Martin Short: Grimmlies and Glickles of Laughter

Ed Grimley, Jiminy Glick, Franck Eggelhoffer: three characters but all brought to life in television and movies by Martin Short. From Saturday Night Live to Broadway/Movies/Television to Video Games, he can always make people laugh. He also has quite a few interesting connections to the Walt Disney Studios, some beyond movies.

Martin Hayter Short was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on March 26th, 1950, the youngest of five siblings. He has three older brothers, David (whom he tragically lost at age 12), Michael, Brian, and one older sister, Nora. His mother, Olive Grace, was a concertmistress of the Hamilton Symphony Orchestra and his father, Charles Patrick Short, was a corporate executive with the Canadian steel company, Stelco. Martin unfortunately lost both his parents  by the age of 20. But despite the tragedy he successfully graduated McMaster University in Hamilton with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 1971.

While Martin intended to pursue social work, he became interested in acting the year that he graduated when cast in a touring production of the musical Godspell. His fellow cast members in that production became some of his closest friends, including Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, and his future wife Nancy Dolman, whom he married on December 22nd, 1980. (Andrea Martin and Martin Short became in-laws when Andrea Martin married Nancy’s brother, Bob Dolman, on December 27th, 1980). Martin Short and his wife also adopted three children together, Katherine, Oliver, and Henry. 

Levy and Thomas both encouraged Short to pursue comedy and join them in the improvisation group The Second City. Along with a group of many other beloved comedians, the group produced the show Second City Television which ran from 1976-1984 in Canada and later the United States. SCTV is where Short developed the character of Ed Grimley. Next up for Short was a U.S. sit-com called The Associates (1979-1980), and then his movie debut in the comedy Lost and Found (1979) and later re-joining his friends for the 10th (’84-’85) season of Saturday Night Live (1975-present), where developed the character of Jiminy Glick. During his run on “SNL” Short befriended the likes of Steve Martin and Chevy Chase, and developed the character of Jiminy Glick. The Martin/Chase friendship led to their collaboration in the comedy Three Amigos! (1986).

Martin Short reunited with Steve Martin in Touchstone’s Father of the Bride (1991) and its sequel Father of the Bride part 2 (1995). (Short’s good friend Eugene Levy also appeared in both of the “Father of the Bride,” movies). Steve Martin and Martin Short also lent their voices to Dreamworks’s animated film The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Steve Martin also appears as himself in Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004). For Touchstone, Martin Short also appeared in the movie Captain Ron (1992), opposite Kurt Russell, who also appears as himself in “Lalawood.” After “Father of the Bride part 2,” he and Eugene Levy created the video Game, Creature Crunch. And for the Disney label, Martin Short acted in the film Jungle 2 Jungle (1997) opposite Tim Allen. Short later reunited with Allen as Jack Frost to Allen’s Santa Clause in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). He also provided the voices of B.E.N. in Treasure Planet (2002), Lars in the direct-to-video sequel 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure (2003), Mr. Frankenstein/Mr. Burgermeister/Nassor in Frankenweenie (2012), and Mr. Kurokawa in the English dub of the Disney/Studio Ghibli film The Wind Rises (2013). 

In 2007, Martin Short became the host for the O, Canada! film at the Canada pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World. He also stars in the CineMagique theatre show at the Walt Disney Studios park at Disneyland Paris. Prior to “O, Canada!” he hosted a film called “The Making of Me” at the “Wonders of Life,” pavilion in Epcot, (currently closed).

Martin Short made his Broadway debut in 1993, starring opposite Bernadette Peters in the original musical production of The Goodbye Girl (based on the 1977 film of the same name with Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason). It earned him a Tony Award nomination. He won a Tony Award in 1999 for starring in the Broadway revival of the musical Little Me, and four years later, he replaced Matthew Broderick in the original production of Mel Brook’s The Producers opposite Nathan Lane. Brooks had originally offered the part to Short when it opened in 2001, but Short initially declined simply because he did not want to move his family from Los Angeles to New York for a year, but he managed to work it out. In 2006, he created a one-man show, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, which ran on Broadway for a year. Most recently, he starred in NBC’s live-televised adaptation of the Broadway musical Hairspray Live! (2017) playing the role of Wilbur Turnblad.

Martin Short lost his wife, Nancy Dolman, of 30 years, to ovarian cancer, on August 21st, 2010. As a result o, he has been an activist for the Woman’s Cancer Research Fund, in 2011, received a “Courage Award” for his efforts. 

Despite suffering many tragedies in his life, Martin Short has become one of the funniest comedians of his generation. He will be forever remembered for creating the characters of Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick, but beyond those roles he has been fortunate enough to make audiences laugh in every medium of entertainment for more than 40 years.     

Bette Midler: Everything’s Coming Up Roses!

From Broadway and Film to Television and Music, Bette Midler’s career has entertained audiences for more than five decades.  Otherwise known as “The Divine Miss M,” her distinctive singing voice and unique style of performing never ceases to amaze. In addition to portraying many remarkable characters on-screen in movies, she has also made a great impact simply live on stage “as herself,” and it works beautifully one way or the other. Throughout her career, she has done it all, not to mention several things for the Walt Disney Studios.

She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 1st, 1945. Her mother, Ruth, named her after Bette Davis, though she thought Davis’s name, was in fact, pronounced “Bet.” As a result of being voted “Most Dramatic” in High School, she majored in drama at University of Hawaii in Manoa. At 21 years of age, she got a part as an extra in the movie Hawaii (1966) which starred Julie Andrews and Max von Sydow. Having been paid a decent sum of money from the film, she moved to New York City in the hopes of pursuing a career in performing.

After appearing in a few Off-Broadway plays, she assumed Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof, replacing the original Joanna Merlin. After her run in “Fiddler,” she starred in the rock opera Tommy at the Seattle Opera (1971). (“Tommy,” was readapted as a film in 1975 with Ann-Margret in the lead role.) Next she began singing at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in the Ansonia Hotel. At that time, she became very close with her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow, and together they produced her first solo album, The Divine Miss M in 1972. It featured the songs “Do You Wanna Dance?” “Friends” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” which became Midler’s #1 Adult Contemporary Hit. The album earned Midler her first Grammy Award for Best New Artist. (Manilow also produced the albums: Bette Middler (1973), Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003) and Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook (2005)). She also won a special Tony Award in 1974 which was simply for adding lustre to the Broadway season. 

After her first two collaborations with Barry Manilow, and a few more bit parts in the movies The Detective (1968) and Goodbye, Columbus (1969), Bette Midler made her television debut in The Bette Midler Show (1976), a live taped recording of her concert tour known as “The Depression Tour.” Three years after that came her first leading role in the movie The Rose (1979), portraying the role of Mary Rose Foster, a character modeled after Janis Joplin. The role earned her Oscar and Golden Globe Nominations for Best Actress, and she won the latter. She also won a special second Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. She was directed in the movie by Mark Rydell, with whom she reunited in the movie For the Boys (1991) which also earned her Oscar and Golden Globe Nominations for the female lead role of Dixie Leonard. Again, she won the Globe. (She lost the Oscars to Sally Field in Norma Rae (1979) and Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)). She also won a third Golden Globe for starring as Mama Rose in the made-for-television adaptation of the Broadway musical Gypsy (1993) opposite former boyfriend Peter Reigert as Herbie.

Between her 70s and 90s awarded successes, she also made the Touchstone films: Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Big Business (1988), and Beaches (1988). “Beaches,” resulted in her Third Grammy Award, for the song on the film’s soundtrack “Wind Beneath My Wings.” The same year as “Big Business,” and “Beaches,” she was also cast by the Walt Disney Studios as the voice of Georgette, the prima donna of a poodle, in Oliver & Company (1988). She also made the Touchstone films Stella (1990) and Scenes from a Mall (1991), as well as Disney’s Hocus Pocus (1993) and made an introductory host cameo in Fantasia 2000 (1999), Disney’s theatrical sequel to Fantasia (1940).

She returned to Broadway in 2011 producing the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert which won the Tony Award for Best Costume Design. Just recently, she starred in the lead role of Dolly Levi in the revival of Hello, Dolly! which resulted in her first Tony for Best Actress in a Musical. She was also in a limited Broadway engagement called I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers.

Bette Midler is an unstoppable performer, having covered every medium in the entertainment industry. Besides all her work as an entertainer, she also founded the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) in 1995 which is a non-profit organization that rejuvenates decaying neighborhood parks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in New York City, and she continues that work with a group of local volunteers today.    

Jerry Van Dyke: Clown, Brother, and Friend

On January 5th, 2018, Jerry McCord Van Dyke, younger brother of Disney legend of Dick Van Dyke, passed away of a heart failure at his ranch in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was 86. Like his brother, Jerry Van Dyke also made us laugh on television and film. But unlike Dick, Jerry never achieved fame until the later years of his career. Although he was stuck in his brother’s famous shadow for many years, they remained close until his death. 

Van Dyke was born in Danville, Illinois on July 27th, 1931 (Six years after his brother). As a child he knew immediately that he wanted to pursue stand-up comedy, and he gained a reputation for being a clown in school. He continued to pursue stand-up in nightclubs, before joining the United States Air Force at the age of 21. While in the Air Force, he won a military contest which landed him two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. He also got a regular role on the short-lived The Judy Garland Show and also a hosting job of the game show Picture This (1963). The same year as “Picture This,” he starred in three major Hollywood movies: The Courtship of Eddie’s Father with Shirley Jones and Ron Howard, McLintock! with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, and Palm Springs Weekend with Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens.

After these movies and short-lived TV appearances, Van Dyke was offered the main role of Gilligan in Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967), but declined. He deemed the pilot script for “Gilligan’s Island,” to be the “worst thing he had ever read.” He was also offered a role on The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) replacing a departing Don Knotts, but turned it down as well. He did choose to do My Mother the Car (1965-1966) a television sit-com about a man and his relationship with his mother, who ironically enough gets reincarnated into a 1928 Porter Automobile. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after only 1 season. (In 2002, it was proclaimed by TV Guide as the second worst television show ever). While Jerry Van Dyke’s career was not going particularly well at this point, it did however receive a moderate boost when he got the role of (real-life brother) Dick Van Dyke’s on-screen brother, Stacey Petrie, on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966).

Jerry returned to his first love, stand-up comedy in the 1970s. He performed in various nightclubs all throughout the country including Las Vegas, Reno, Milwaukee, and in Atlantic City. He also continued to accept occasional television roles, appearing in one episode of season Four of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977), and reuniting with his brother (as well as his nephew, Barry Van Dyke) on Diagnosis: Murder (1993-2001). In 1989, however, he was cast in the role with which he would be identified the rest of his life: Assistant Coach Luther Horatio Van Dam in the ABC sit-com Coach (1989-1997). The role earned him four Emmy nominations, but he disappointingly never won.

In 1996, the year before “Coach,” went off the air, (and the year The Walt Disney Company acquired the ABC network) Disney cast Jerry Van Dyke as the host of The Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade special. Van Dyke’s final acting role was playing Patricia Heaton’s father, Tag Spence in Disney/ABC’s The Middle (2009-present). In the show’s sixth season, he reunited again with brother Dick, who played Patricia Heaton’s uncle in the episode entitled “Two of a Kind.”

Besides being a beloved comedian, Jerry Van Dyke also had a soda shoppe named after him in Fort Worth which I was fortunate enough to visit a couple of times as a child. The restaurant housed all kinds of different “Coach,” and other Jerry van Dyke memorabilia, including pictures of himself with his famous brother. In 1982, he gave an interview on television where he explained that, although he and Dick had very different career paths, they became close as they got older. He even specifically said, “My brother is my best friend.” Jerry Van Dyke has undoubtedly left a legacy of humor on television and movies.    

Judy + Maggie = There’s No Place Like Home

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios was the last major movie studio to add talking to their movies, doing so with the movie-musical The Broadway Melody (1929), which became the very first movie-musical to win the Best Picture Academy Award. The ‘30s was the decade that MGM began hiring child stars to perform in their movies, i.e.: Mickey Rooney, Deanna Durbin, and Jane Powell. Many of the stars they hired at that time are considered legends in the history of film. Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien were two of those popular child stars who got there start at MGM. While both these performers led different career paths, there actually are some intriguing similarities between the two of them.

Judy Garland became under contract to MGM at age 13 in 1935. While she did possess a beautiful singing voice, her singing voice was the only thing conspicuous about her. She was neither tall nor noticeably attractive, both of which were qualities that MGM looked for in talented people back then. That being said, MGM wasn’t entirely sure what to do with her once they signed her. She started to gain attention when she began starring in a series of B movies known as “The Hardy Family Movies series,” where she starred opposite close friend, Mickey Rooney, who portrayed the main character of Andy Hardy in the films Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940) and Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941). In between the first two Hardy movies, Garland was cast in the role that she would be identified with the rest of her life: Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939). 

MGM had originally considered Shirley Temple for the role, but she was under contract to Fox at the time and Fox wouldn’t let Temple out, so Garland was cast. Although the film was a flop in its initial release, it became a huge success when released worldwide, and Garland won the Best Juvenile Oscar as a result. Two things from that movie became permanently identified with Judy Garland: the song “Over the Rainbow,” which she would sing in a great deal of future concerts, and also the famous line she delivered “There’s no place like home.” While Garland would make several more movies throughout her career, none are quite as remembered by the public today as “The Wizard of Oz,” and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).

Margaret O’Brien, on the other hand, came to MGM at just four years of age. She made her first film appearance Babes on Broadway (1941), which ironically happened to be another film that starred Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Her role in that film was small, but the following year she earned a starring role in the film Journey for Margaret (1942). Two years later, O’Brien reunited with Garland in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” portraying the role of “Tootie” Smith, the younger sister to Garland’s “Esther Smith.” The character of “Tootie” Smith was based on Sally Benson, who wrote about her life in St. Louis, Missouri in her book Meet Me in St. Louis, which is what inspired the movie. Benson answered to the nickname of “Tootie” as a child. (While no one speaks the line “There’s no place like home” in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” the theme of that line is depicted in the film, though from a realistic rather than fantastic perspective in “The Wizard of Oz.”) And just like Judy Garland five years prior, Margaret O’Brien won the Best Juvenile Oscar for her performance as “Tootie.”

O’Brien and Garland got along well during the filming of the movie, though Garland was concerned for the young actress playing her little sister. She feared that O’Brien could wind up having a life destroyed by insecurity and fame, as Garland herself was already struggling with it at just 21 years of age. Garland had been prescribed a regular does of amphetamines from the time she came to MGM along with Mickey Rooney and others, addiction to which led to her unfortunate death at the age of 47 in 1969. O’Brien, however, continues to maintain a healthy personal life along with a career that continues even today. Five years after “Meet Me in St. Louis,” O’Brien made Little Women (1949) with June Allyson, Janet Leigh, and Elizabeth Taylor. The film also reunited her with her “Meet Me in St. Louis,” co-stars, Mary Astor, Leon Ames, and Harry Davenport. In the former, Astor and Ames played her parents, while Davenport played the grandfather and in the latter Astor and Ames again played the parents and Davenport played the doctor. Most recently, O’Brien acted in Disney’s direct-to-video sequel Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2017) and also appeared in a remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2017).

Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien both created legacies as some of our most famous child stars. In the end, Judy Garland achieved more fame and popularity thanks to her incredible singing voice, but Margaret O’Brien managed to have a longer career. Neither will ever be forgotten for making movies that reminded us all:  “There’s no place like home.”