The phrase "I'm starvin' like Marvin" goes back to at least the the late 1980's because I heard it and was using it with my friends in high school. I can't remember which of us heard it first or from where, but it certainly didn't originate with us. It wasn't a reference to any particular person named Marvin and the name Marvin simply rhymed with the slang pronunciation of the Word 'starving'.
The animated show South Park has an episode where a very hungry character (Marvin) is trying to find food for himself and his people. The main characters on the show try to help 'starvin Marvin'.
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Actually it comes from Cockney Rhyming Slang- the original phrase was "Lee Marvin", basically starving.
So to say youre hungry you just say "Im Lee Marvin!"
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LL Cool J used the phrase in his 1985 single Rock the Bells:
You've been waitin' and debatin' for oh so long
Just starvin' like Marvin for a Cool J. song
If you cried and thought I died, you definitely was wrong
It took a thought, plus I brought Cut Creator along
It was around long before that.
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