The annual Bishop’s Gala benefiting Catholic Charities of Dallas Inc. is always a stellar event, offering a first-rate dinner and top-flight entertainment. And, this year’s 15th annual Gala, held on Saturday, February 2, was no exception.
Headlined by actor and comedian Steve Martin, the event at the Hilton Anatole attracted more than 1,200 people and, before the first drink was even poured, had already exceeded its underwriting goals.
At a pre-dinner reception in the Wedgwood Room, event chairs Megan and David Martinez were beaming like proud parents. Not far from them, Bishop Kevin Farrell was pleased as well.
“This is probably one of the largest Catholic events in the city of Dallas,” Farrell said. “It is wonderful to see so many Catholics and non-Catholic people come out to support charitable causes. Of course, there’s a great tradition of that in Dallas. … It’s a city where I’m continually amazed by the large number of people who support philanthropic events such as this.”
Those doing so Saturday at the Hilton included Mary and Mike Terry, the honorary co-chairs; Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings; country-music legend Charley Pride; and Charlene Howell representing Rosewood Properties, which bought two tables.
The excellent dinner, which started promptly at 7:25, consisted of lobster bisque soup en croute, sliced beef tenderloin served on a bed of wilted spinach with wild mushrooms sauce, creamy polenta with crispy pancetta bacon grilled asparagus and baby carrots and frozen chocolate macadamia nut souffle with caramel sauce and chocolate dipped strawberry.
At 8:15 it was announced that $7,000 had already been raised via texting alone. (When it comes to money-raising, Dallas Catholics, bless ’em, leave no stone unturned.) Then it was time for the traditional game of Heads or Tails, followed by a live auction.
As the 11 items—and the big bucks—began adding up, although ever-so-painstakingly-slowly, at least one guest grew antsy. “I’m turning into a pumpkin here,” she cried as item No. 7 was being described. “I should have had another drink!”
Finally, though, it was time for the last item—a meet-and-greet session with Steve Martin himself, and a chance to buy one of his trademark banjos. Suddenly Martin himself appeared on the raised wooden auction stage, making with his quips: “Thank you, dear, great job,” he said to the emcee. “I hear you’re just out of prison, so that’s very exciting.” Then: “If you buy the banjo and practice for 50 years, you can play a song like this,” before breaking into an upbeat bluegrass tune. (Maria and Tim Machelski bought one of the banjos.)
The comedian and actor’s presentation, which started at 9:50 and lasted for nearly an hour, was titled, “Why I Did Standup, and Why I Quit.” Seeming to read from a prepared script, Martin offered a straight-line, often melancholy review of his career as a stand-up comic, starting with his birth in Waco and the family’s relocation to Los Angeles five years later.
From the beginning, Martin explained, his comedic style was quirky and off-the-wall. A typical opening line: “Good evening. I’m Steve Martin, and I’ll be out here in a minute.”
Early on he worked at Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland, where he heard one of his co-workers say, “Excuuuse me for living”—which would later morph into Martin’s famous catchphrase, “Excuuuuuse me!”
He learned magic and trick roping, believe it or not, and discovered that he had one useful quality: naivete. He also learned the importance of originality, and the fact that that the “audience loves it when tricks don’t work.”
In college, Martin studied philosophy and came to apply a philosophical concept to comedy: The idea that “everything can be examined.”
He vowed never to steal bits from anyone and realized that as a result, he would have to write all his own material. “I decided my act was going to go avante-garde,” Martin said. “I had no idea what I meant.”
He wondered, “What if I created tension and never released it?” In other words, there would be no “set up,” as in traditional comedy, and no punch lines. When a Variety reviewer said of his show, “Somebody should tell Steve Martin that the jokes are supposed to have punch lines,” Martin recalled thinking, “He got it!”
Steve’s unusual approach landed him jobs writing for TV’s Smother Brothers comedy hour. He became a “full-blown hippie, except for the drugs,” and played a bill with Ann-Margret in Las Vegas, where Elvis told him, “Son, you have an oblique sense of humor.”
Johnny Carson laughed uproariously at Martin’s act on the Tonight show, and he became a national sensation with bits like “Let’s get small” and “Rambling guy,” as well as “King Tut” and “Wild and Crazy Guy,” from Saturday Night Live.
His stand-up crowds grew, from 2,000 in Dallas to 6,000, then 15,000, then 22,000, then 29,000. But as the crowds swelled, Martin recalled, he grew tired from the constant pressure “not to let people down.” He felt like “my shelf life” was expiring, so he determined to transition to a movie career. “I was exhausted, physically and intellectually,” Martin said. “I felt my act had dead-ended … And I never did stand-up again.”
And with that, Steve Martin’s presentation was over.
Back in the Wedgwood Room a little later, at a previously scheduled, 20-minute meet-and-greet with the star of the evening, a gentleman tried to make himself heard over the excited chatter. He was explaining something about “hands.”
Martin was affable enough as people lined up to have their photos taken with him. But evidently several had not heard the shout-out about Steve and hands. Simply put, he doesn’t shake anyone’s hand. So, as guests approach with an open hand, the white-haired VIP had to shake his head and explain that he just doesn’t do that.
Then the grip-and-grin session slowed to a halt as organizers tried to decide who should be next. Steve looked a little perturbed, and asked the event photographer why they couldn’t just keep the folks moving along. But all too soon the 20 minutes were up—and the wild-and-crazy guy had left the room.
* Photo credit: Jeanne Prejean