First of two "Jerk" movies. The second, The Jerk, Too (1984), was a made-for-television film was rumored to be the pilot for a proposed TV series. Navin Johnson was played by Mark Blankfield , though Martin was credited for characters and did act as an executive producer on it. See more

When Navin fills up the tank of the lowriders' car, he leaves the hose in the car and walks away. When he returns, the hose has been replaced back on the gas pump. See more

Alternate Versions

There are some differences in network airings when Navin is narrating the letters he writes back to his family. Original network airings replaced the theatrical line "Is Grandma still farting?" with "Is Grandma still burping?" The later prints all say, "Is Grandma still farting?" On edited versions of The Jerk when Grandma Johnson is reading Navin's letter they say that "My friend Patti promised me a job." This is in all network and standard cable prints. The theatrical release, premium cable channels, and DVD versions state the uncut sexual reference in the letter. A few commercial networks just edit out the line containing the sexual reference altogether. See more