We all know that Martin Short is funny. What we don’t know is how he endured a Job-like series of personal tragedies, from the early deaths of his parents and brother to his more recent losses of his wife and daughter. That’s what we learn in Lawrence Kasdan’s “Marty, Life Is Short,” nominated for three Primetime Emmys (Documentary or Special, Directing, and Editing). And Short himself is not only up yet again for his comedy performance in Netflix’s “Only Murders in the Building” Season 5, as well as Best Comedy, but also Best Game Show Host for ABC’s “Match Game.”
When Short’s old chum Kasdan suggested making a documentary about him, the comedian demurred. “I’m Canadian,” he said in a Zoom interview. “We’re a little more reserved. I’d also written a book in 2014, in which I’d been open. Then, Larry left me an eight-minute message on my phone. [He said that] I should do it because it’s important for life. [He imitates Kasdan’s signature nasal voice.] I heard it, and I said, ‘OK, I guess I have to do it because he kept saying “he and Ron,” and I love Ron Howard.’”
Short launched his relationship with Kasdan while starring in Kasdan’s production of the ill-fated “Cross My Heart” (1987). “We became great friends on the film,” he said. “Sometimes, you make the decision of saying, ‘I’m not going to let that person go.’ We both made that, and that was 40 years ago.’”
Luckily for documentarian Kasdan, Short had been running a camera on his life for decades. Another buddy, Steven Spielberg, also supplied some intimate footage. The cinematic gold in this film is the peek into the remarkable Hollywood community Short and his beloved late wife Nancy Dolman built around them. We see Tom and Rita and Steve and Kate and many more familiar faces splashing, playing, making jokes, enjoying their camaraderie.
“I’ve been asked through the years, ‘What’s it like to be friends with Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg? What are they like?’” said Short. “They’re just playful and friends. They just happen to be famous.”
Short always had a camcorder and filmed everything, but he never looked at the footage. He did transfer everything to digital. “So it’s shelves of stuff that I’d never seen,” he said. “I gave it all to Larry. The moment of Tom Hanks coming up on Boxing Day — or is it Christmas Eve day? — and he looks 12, you realize it’s just a chum stopping by.”
Short and his friends were also grilled by Kasdan, including Howard, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and, of course, his best bud and “Only Murders” co-star Steve Martin. Kasdan never revealed where he was heading. “I innately trusted Larry,” said Short.
This community of friends helped Short to get through a series of traumas. “When loss and grief suddenly or subtly encompasses your life,” said Short, “it’s your friends and family that help you through and remind you of the journey. So you find the light.”
When Short first saw a rough cut six months ago, he said to Kasdan, “Larry, you never told me you were in love with my wife. Every shot of her looks like Kim Novak. Nancy was insanely beautiful, but he captures that, and also the spirit. And that last shot of her singing when she’s cutting a carrot, so she has the knife in the carrot, but she knows to put the knife down, use the carrot as the mic. That’s my girl.”
Watching the rough cut was “difficult,” said Short, because he hadn’t seen the footage. “When I saw it in its raw form, I thought, ‘It’s honest, and it’s necessary in its life.’”
No, “it’s not healing,” Short said. “It’s just as Mike Nichols always said: ‘Just keep the conversation going.’ And that’s what you do. When your dear friend suddenly dies, you keep talking to that friend. You know what he’s going to say or she’s going to say. You’re used to the answers, you know.”
Yes, “Only Murders in the Building” and a loving relationship with his co-star Meryl Streep helped him to get through. “All those things, absolutely,” he said. “That work is always good for grief because if you take it seriously and it still matters to you, then it’s the ultimate distraction, and distraction can be a relief from grief.”
And therapy was not on the table. “I’ve never been in therapy,” said Short. “Never. Never. When my brother and parents died, and I was now in this big house with the housekeeper at 19 and 20, it was Hamilton, Ontario, 1970. So it wasn’t about therapy; it was about no one. I didn’t know anyone. In Hamilton, it’s just you. I biked all over the city. I’d bike up the hills and paint and write. I was the youngest of five, so now there’s four. But the [others] took over aggressively, nurtured and worried, and that’s how I continued. You learn to do it. Listen, ideally, if no one needed a crutch for anything, wouldn’t they be stronger? So, believe me, if I was suddenly depressed or in despair, but didn’t know why, then I’d run to a therapist. But I’ve never been that way. I’m sad now, but you know what? I should be sad now. It’s OK to be sad.”
Short had nothing to do with the edit. “I gave some thoughts, like, ‘Maybe she should let that sketch go four seconds long,’” he said. “The smallest things. The structure of it, what it is, is another thing. I’m glad he was at the helm so that it got nominated for an Emmy. It’s an honor.”
Short is still having a blast on “Murders.” He finishes up Season 6 on August 26, to premiere on Hulu December 8. “To be finishing your sixth season in streaming is insane,” he said. “It’s not usually the case, right? And to go that long, and it keeps growing the audience, is fascinating to me. This season is very strong. The whole thing takes place in London, and we’ve worked with the greatest British actors imaginable, from Olivia Colman to David Tennant to Martin Freeman.”
What’s the source of the show’s power? “Years ago I was watching Johnny Carson,” said Short. “Tony Randall is on. Johnny [says], ‘The Odd Couple’ is year three of a big hit. So Tony, how long do you think you’ll stay with this?’ And Tony looks at him and stares for a long time, long enough to make you laugh, and then he says, ‘That’s the dumbest question I’ve ever been asked, John. I’m in a hit. A hit is a fluke. I will stay with it as long as it goes.’ What’s delightful about this show is the set’s really happy. It’s all about the hang. The art someone else figures out, and you hope for the best. But the hang’s important.”
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