Martin Short
In this engagingly witty, wise, and heartfelt memoir, Martin Short tells the tale of how a showbiz-obsessed kid from Canada transformed himself into one of Hollywood’s favorite funnymen. He takes you on a rich, hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking ride through his life and times, from his early years in Toronto as a member of the fabled improvisational troupe Second City to the all-American comic big time of Saturday Night Live and memorable roles in movies such as ¡Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride. He reveals how he created his most indelible comedic characters, among them the manic man-child Ed Grimley, the slimy corporate lawyer Nathan Thurm, and the bizarrely insensitive interviewer Jiminy Glick. Throughout, Short freely shares the spotlight with friends, colleagues, and collaborators, including Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and Paul Shaffer.
But there is another side to Short's life that he has long kept private. He lost his eldest brother and both of his parents by the time he turned 20, and, more recently, he lost his wife of 30 years to cancer. In I Must Say, Short talks for the first time about the pain that these losses inflicted and the upbeat life philosophy that has kept him resilient and carried him through. In the grand tradition of comedy legends, Martin Short offers a show-business memoir densely populated with boldface names and rife with re-tellable tales: a hugely entertaining yet surprisingly moving self-portrait that will keep you laughing - and crying - from the first page to the last.
I can't say that I'm necessarily a big fan of Martin Short's, but the audio version of this book was newly available for Spotify Premium members so I gave it a try and quickly became engrossed as Short read...no...performed his own memoir. I certainly can't imagine enjoying this book half as much if I were reading it as opposed to hearing it. Most heart-lifting discovery: When Mr. Short was in Toronto's original cast of Godspell, he had the same solo ("We Beseech Thee") that I had when Debbie and I were in Fort Wayne's premier production of the show at First Presbyterian Theater. Fair Warning: There are a few...several?...uses of The F Word, so if that bothers you, steer clear.
First line: It's May 1977 and I'm having an argument with the woman who will become my wife.
Somewhere approximating page 56/line 5: "Of all the people I have a fake show-business friendship with," I said in my remarks, "Steve is the star I'm fake closest to."
Final line: As for the grander questions, their answers will surely reveal themselves, someday, in a fleeting moment.
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