TERRE HAUTE — It was lights, camera and action Saturday at the Indiana Theater as Terre Haute residents took to the stage to share their Steve Martin stories.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. residents relived their memories of Steve Martin and his November 1978 Terre Haute concert or his December 1979 visit to the city, in which he toured various locations such as a fertilizer plant and car wash.
Some of their stories or comments will be used in 3Docs Production of “One Wild and Crazy City,” a documentary, produced by Gary Wood and Justin Escue, which focuses on the relationship from the late 1970s and into the ’80s between the comedian and the city.
Thirteen people turned out to talk about their role in either of Martin’s visits to Terre Haute.
Joe Petty, 93, said he’s the one that got Terre Haute noticed enough for Martin to make it a stop on his tour. About a week after Petty’s letter to the editor about discovering a horse race betting operation in a small building downtown was published, the Saturday Evening Post and many other magazines featured stories naming Terre Haute a “Sin City.”
“I don’t know how else [Martin] would be compelled to come here compared to other cities in the country,” Petty said, who was able to get within 20 feet of Martin during the 1979 visit.
Martin drew more than 7,000 people to Hulman Center to see his show in 1978. His 1979 visit was in response to the mayor’s invitation after Martin named the city “Nowhere USA” and complained about the lack of downtown shops and restaurants, his hotel-room TV and the local TV stations’ fertilizer commercials in an interview for Playboy magazine.
In turn, Terre Haute was the site of the world premiere of Martin’s first movie, “The Jerk,” and the only city destroyed by a giant cheese mold in another Martin movie, “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.”
“He was one of my favorites, quite a character,” Petty said in front of the camera. “Instead of showing off our fancy places, they showed all the weird places.”
As a student reporter for Indiana State University, 54-year-old Dennis Porter was able to get a little closer to Martin than Petty did. Porter sat across a table from Martin and asked him about six questions including what he thought about the mayor and what he planned to discuss with Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.”
“It was one of the better things that occurred to put Terre Haute in the public eye,” Porter said about the visit for the documentary. “Steve had fun with it, the people of Terre Haute had fun with it.”
Though the comments Martin made about Terre Haute weren’t good, Porter said it led to a positive thing with his visit and now the documentary.
“I think this is great,” Porter said about the documentary. “I think this will be positive for Terre Haute.”
Should Martin decide to come back, Porter said he would be welcomed by another large crowd as he was before.
“He’ll sell more tickets than he can shake a stick at,” he said.
Brian Ginoplos, 48, echoed those sentiments. He said he would like to see Martin in Terre Haute for the documentary viewing and that he would be received positively.
“Steve Martin did a lot for publicity for Terre Haute,” Ginoplos said.
Ginoplos saw Martin when he went by the courthouse for one of his city tour stops.
While Clay Wilkinson, 58, wasn’t in town for Martin’s visit, he did think Martin had a point with some of his comments. Because of some of the chemical plants, Terre Haute did have a smell, he said.
“Being of the same generation as Steve Martin, I think he’s funny,” Wilkinson said for the camera. “… I don’t think too many people took [his comments] seriously.”
Adding something extra to his camera time, Wilkinson performed a short standup routine with jokes all at Steve Martin’s expense including: “I like Steve Martin, then again I like Cream of Wheat.”
Producer Wood expects to conduct some key interviews for the documentary next and build off the outline he’s made so far, he said.
“I think it went well,” Wood said. “I certainly would have liked a better turnout, but we’ll be back.”
Wood and Escue hope to return some time in July to collect more accounts.
“I was extremely happy,” Wood said. “I got what I was looking for content-wise.”
Above all, he said they just got “some Terre Haute individuals,” some quirkiness, intelligence and fun that added a lot of details to the overall story.
Anyone who couldn’t make it Saturday but who still has a story to tell can contact Wood at (317) 496-1044 or gwood19215@aol.com.
Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Terre Haute residents share stories for documentary on comedian Steve Martin’s visits
Martin drew more than 7,000 for 1978 show in Valley
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
-
Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
-
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
-
Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
-
THE OFF SEASON: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
-
3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
-
He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
-
Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
-
Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
-
Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
-
THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
-
Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
-
ISU OKs four-year degree guarantee
Indiana State University has announced a four-year “graduation guarantee” for students enrolling this fall and beyond.
-
Dems tout good side of compromise
Indiana Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson, chosen to run as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate John Gregg, said during a stop Wednesday in Terre Haute that bipartisan experience is a key factor in creating jobs and legislation to help Hoosiers statewide.
-
Motorcyclist dies, motorist charged after accident
A Terre Haute man has died of injuries he sustained in a two-motorcycle, one-car crash that also injured another motorcyclist late Tuesday. The incident has led to the arrest of the car’s driver.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: National Mall Concert Shut Down
Beryl Threatens Rain, Winds on Southeast Coast
Tropical Storm Beryl Strengthens, Nears US Coast
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Raw Video: Obama Lays Wreath on Memorial Day
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Shell Readies Arctic Drill Ship
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Justin Bieber Accused of Assaulting Photographer - Glen Walker reports
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Show After Threats
Long Story Short: Beyonce back on stage
Raw Video: Man Rescued From River in China
Celtics crush Sixers in Game 7
Alleged Lego Thief Faces Felony Charges
Has Snooki Named Her Baby?
Heat Wave Warms Holiday Weekend
Beyonce Entertains the First Family
Inspiration for the class of 2012
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
