Name: Patrick Book's review of I Must Say by Martin Short
Item: I Must Say
Rating: 4
Author: Patrick Book

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, known to his famous peers as the “comedian’s comedian.” Martin Short 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, Mel Brooks, Nora Ephron, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Shaffer, and David Letterman. 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 twenty, and, more recently, he lost his wife of thirty 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 retellable tales: a hugely entertaining yet surprisingly moving self-portrait that will keep you laughing—and crying—from the first page to the last.

My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend

I Must Say

Katie Cosner

Patrick Book

A charming, lovely read. The way Short writes about his late wife, with such reverence and adoration, reminds me a lot of the time of George Burns' "Gracie." This has a portion of career retrospective, but it's as much about family and living/loving life as anything.

Jeffrey Jose

I wasn't very familiar with Martin Shorts works, outside of his appearances at SNL and celebrity tributes. I knew him to be a friend of Steve Martin whom I admire. This book offers a view into his life, the people and incidents that made him, including death of his wife.

Martin is a great story teller and this book was a pleasure to get through.

Janna Robinson

I listened to the audio of this on Libby. It's read by Martin Short and it's wonderful!

Ben Nathan

Wonderful autobiography. The audiobook version was truly great because he reads it himself and does all the voices. Lots of fun, lots of insight. Made me appreciate him a bit more.

Erin G.

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brendan sudol

Brady Valentino

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Mandi Jayne

Beth Emmanuel

Heather Overstreet 

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, known to his famous peers as the "comedian's comedian." Short takes the reader 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 from memorable roles in such movies as ¡Three Amigos! and Father of the Bride to Broadway stardom in Fame Becomes Me and the Tony-winning Little Me. 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, among them Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Gilda Radner, Mel Brooks, Nora Ephron, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Shaffer, and David Letterman. But there is another side to Short's life that he has long kept private. He lost his eldest brother and both parents by the time he turned twenty, and, more recently, he lost his wife of thirty 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 retellable tales: a hugely entertaining yet surprisingly moving self-portrait that will keep you laughing—and crying—from the first page to the last.

Katie Cosner &
I Must Say by Martin Short

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Katie Cosner &I Must Say by Martin Short

Reviews

Join the club

Katie Cosner &
I Must Say by Martin Short