I Bought a Ukulele, Inspired by The Jerk

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I bought a ukulele. Eek!

That sentence has been years in the making. Ever since I first saw The Jerk—that wonderfully absurd 1979 film where Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters sit on the beach and sing Tonight You Belong to Me—I’ve wanted one. Steve strums a little soprano uke while Bernadette joins in on cornet, and somehow, amid all the ridiculousness, this tiny duet becomes heartbreakingly sweet.

So now, here I am.

I finally bought one. Isn’t she pretty?

 

I wonder… will I take to it? Or is it destined to be tucked away in some gloomy spare closet, its strings never singing?

I’ve only had it a few weeks, and wow—turns out it’s trickier to learn than I was led to believe. Still, I’m loving the challenge.

I majored in music in both high school and college. In high school, I sang, acted, and danced in musicals and performed with Music Masters. In college, I studied sound engineering—blending technology with music, learning acoustics and mixing techniques, and dreaming of one day recording artists in a professional studio. I eventually graduated with a degree in Mass Communications, but the pull of music never really left me. So yes, I’m a bit hard on myself.

Still—that was more than 40 years ago. The point is, I’ve always loved music. I stream it nearly every waking moment.

I purchased my ukulele on Amazon. It came with a whole starter kit, which makes the learning curve less steep. The most essential piece? The tuner. You need to tune your ukulele every time you play, sometimes more if you’re strumming for a while. That may sound daunting, but this little device makes it foolproof.

Here’s how it works: clip the tuner to the headstock, pluck an open string (no fingers pressing down), and the device listens. If the note is flat or sharp, a needle swings left or right, telling you whether to tighten or loosen the string. When it’s perfectly in tune, the letter of the note lights up green. Couldn’t be simpler. In the photo, you’ll see when I plucked the G string, it landed dead center. Perfection.

The kit also included online lessons, a padded case with strap, an extra strap for the uke itself, a sand shaker, a capo, a pick, and a polishing cloth. Pretty generous for a beginner set.

Some Trivia for Film Nerds Like Me

The Jerk was Steve Martin’s first starring role. It was a low-budget comedy made for around $4 million, and no one expected it to go anywhere. But it became a surprise hit, raking in over $73 million and launching Martin’s film career. He even co-wrote the script.

That ukulele scene? It wasn’t supposed to tug at heartstrings.

Let’s not forget Bernadette Peters—a Broadway legend in her own right. In The Jerk, she doesn’t just sing the duet—she plays the cornet, too. That’s her actually playing in the scene.

More trivia you might enjoy:

• The Jerk was directed by comedy legend Carl Reiner, his first feature that wasn’t based on his own script.

• Several of the film’s funniest moments were improvised by Martin, including the famous “He hates these cans!” line. (I still quote this line today!)

• The duet of Tonight You Belong to Me actually revived the song’s popularity—it was originally recorded back in 1926.

• Martin personally asked for Peters to be his co-star, convinced her warmth and musicality would balance his absurd style.

• The two went on to date for several years after filming.

• While some critics panned it as slapstick fluff, Time magazine named it one of the Top Ten Films of 1979.

Curious about the movie? The Jerk on IMDb has all the details.

Here’s the iconic movie poster for The Jerk (1979), starring Steve Martin.

In retirement, I often say that “Someday” has arrived. This is it. Someday.

And maybe this is my ukulele era.

I’m curious to see how this plays out. One of the most wonderful aspects of being retired is having the time to explore and satisfy all my curiosities. And this one has been sitting in my heart for decades.

If I ever learn the full song, you’ll be the first to know.

This is the scene—the duet that made me fall in love with the ukulele. Steve strumming. Both of them singing.

Any ukulele players out there?

Any advice you’d like share?

☙

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