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. The company's films include The Jerk and Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
Beginnings The company's first project, the 1977 short film The Absent-Minded Waiter, starred Steve Martin, Teri Garr, and Buck Henry. Written by Martin and directed by Carl Gottlieb, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 50th Academy Awards.
In the wake of Woody Allen'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 + Aspen Film Society Date Film Director Distribution Company Notes 1977 The Absent-Minded Waiter Carl Gottlieb Paramount Pictures nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short FilmShort Film Winners: 1978 Oscars1978|Oscars.org 1979 The Jerk Carl Reiner Universal Pictures 1980 Steve Martin: Comedy is Not Pretty Joseph Cates TV special 1982 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid Carl Reiner Universal Pictures 1983 The Man with Two Brains Carl Reiner Warner Bros. 1984 The Lonely Guy Arthur Hiller Universal Pictures 1985 Pee-wee's Big Adventure Tim Burton Warner Bros. Burton's feature-length directorial debut 1988 Pulse Paul Golding Columbia Pictures 1989 The Big Picture Christopher Guest Columbia Pictures 1990 Cold Dog Soup Alan Metter Anchor Bay Entertainment
See also Steve Martin filmography List of live-action film production companies New Hollywood
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