Steve Martin Breaks the Fourth Wall in Rare Promo For His Classic Comedy THE JERK

Back in 1979, Steve Martin did something a little different to promote his classic 1979 comedy The Jerk. In a special trailer labeled “For Theater Owners Only,” Martin stares directly into the camera and delivers a pitch tailor-made for theater operators, telling them exactly what they wanted to hear.

Of course, the whole thing was laced with Martin’s signature absurd humor. He assures theater owners that this trailer is strictly not to be shown to the “general public.” But, it was shown publicly to audience before it disappeared.

That would’ve been the end of it, if not for the folks at Shout! Studios, who unearthed this obscure promo gem and included it on their Blu-ray release of The Jerk. As noted:

“While copies of this trailer exist in various archives, it is not available for streaming online….. Until now. Thanks to Shout Factory for putting this on their recent Blu-Ray release of the classic film.”

It’s a rare, fourth-wall-breaking slice of movie marketing history. This is a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy!