talks about why he stopped making movies. The second half is a collection of comics from Bliss, but Martin’s humor is definitely there as well. To me, it felt like these cartoons had come out of the time they spent together and the humor they share. They are playful and sharp and surprising, with punch lines like, “I just blow-dried the cat.” There is a lot of love about Number One Is Walking. It’s fun to see Martin revisit his movies and his friendships, and the illustrations add so much life. But I have to be honest here. As much as I enjoyed the stories and the comics, it’s Bliss’s dog Penny who steals the show. Penny features in the stories a lot, adding smart comments or asking the perfect question at the right time, and I just couldn’t help but fall in love with the dog. My only real disappointment with the book is that Martin only talks about certain movies. He’s done a lot of films, and it would be a thick book if there were stories about them all. I understand that. But I fell deeply in love with L.A. Story back in the day, and that didn’t get a mention. And My Blue Heaven or Mixed Nuts? I adore both of those movies (I do realize not everyone does), but not one story about Nora Ephron? Basically, I loved this book. I just wanted more of it. A copy of Number One Is Walking was provided by Celadon Books, with many thanks.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2 years ago
from Glen Cove, NY
Truly entertaining and unique format!
What a unique and interesting book! Great coffee table book, where you can pick it up, open to any random page, and feel good! Steve Martin is an iconic actor, loved by so many people. The artwork, by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss, is gorgeously illustrated. If you want to be truly entertained, read this book. Thank you Celadon Books for sending this hard cover book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2 years ago
from Marina CA
Amusing and delightful
NUMBER ONE IS WALKING by Steve Martin is an illustrated memoir about the highlights, hilarious antics and moments of inspiration of his career in the world of entertainment, mainly movies and stand-up comedy. The excellent New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss illustrates expertly Steve Martin’s wonderful moments of his days in the movie industry as well as other cartoons and single-panel “diversions”. NUMBER ONE IS WALKING is entertaining and delightful, and will brighten one’s day anytime, anywhere! I am truly amused and comforted by this book thanks to Celadon Books! #NumberOneIsWalking #CeladonBooks
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2 years ago
from Boston, MA
delightful diversion
NUMBER ONE IS WALKING is a highly entertaining non-fiction book in graphic novel format. It features Steve Martin's reflections on his time working in different movies, primarily told as if he is conversing with the illustrator (who also sometimes appears in the panels) and/or the dog. It is told as almost a series of vignettes from different movies he worked on and encounters he had. The second half of the book is a series of brief cartoons about a variety of topics, but almost turn it into a collection of comics. This is a really delightful format, and the illustrator is quite talented. The panels really bring Martin and his stories to life on each page, and it really makes this a fun book to pick up and read. While you can read it from start to finish, it's absolutely a good coffee table book in that you can open it to any page and get a laugh without reading sequentially. Each of these vignettes is well-chosen, and the comics at the end also contain some really humorous selections! The whole book is highly entertaining with plenty of room for laughs. This was a most pleasant read, and I would definitely recommend picking it up for a light-hearted diversion. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 years ago
from B&N Home Office
A class act
Films, comedy, MUSIC, BOOKS! I won't lie - Steve Martin can do no wrong in "my book". SO happy to see him working again with cartoonist Harry Bliss.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com