I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend

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.

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.

“I read it back to front and was surprised by its shocking beginning.” - Steve Martin

“Martin Short is a comedy superhero and this book is a peek inside his Fortress of Solitude.” - Amy Poehler

“As long as I’ve known him I’ve tried to figure out what makes Marty tick. Now I have to read this book to find out? What a rotten Canadian trick!” - Tom Hanks

“What a wonderful book! If only it was about someone else.” - Larry David

“This book, like Marty’s life, is a nutty-mahvelous affair.” - Paul Shaffer

“A true vaudevillian, Short is always on as he delivers funny anecdotes from a diffuse and storied career.” - Kirkus Reviews

“I love this book...If you love comedy, you have to read this book. I don’t want it to end…every chapter is so fun and interesting and great.” - Jimmy Fallon

“Short’s endearing memoir is, of course, funny, but it’s also a rare thing: the tale of a genuine human being who’s thrived on planet Hollywood.” - Washington Post

“Short’s delightful memoir more than proves that he is a very funny comedian.” - Publishers Weekly

“Short’s memoir is filled with all sorts of lovely anecdotes about…eccentric and endlessly interesting people.” - New York Magazine

“This book is a wonderful combination of the very funny and the very poignant.” - Matt Lauer

“Very entertaining, lovely new memoir. I read it and wished I had read it again. It is nothing but delightful.” - David Magee, screenwriter of Life of Pi and Finding Neverland

“I loved the book. I loved everything in it.” - Rosie O'Donnell

“A self-deprecating book filled with funny anecdotes about his family and famous friends. . . . Short is by turns philosophical and endearingly goofy.” - USA Today

“An engaging, often quite funny, story of a man’s life, with all of its highs and lows.” - Booklist