Number One is Walking takes the form of a graphic novel, strolling through a visual history of Martin’s comedy movies including The Jerk, All of Me, The Three Amigos, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Roxanne, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Parenthood and even lesser lights like The Pink Panther in Paris. (That movie’s producers let him bring his dog to the Ritz Hotel.) There are a number of fun anecdotes sprinkled throughout, including a story about the book’s title.
“On a movie call sheet, the actors are listed numerically,” Cartoon Steve explains to a group of woodland creatures. (It’s comic-strip style storytelling — just go with it.) “The lead is number one, the second lead is number two, etc.” While making The Jerk, Martin was kinda, sorta embarrassed when the assistant director would follow him to the set, whispering into his walkie-talking that “Number One is walking.”
Over time, Martin got used to it. On movies like Bowfinger, Cheaper by the Dozen and Bringing Down the House, he’d hear his customary call, “Number One is walking.” So it was a little bit of a shock when he made It’s Complicated with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin.
Celadon Books
It’s enough to take a guy down a peg.
But life as one of the world’s biggest comedy movie stars definitely has its perks. Martin’s new book is peppered with stories about run-ins with super-celebs, including Peter Sellers, Fred Astaire, Robin Williams, Jackie Onassis and Gene Kelly. When Martin shook hands with aging comedy superstar Milton Berle after honoring Kelly at an event, Uncle Miltie told him, “I hated your bit and let go of my hand.” Martin is pretty sure Berle was joking. Pretty sure.