Thursday, March 6, 1997
FILM:
SNL veteran excels
at difficult but rewarding art
of making audiences laughBy Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Contributor
Clowns have always been more popular than dramatic actors. While
critical acclaim and Oscars are often heaped on the heavy actors in
dramatic movies, it is the comedian who wins the audience’s heart
with his ability to make people laugh.
For Martin Short, the rubber-faced comedian who first dazzled
American audiences with his characters on "Saturday Night Live,"
entertaining people with laughter is more important than making
lofty attempts at serious, melodramatic acting.
While some comedic actors try to branch out to other mediums,
Short isn’t sure if his audience would follow. He compares the
relationship between a comedian and his audience to a monkey in the
zoo.
"People go to the monkey cage to see them flip their tails,"
Short says. "But if these monkeys are in a reflective mood and
trying to ponder their life as a monkey, the people will come back
later when they’re ready to start flipping their tails. Comedians
make a pact with their audience. When an audience laughs at you,
they’re giving you a blessing. However, when the comedian then
wants to play the psychotic assassin and stretch, you’ll think ‘You
know, good for him. I’ll rent that one. But I will run to see his
funny movie.’ It’s important to make people laugh."
Short’s steady rise to fame in feature films can be attributed
to his continuing ability to play comedy well. And although comedy
may not be as respected in the eyes of Hollywood as dramatic
features, Short firmly believes comedy is the more difficult
form.
"Comedy is the hardest thing to pull off, without question,"
Short explains. "If I have to cry and curse the death of my wife
(in a scene), it is easier to play that than if you asked me to
pretend I was at a formal dinner party and I’ve accidentally taken
two Quaaludes, but I’m trying to disguise it. That is much harder
to do."
Short’s interest in playing off-the-wall characters continues in
his portrayal of Richard, a neurotic commodities trader, in
Disney’s film, "Jungle2Jungle." This movie pairs Short with another
comedian, Tim Allen. Although the two actors had never met before
this film, the chemistry between the two was immediate. Short
admired Allen’s brand of humor and enjoyed watching him bring it to
the big screen.
"Tim is just someone who’s funny, it’s that simple," Short says.
"Some people are just touched by the spirits and have a joyful
response to life and a mind that creates verbal witticisms. He’s
one of those guys."
Allen admits he had some apprehension working with Short, who is
notorious for his scene-stealing humor in films such as "Father of
the Bride" and "Three Amigos."
"I was very scared about working with Marty because he’s so
funny," Allen says. "But it worked and brought both of our comedy
levels up and I had to be the one to get serious and settle him
down."
Like Allen, Short found his initial success from working on
television. Short won the attention of Canadian viewers with his
work on "SCTV," a Canadian sketch comedy show that helped him bond
with many Canadian comedians who also found success in the States.
He still remains close to some of his "SCTV" cast-mates, which
include Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin and Catherine
O’Hara.
"We’re still very good friends as we were before the show,"
Short says. "We do work together; whenever I do specials, I’m
always begging them to please come and partake. We toyed with the
idea of a reunion show or a movie but since John Candy’s death, it
seems like it would be inappropriate or odd to attempt it without
him."
Even though Short has found steady success making feature films,
he still enjoys returning to the television and stage. His future
plans include performing Neil Simon’s play "Promises, Promises" in
New York for a limited run and an HBO series still in the
works.
"I think Canadian actors are like the British actors in that
they work in the three mediums (television, film, and stage) at all
times," Short explains. "This idea of just being a stage actor or a
film actor is an American idea. I think it’s important for actors
to act. Actors become better the more they act, so every time you
do a film or a play or a television show, you are better each time.
It’s a craft and a muscle that should be exercised."
Short feels privileged to be able to "dance between the mediums"
and get paid for doing something he loves. He doesn’t understand
other actors who always feel a need to complain or demand more in a
business where many are still trying to break in.
"I find it insane when actors are making a fantastic salary and
doing a film in New York City in the springtime like I did, and
they’re sad," Short says. "You just want to take a bat and whack
them five times and remind them what it was like three years before
when they were just bartending."
FILM: "Jungle2Jungle" opens nationwide on Friday, March 7.
Demmie Todd
Martin Short brings his brand of outrageous humor to the
upcoming Disney comedy "Jungle2Jungle."
Short firmly believes comedy is the more difficult form.