E034 | The Jerk (1979) – Adoption on the Big Screen With one of the most famous opening lines in comedic cinema history, 1979's The Jerk follows Navin Johnson (played by Steve Martin in his first starring role), the white, adopted son of Black Mississippi sharecroppers. The film was a box office success; it was one of the top 10 highest grossing films of 1979 alongside classics Kramer vs. Kramer, Rocky II, Apocalypse Now, Alien, the Amityville Horror, Star Trek, Ten, and the Muppet Movie, all of which we would rather have watched, but we promised Pop! Star Lee we would do The Jerk. Join podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer as we revisit a 1970s-era adoption story that hasn't aged well. But do they ever? The Jerk was written by Carl Gottlieb, Michael Elias, and Steve Martin. It was directed by Carl Reiner. This episode of Adoption Pop! aired on July 29, 2026. In it we discussed and/or relied upon: If Kristal has you nostalgic for Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids, you can rewatch the famously funny scene here. Steve Martin, who plays 18-year-old Navin Johnson, was 33 at the time of filming. According to Wikipedia, author Lurlene McDaniel is known for "writing about young adults struggling with mortality and chronic illness," including cancer, diabetes, organ failure, and the deaths of loved ones through disease or suicide. Knowing what passes for light entertainment to adult Haley, it tracks that these were some of young Haley's favorites. The Face on the Milk Carton is a 1990 young adult novel by Caroline B. Cooney. In 1995 it was adapted into a made-for-television movie of the same name, starring Kellie Martin, which we are absolutely going to put on our list for future Pop! episodes because Sullivan remembers watching it on TV. In the alternative, we might also do one of the five films released between 1999 and 2024 with the exact same premise. FFS. What we won't be doing, however, is the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn, though we're glad she had fun staying with wealthy Aunt Marti and Uncle Bob in Newport Beach. At the time of filming, the 29,000 square foot "Beverly Estate" that serves as wealthy Navin Johnson's home had been purchased just three years before for $473,000. The home was later renovated and, at 50,000 square feet, last sold for $126 million in 2022. In case you too have more money than you know what to do with. Gregg Kilday, "Steve Martin on Whether 'The Jerk' Would Work in Today's PC Climate," The Hollywood Reporter (June 4, 2015) Andrew Buss, "'Knowing Shit from Shinola': An Oral History of The Jerk," Consequence of Sound (December 31, 2019) American Film Institute, "Steve Martin Talks about The Jerk" The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen. We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Cultural critic Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com and on Instagram. Whatever you say, Stove.
