Review by Booklist Review
Short, the veteran stage, film, and television performer, has had a life full of triumph and tragedy. From his gig as the boy singer on a Canadian variety show in the early 1970s, to his stage debut with the original Canadian cast of Godspell, to his years on the groundbreaking sketch comedy series SCTV (where he introduced Ed Grimley, whose catchphrase gives the book its title), and his subsequent work on Saturday Night Live, the big screen, and Broadway, Short takes us through his professional life, writing in an affable, easygoing style that perfectly suits our image of him as a likable, laid-back guy. But there's a current of darkness that runs through the book, too: Short lost an older brother and both of his parents before he was 20, and, only a few years ago, his wife of 30 years passed away. So the book isn't all fun 'n' games. It is, on the other hand, an engaging, often quite funny, story of a man's life, with all of its highs and lows.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Short's delightful memoir-packed with hilarious stories from his classic work on Second City Television in the 1970s through his inimitable and clueless interviewer Jiminy Glick in the 1990s-more than proves that he is a very funny comedian. The ready is left with the impression of just how nice a guy he is- as he was grounded in his upbringing in a Canadian family who completely supported his seemingly natural-born need to perform. Short is never less than complementary to the host of superstars who became his friends, from Gilda Radner and Bill Murray in Canada's version of Chicago's legendary improvisational group Second City to Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks and other friends and colleagues he gained after he moved to Hollywood. Through it all, he pays a sweet tribute to his wife Nancy, who died of cancer after thirty years of marriage and a "dynamic" with Short that kept him grounded-and continuing to be funny-over a long career that is yet to be finished. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Actor, singer and spasmodic funnyman Short delivers a memoir with cameos by his famous characters. The youngest of five children, Short (b. 1950) credits his quick wit to a Darwinian struggle for the last word at family dinners, as the children battled the acerbic sarcasm of their father. A precocious child, the author would record his own bedroom variety show, but he'd never considered show business a legitimate future until his senior year of college, when he gave himself a year to pursue his dream. Luckily, Short got his first big break as part of the Toronto production of the off-Broadway smash Godspell. Short even boasts the scene had a "Paris-in-the-'20s thing going on" due to all the would-be stars that were around, including John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Dan Ackroyd and Paul Shaffer. Most of them were associated with Godspell or with the comedy group Second City, which Short would later join, eventually landing on Saturday Night Live and then a film career. For all his success, Short notes with genuine pathos that it wasn't without sacrifice; he suffered the loss of his oldest brother, mother and father all by the time he was 20. He also recounts the loss of his beloved wife to cancer. Ever positive, he reflects that these tragedies gave him a fearlessness about life. Though he was tenacious, Short jokes that his tombstone will bear only the word "Almost," as her never quite ascended to official movie stardom. Matching the successes of films like Three Amigos and Father of the Bride were misses like Clifford and a daytime talk show that failed to be the career second coming Short imagined. He experiences all this doubt despite winning an Emmy and a Tony, which again only proves his drive and versatility, rightfully earning him the nickname "Mr. Entertainment." A true vaudevillian, Short is always on as he delivers funny anecdotes from a diffuse and storied career. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
