Martin Short on Letterman, February 14, 1984

Marty's third appearance.

[@ronniechilds2002]

This is just a taste of what a great Letterman guest he became, consistently hilarious, one of the greatest. I remember once he came out with his overblown greetings to Dave: ''David, you look great, so...boyish. For a minute I thought you were K.D. Laing." That killed me. He was a riot on all of his talk show appearances.

[@dongiller]

All of his Letterman appearances are included in my multi-part “SCTV on Dave” compilation.

[@petercipriani3307]

From the opening montage of Martin's characters: Martin as David Steinberg as Captain Hook! Incredible.

[@cisium1184]

I thought it was actually David Steinberg.

[@paulya1269]

Martin is arguably the best comedic talent ever from the great white north. 🇨🇦

[@sherrie1745]

Best comedic talent from anywhere.

[@johnpendarvis7885]

Norm MacDonald by a long mile.

[@ronggearrob9622]

SCTV what a show, just filled with comedic talent.

[@cherylc.doubleday4207]

I absolutely love martin short 💕

[@whyilee]

his robin williams was brilliant

[@troyevitt2437]

The one-man show, "Mork, We Never Knew Ye!"

[@PerspectiveEngineer]

Better than the original, The only thing I hold against Robin Williams is he didn't take Adam Sandler out with him.

[@jedinxf7]

that's the best Robin Williams I've ever seen

[@billmyers6743]

What a gem he is!

[@mikemcf33]

saw his one-man show on broadway. incredible

[@neilschlemeel5751]

My 19th birthday....lordy how time flies

[@readmelancholystrumpetmaster]

One of the happiest memories from my childhood is when Dave spent a segment of his show drilling a hole in the top of that wooden desk.

[@bensongbenson]

Loved him from the moment I first saw him as Billy McKay.

[@MagicFunnyGuy]

thanks Don.

[@andibenson6834]

6;30 Holy Shnikies! This guy may have been the very first KZbinr ! Making whole comedy shows from his bedroom in his parent's house!

[@ericgoldfarb4870]

Best talk show guest ever

[@timstover8824]

Great memories. Here in New England back in the day, my friends and I used to debate: SNL, SCTV, or Monty Python. I always preferred SCTV...

[@neilschlemeel5751]

I never compared the comedy shows - every one of them stands on their own...MadTV, The Carol Burnett Show...they're all fantastic

[@firenze5555]

I honestly loved them all.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

Martin Short is a brilliant comedian.

[@PerspectiveEngineer]

Freaking genius SCTV fan 79 that's my handle on the upcoming Internets. Love you babe.

[@JaneDoe-em7zi]

Yyyyeeessss Lawrence!!! Love his synchronized swimming episode. 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😍

[@realjettlag]

Get out! I LOVE that sketch! No one remembers it. It's online somewhere. I dig it up to watch every couple of years when the Olympics come around. Chris Guest is so good in it, shades of Corky St Clair.

[@JaneDoe-em7zi]

@@realjettlag lmao I know right! Lol, it's the best! 🤣🤣🤣 "Corky we love you we want you to live!!"

[@realjettlag]

@@JaneDoe-em7zi I'm not a dancer (is THREE left feet a thing?) so anytime anyone tries to make me dance, I go to the Corky well, starting with "dig a hole, dig a hole". They quit hassling me pretty quick.

[@JaneDoe-em7zi]

@@realjettlag 🤣🤣🤣

[@TrevorCopter]

Funny how “Jerry” goes from Lewis to Seinfeld over the course of Martin Short’s Letterman appearances

[@troyevitt2437]

On Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Lewis called Seinfeld, "The Other Jew Jerry Bastid in the Biz. You're makin' it tough to make a living in this town, kid!"

[@robf435]

40yrs ago geez

[@troyevitt2437]

I loved his Ed Grimly dance. I was at a Jewish wedding and the tempo of the Russian Folk music had that same madcap feel as when he would put one forearm against his forehead and let the other wrist go limp...Mind you this wasn't an Orthodox wedding full of Chasidem, just your average American Jewish family, but the same wedding traditions like carrying the bride and groom on chairs thinking they were going to fall out any second. Trust falls are NOTHING compared to the Nuptial Chair Dance of the Jewish people...I was on the edge of my seat....and so were THEY, Wacka Wacka Wacka!

[@MsStealYourDadAndMom]

Those are so cool. I was channel surfing once when I saw one and thought they just made up a cool little wedding party dance lol. I don't think I could ever do that, I'd be too petrified they'd drop me or that I'd somehow fall off 🥴

[@troyevitt2437]

@@MsStealYourDadAndMom The American Melting Pot. Where else can you dance the hora and have a piñata? and just think of all the bigots you'll infuriate.

[@tomitstube]

man that audience got quiet. idt americans were all that familiar with martin, and it floored me to find out martin was on snl's 10th season, and that eddie murphy had already left.

[@casario2808]

He joined SNL a few months after this.

[@ms.capricorn4540]

😁 Excellent.

[@aperson2730]

Very creative

[@comedypete7148]

Marty looks like Scott Baio. 😂

[@troyevitt2437]

Minus the Right Wing judgemental ass Bao devolved into. "Member the punk's remarks after Erin Moran died? 'Member? He jumped to some conclusion about drugs which was latter proven incorrect; her death was due toomplications of Stage 4 cancer, as was previously suspected by the authorities working on her case. An autopsy report which included toxicology results indicated that no illegal drugs were involved in her death. But, sure, Chachi, drugs are bad, Mmm'kay?

[@Jantonov1]

He did Scott Baio on SCTV.

[@jillconner5062]

It's that haircut.

[@martasatgo]

He was handsome when young. 😁

[@marks.3303]

Interesting to see he's not quite there with his talk show persona. He's not too famous yet at this point and doesn't play to the audience as much as he does later in the 90s and 2000s on Letterman and Conan.

[@c2itccase9]

I made my first hole-in-one February 14, 1984.

[@jeffmadden589]

Shortly before the whole country knew who Ed Grimley was.

[@casario2808]

You mean USA I take it. He had been doing Ed on SCTV for a couple years by then and semi-famous already in Canada. It was nice watching Ed Grimley hit the big time lol

[@jeffmadden589]

@casario2808 That is what I meant. Though SCTV had been playing in the US even before Marty joined the show. I was already a big fan in the US. But, yes he hit the big time with SNL. That one season made him a household name.

[@mulemule]

"Do you think that Martin's versatility kept him out of the really _big-big_ money?" 😇

[@BlueEyed888]

Short is great, I wish Dave wouldn’t constantly interrupt but I guess that’s Dave.

[@mulemule]

It'd be okay if his interruptions actually _enhanced_ things but instead they just derail the pacing in pursuit of trying to seem clever for throwing the guests' timing off.

[@michaelthomas9541]

Why does 1984 Martin Short look like Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman had a baby?

[@sclogse1]

Poise and edipoise.

[@tomgrosemusic]

That would be impossible. Martin Short was born before Tom Cruise.

[@troyevitt2437]

"Kramer vs Scientology" just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

[@AGoodEgg_]

@@tomgrosemusic🙄 - yes. It would.

[@Bringos76]

or Dorothy Hamill

[@keef7224]

Sounds like he had the exact same kind of childhood as Andy Kaufman.

[@speez71]

The first time I did Robin, wait, this isn't the Spacey channel

[@kBitre]

If only I wasn't 11 in 1984, I can hardly recognize Martin Short here. I do remember SeTv but for whatever reason It didn't catch my attention

[@sanjingelic7779]

9 months before my birth, daamn 😅

[@marshroanoke]

So young only 34

[@alguien1234]

Is it me? Or Martin Short's voice changed a lot? He doesn't here like he does in Only Murders in the Building. But Steve sounds exatly the same now than then.

[@BossaNossa1]

So, I was wondering did Dorothy Hamill inspire Martin's do..?

[@phaedrabacker2004]

BossaNossa1 no, he inspired hers

[@troyevitt2437]

He calls it "Short 'n Sassy". Just Wash 'n Go!...also, he never called it "Short 'n Sassy".

[@SunnyIlha]

I always wondered why Martin looks like Dustin's 1st cousin.

[@Jantonov1]

Dave clearly really liked Jack Rogers Jr. He wouldn't get off the subject. lol

[@soggyjungle6065]

Why do I think Paul was sabotaging martin, Canadian insecurity?

[@dongiller]

No one but you knows why you think that. You might know that they’re lifelong friends, having met in 1972 while both were involved with the Toronto production of “Godspell.”

[@bergkamp48]

a long way from Wentworth House...

[@pagen5219]

lol

[@hklinker]

Hmmm….not quite connecting with the audience. Not sure the audience knew what to make of him.

[@user-db6pt7vr3l]

goof.