Aspen Film Society was an American film production company formed in 1976 by actor, writer, comedian, and musician Steve Martin and film and record producer William E. McEuen, with backing from

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. The company's films include '' The Jerk'' and '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure''.

Beginnings

The company's first project, the 1977

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

''The Absent-Minded Waiter'', starred Steve Martin, Teri Garr, and Buck Henry. Written by Martin and directed by

Carl Gottlieb Carl Gottlieb (born March 18, 1938) is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian, and executive. He is best known for co-writing the screenplay for ''Jaws'' (1975) and its first two sequels, as well as directing the 1981 film ''Caveman''. Early ...

, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the

50th Academy Awards The 50th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1977 and took place on April 3, 1978, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 7:00 p.m. PST ...

. In the wake of

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's '' Annie Hall'' winning four Oscars at the 50th Academy Awards, Martin received $500,000 from Universal Pictures to write and star in the box office hit ''The Jerk'', and the company gave Aspen Film Society and Martin the last cut and approval of the marketing campaign, as well as 50 percent of the profits.

Filmography

References

{{Steve Martin American companies established in 1976 Companies based in Los Angeles Film production companies of the United States Mass media companies established in 1976 Steve Martin

Beginnings

Filmography

See also

References