Martin Short on Letterman, December 3, 1982

Marty's first appearance. Preceded and followed by an unruly studio audience demanding more, egged on by Late Night writer Andy Breckman.

[@johnarchluleta]

Martin Short is one of the most likeable stars ever. So talented and so humble and personable.

[@bsquared4604]

there was something so special back then about being a teenager, still in school and watching this show in the dark until the wee hours. i felt like i had the whole show to myself.

[@brothergaryii]

That's the voice we grew to love in Martin Short and still has it today.

[@brettneuberger6466]

Classic! I was a Letterman fan from the start, but watching these old reruns drives home how innovative he really was.

[@CrochetNewsNetwork]

I’ve been on a Jimny Glick marathon. Brilliant

[@loren5051]

A comic genius! Nice to see him so young. Immortalized in film. I think he was every bit as talented as any other.

[@rockturtleneck]

Wow, that was fantastic, thank you for posting!

[@watchman1178]

Hard to be believe that the great Martin Short will be 71 years old in 3 days from now (3/26/21). Where did the time go?

[@bashbrannigan]

On Short’s last-ever guesting on Letterman, he talks about this and says all his friends stopped watching the show and never saw his first appearance on Letterman.

[@Dvp1169]

I was in highschool when Dave had his show on NBC. Would go to bed, then set my alarm for 12:30 am to watch (we didn't have a VCR til 1985). If I slept through the alarm and missed any episode, I'd be devastated. Loved him in the 80s🥰

[@equinoxproject2284]

Do you remember the mouthwash fountain gag Dave did in front of his desk?

[@Dvp1169]

@@equinoxproject2284 No sadly I don’t ☹️

[@PC-iv5so]

the warm-up guy trying to defend Dave was hilarious.. "Hasn't he done enough?!" lol This is very Avant Garde for 82

[@Johnnynbk]

That's announcer Bill Wendell a legend.

[@shostakovich99]

Funny to see Marty Short nervous like the rest of us, before he had fully developed the wild, attention-loving persona of Martin Short

[@justicia5783]

"nervous"? He looked anything but ill-at-ease to me. He appeared to be quite comfortable, actually, almost as if he were just short(no pun intended) of entering the realm of seasoned pro.

[@mhmrules]

Man, I'd love to see these full episodes.

[@bpatts1652]

Absolutely my favorite!

[@Frankincensedjb123]

I was just watching the last Letterman show Short was on and mentioned this episode where they ran the credits and then Martin came out. It was his first appearance. Dave was using the ‘ol rock ‘n roll encore concept. Obviously the audience was coached.

[@dongiller]

You can spot then-LN writer Andy Breckman (w/beard) leading them on.

[@depaola63]

Nobody can get Sinatra's tone ! I am now 56 and grew up with a mother who worshiped FS, in fact they say I came out swinging with a Pall Mall in my little hand on 5/18/63 !! Nicky D. East Bay....{ Singer /Entertainer }

[@tangobango9653]

Marty Short is so talented but they can’t find a format for him. He does well in character parts in movies tho.

[@miked4377]

i miss 1982 so bad.....

[@langdonalger9219]

Mike d that’s the year I was born

[@miked4377]

@@langdonalger9219 very cool

[@bedwarsgb4523]

I miss 1983

[@mikezazworsky]

The guy riling up the crowd is actually Bill Wendell (the show's original announcer), right??

[@dongiller]

That's right. And the audience member most enthusiastically clapping is actually then-Late Nigh writer Andy Breckman.

[@w9gb]

Martin Short and Paul Schafer (music director) both in Toronto’s Godspell production (1972/1973)

[@dongiller]

Shaffer; Paul Shaffer.

[@johnheart6890]

What a great guy! So funny!

[@brianmaney1973]

Dang, Martin was pretty good looking back then!!!! Still is, (and I'm not if the gay sin lifestyle), but as a sinful weed-smoker. I gotta say I'm praying for a Glick resurrection 😂😂😂

[@tedkier3264]

holey moley i never knew Cleo the lead guitarist used a 1955 gibson w/ stratocaster frets added in the early 70s! why, the whole national debt could be paid off ..just in taxes if it were ever to come on the market.lol. when this episode first came out i'd only been out of high school 5 months.yesterday, i forgot that i had actually graduated . i found myself in line for 1st period again! i was asked to leave campus, NOW!

[@LivLaRaj]

That first part of this segment was amazing to watch! Question: How often did LNwDL do 90 min. installments on the Friday night late-slot in early years?

[@dongiller]

+LivLaRaj There were fifteen 90-minute Friday shows, six 90-minute Saturday shows (four were anniversary specials; the remaining two were the Tri-State Special and the first Film Festival), and four 90-minute Thursday shows (all anniversary specials).

[@LivLaRaj]

+Don Giller Oh def recall all the anniversary shows, film festivals and tri-state special, but it's those non-themed 90 min early shows that struck curiosity; I recall seeing one back when that had Mariel Hemingway cleaning fish and included Jane Curtin...

[@dongiller]

+LivLaRaj April 29, 1983. That show was one of only three of the Friday 90-minutes that was repeated (here, August 4, 1984).

[@LivLaRaj]

+Don Giller I do remember Martin Short on that episode as well. (Watching that segment now) Thanks again!

[@anitarussum8668]

LivLaRa

[@linengray]

It's wonderful to see that comics rehash the same stories. At least he updated it when he retold it in 2015.

[@TheAgentAssassin]

Yeah this was Martin's 1st appearance on Dave's show and his last show he did in 2015 he told the same story as a tribute. The "dead rabbit" story is another one often re-told by guests.

[@rellgreen6558]

How many of Short's appearances do you have Don? I'm from Marty's hometown, and grew up on his stuff, starting with SCTV

[@dongiller]

I have everything, though not everything's been digitized, yet.

[@finkfunkable]

Short told the same Tony Bennett story on Letterman in 2015.

[@FluffyWagglekins]

He left out the button where Bennett said to him after the song, "You bombed real good, kid!"

[@bernlin2000]

Similar to how Seinfeld told the same set from his first appearance. These guys obviously had a TON of respect for Letterman, and rightly so: the man started many comedian's careers, much like Carson had before him.

[@emersonian75]

Callback.

[@enyjuan]

still both funny

[@mikedan7178]

This was his first appearance in the program, so I think it was a conscious choice to pay tribute to the letterman for all the years he was invited to come to the show.

[@enyjuan]

the real late night...no rules!

[@NxDoyle]

Um...it was a bit.

[@quinbagwell7515]

Gotta wonder how many people tuned out when the credits rolled?

[@MisterGuitarItalia]

Martin Short was Scott Baio?

[@oldiesfreek]

Nah, he was Dustin Hoffman...

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

He looked like a young Wayne Gretzky to me.

[@jeffreykent5271]

Thom yorke

[@soylentgreendip]

Short repeats... word for word... the same Tony Bennett story on his last appearance on Letterman 30 years later.

[@raybalali2057]

This must be one of Dave's "High Concept" show

[@danielamourose6361]

This was kinda genius. Nuttin like ole school Dave.

[@seandan68]

Wow I was in 7th grade....bedtime!!! Its all most over!!!

[@jeffdawson2786]

Martin’s Hepburn is inimitable.

[@nathan43082]

I caught a few David Letterman shows with some friends around 1982. I distinctly remember one where Dave read a letter asking something about how Dave gets his wisdom or something-or-other. They did a bit where Dave phases through some sort of dream-like sequence to consult some guru... it could have been Phil Schiller... I don't remember much about it except that it was achingly funny at the time.

[@dongiller]

Hmm -- nothing's coming up in the database search. I'll dig deeper. You sure it was in '82? Anything trigger in your memory re circumstances with your friends that might help pinpoint a year/season?

[@nathan43082]

I thought it was 1982, but it could have been theoretically anytime up to late-summer of 1983. Again, all I remember is that Dave consulted some wise answer guru or something in response to a user letter and it was super funny. The guru was like a Buddha figure of sorts if memory serves correct, most likely Larry “Bud” Melman.

[@xabiche]

@@nathan43082 I read that as "some wise acre guru"

[@margaretstix1217]

Andy's in the flannel shirt with the beard, right? I used to know him.

[@dongiller]

Yep -- that's Andy.

[@enriquesinghjr]

Real or staged? Was the audience asked to do that at the end of the show?

[@dongiller]

All staged. The main instigator in the audience egging them on was then-Late Night Writer Andy Breckman. You can spot him with the dark beard.

[@pauljamieson9908]

David Letterman whispers in Martin Shorts ear, saying........

[@Scottieguru]

he looks a bit like David Cassidy here.

[@jorhay1]

Carla Devito is sublime.

[@maddymud]

"notify the affiliates"

[@rbstriud]

maddymud

[@TheSmurfboard]

So he does a Pierre Trudeau, but does he do a Justin ?

[@soggyjungle6065]

Is an interview available about this?

[@dongiller]

Not clear what you're asking. An interview about what?

[@prilljazzatlanta5070]

I believe martin shorts final interview on the letterman show addresses this. Its on youtube

[@readmelancholystrumpetmaster]

The real lesson here is that Paul Schaeffer's head doesn't match his body. He's like a very large action figure.

[@dongiller]

Shaffer; Paul Shaffer.

[@drichard3094]

Funny how he still had a Canadian accent back then

[@hannahonda2338]

D Richard "Canadian accent"

[@girliboi]

there are still traces even now with the occasional "aboat" here and there..

[@jv-ep2tc]

I know who London Lee is.

[@markm1138]

Hes funny. you ask him.

[@rambam77]

i was concerned the dog will get a hernia

[@ZerubbabeMinistries2002]

First time I’ve seen MS bomb.

[@camrsr5463]

lotsa mops up there. (Hair)