March 26 - Martin Short

On this day, in 1950, Martin Hayter Short was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Martin grew up as the youngest of five children. His mother was concertmistress of the Hamilton Symphony Orchestra and encouraged her children’s creativity. His father was an executive at a Canadian steel company and had arrived in Canada as a stowaway fleeing from the Irish War of Independence. His oldest brother died in a car accident in 1962, his mother died from cancer in 1968, his father died from a stroke in 1970 and he himself graduated from McMaster University in 1971 with a degree in social work, so, naturally, Martin ended up in a career in comedy.

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It all started when Martin was cast in a production of Godspell shortly after obtaining his degree (why did he audition? He was a newly minted social worker; he probably needed the money). The list of people he got to work with on that show is impressive: Victor Garber, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin and Paul Schaffer. Godspell led to several roles on Canadian television and then, in 1977, a reteaming with Eugene and Dave when Martin became part of the Toronto branch of the Second City comedy troupe. When the troupe launched their television show, SCTV, Martin was first a writer then joined the on-air cast in 1982, developing characters like Irving Cohen, Jackie Rogers, Jr. and Ed Grimley. When SCTV ended its run in 1984, Martin made the jump, with his stable of characters, to Saturday Night Live for the 1984-85 season, giving the show some much needed new blood. The year on SNL in turn gave Martin some much needed exposure and helped launch a successful film career.

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His film debut had actually occurred in 1979 in Lost and Found but, apparently, if you’ve ever had the misfortune to see that picture, you know why he wasn’t in another one until 1986. Starting with Three Amigos, he enjoyed a string of mild successes, working with the likes of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan (Innerspace), Danny Glover (Pure Luck) and Jack Nicholson (Mars Attacks!). He also became a frequent voice actor, doing films like The Pebble and the Penguin, The Prince of Egypt and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

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The Nineties saw Martin returning to live theater, this time on Broadway. In 1993, he took the lead in a musical version of Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl earning a Tony nomination and winning an Outer Circle Critics Award. In 1999, he lead a production of Simon’s Little Me, again getting Tony and Outer Circle Critic nods, except this time he won both.

Martin is no stranger to Disney projects. He’s done several Touchstone Pictures productions including Three Fugitives with Nick Nolte, Father of the Bride (and its sequel) with Steve Martin, Mumford with Loren Dean and Captain Ron with Kurt Russell.  Under the Walt Disney Pictures brand, he’s been in the 2012 version of Frankenweenie, Jungle 2 Jungle and The Santa Clause 3 (the last two were both with Tim Allen). Martin lent his voice to B.E.N., the robot who lost his mind, in Treasure Planet and to Lars in 101 Dalmatians II. His most enduring legacy with the company though has come through the medium of theme park attractions. For 15 years he was featured in the short film about the history of movies, CineMagique, which played in Disneyland Paris from 2002-2017. For 18 years, he starred in the movie The Making of Me, which taught guests about human reproduction in the Wonders of Life Pavilion at Epcot from 1989-2007. And, since 2007, he can be seen as host of the Circle-Vision movie, O Canada!, that plays in the Canadian pavilion.

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On a more serious note, Martin’s wife, Canadian actress Nancy Dolman (they met way back during Godspell and married in 1980), passed away from ovarian cancer in August 2010. Since then he has included tributes to her in his one man show (he actually does an impression of her) and actively campaigns for the Women’s Research Cancer Fund on her behalf. He’s also raised funds for Loyola High School in Los Angeles and is a member of a Canadian charity, Artists Against Racism.

In more recent years, Martin has taken to the stage again. He appeared in a Los Angeles production of The Producers as Leo Bloom, a role Mel Brooks had asked him to originate on Broadway but he ultimately had to pass on. His one man show, that utilizes many of the characters he’s created over the years, is sometimes called Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me (it also goes under the names Stroke Me Lady Luck and If I’d Saved, I Wouldn’t Be Here). It spent a year on Broadway and continues to tour the country. In his spare time, Martin also helps design commemorative Canadian coins (no really; a 2013 $3 coin featured an image of his lake house). And he has finished recording his parts for an upcoming animated movie, The Willoughbys, which will be distributed through Netflix sometime later this year.

October 31 - John Candy

On this day, in 1950, comedian John Franklin Candy was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. After graduating high school, John enrolled at Centennial Community College to study journalism. Instead he was bitten by the acting bug.

In 1973, John made his big screen debut in a completely forgettable film, Class of '44 (the only notable thing about the film is, in fact, that it's John's debut). Several other bit parts in Canadian films would follow that one, the most impressive of which would be in The Silent Partner starring Elliott Gould. John's career wouldn't really get started until 1976 when he joined the Toronto branch of a little theater group called Second City.

Performing alongside the likes of Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Harold Ramis and many others, John began to gain national acclaim. When the television series SCTV hit the airwaves, and NBC began broadcasting it in 1981, he gained international acclaim. John's gift for mimicry led to dozens of impersonations on the show, everyone from Julia Child to Orson Welles to Tip O'Neill. His original characters, like Leutonian clarinetist Yosh Shmenge, would not only delight on television but occasionally spill over onto the big screeen. John would also share in two Emmy wins for his writing contributions to the show.

During the run of SCTV, John's film career also ramped up. He made appearances in 1941, The Blues Brothers, Stripes, National Lampoon's Vacation and Going Berserk. After SCTV's last curtain fell, John's television days would be few and far between as he  moved onto the big screen almost exclusively. The remainder of the Eighties would be busy for John, if not always successful. His better roles would include Spaceballs, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors and Uncle Buck. His misses include Speed Zone, Hot to Trot and Volunteers.

John's contributions to the Disney family were consistently good. His first role for the studio was in 1984 for the very first film to be released under the Touchstone Pictures name, Splash. Playing Freddie Bauer, the womanizing older brother of Tom Hanks, John provided some of the best humor in the movie (I'm thinking of the scene where he impersonates a Swedish scientist). In 1990, he would be the voice of Wilbur in The Rescuers Down Under. Wilbur was the brother of Orville, the albatross in the original Rescuer movie who had been voiced by the late Jim Jordan. John's last turn with Disney was also the last film released during his lifetime: Irv Blitzer, the disgraced coach of the Jamaican bobsled team, in 1993's Cool Runnings.

Throughout the early Nineties, John's career kept chugging along. From small roles in films like Home Alone and JFK, to starring in Only the Lonely, he kept trying to prove he was more than just a lovable oaf. Unfortunately, his final two films wouldn't successfully prove that. On March 4, 1994, John's body would be discovered one morning during the filming of Wagon's East! in Mexico. Having suffered from weight issues his entire life, John had apparently had a fatal heart attack, although an autopsy was never performed. The makers of Wagons insist that they were nearly done filming John's parts, but, if you've ever had the misfortune to see it, he's barely in it and his character is mostly seen from far away and from the rear. The minute bits with John in it are fine; the film as a whole is so terrible it enjoys a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. John's final film to be released, Canadian Bacon, was only marginally better (a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and basically convinced its director, Michael Moore, to stick to documentaries. Thankfully, John's legacy was already cemented by this point and we'll all fondly remember him as a shower curtain ring salesman or as the Polka King.