Ed Grimley
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2019) |
| Ed Grimley | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Indecent Exposure - SCTV Movie of the Week: The Nutty Lab Assistant" SCTV November 12, 1982 |
| Created by | Martin Short |
| Portrayed by | Martin Short |
Edward Mayhoff 'Ed' Grimleyis a fictional character created and portrayed byMartin Short.[1]The original concept came from the stories told by Bob Ingram about his childhood imaginary friend. Developed amongstThe Second Cityimprov comedy troupe, Grimley made his television debut on the sketch comedy showSCTVin 1982, leading to popular success for both Short and the persona. Short continued to portray Grimley onSaturday Night Liveand in various other appearances. The character also starred inHanna-Barbera's 1988 animated seriesThe Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley,and appeared in Short's comedy specialsI, Martin Short, Goes HollywoodandI, Martin Short, Goes Home.
Concept and creation
[edit]Martin Short originated the character on Toronto'sSecond Citystage as an unnamed school parent in a sketch. Originally, his hair was simply very greasy and unkempt, butPeter Aykroyd,another cast member, joked offstage that the height of the hair seemed to increase with each performance. In an interview, Short said that he was inspired by a scene from the John Wayne movieMcLintockand started greasing it straight up. Short noticed an incidental baring of his teeth raised laughs; that too became a character trait. Over numerous appearances, the character of Ed Grimley began to take shape.
Ed Grimley is an excessivelycowlicked,voluble, hyperactive manchild who is obsessed with banalpopular culture,particularlyWheel of Fortuneand its host,Pat Sajak.He also loves to play thetriangle,which for him consists of playing a recorded musical piece, striking the triangle once, and then wildly dancing to the recording. His catchphrases include "I must say", "let's face it", "totally decent", "makes me completely mental," and "give me a break".
Appearances
[edit]Short was added to the cast of Second City's television offshootSCTVin 1982, debuting the Ed Grimley character in the skit "SCTV Movie of the Week: The Nutty Lab Assistant". Grimley became anSCTVfixture, appearing in the various shows, commercials, promos, and "behind-the-scenes" dramas that made up the fictional channel's programming. After the show's end in 1984, Short moved to the more prominentSaturday Night Live,bringing his breakout character with him.
With Grimley, his best-known original character, Martin Short's popularity onSNLproved to be the springboard to a long career in film and TV. He appeared as Ed Grimley in his 1985 Showtime specialMartin Short: Concert For the North Americas,atComic Relief 1986,and in 1989'sI, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood.Grimley became a cartoon character inHanna-Barbera's 1988 animated seriesThe Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley,featuring Second City colleaguesJoe Flaherty(also reprising hisSCTVcharacter,Count Floyd),Catherine O'HaraandAndrea Martinas series regulars.
Short briefly revived the Ed Grimley role in his 1995 seriesThe Show Formerly Known As the Martin Short Show,for a spoof of the comedy filmDave,and appeared again in a 1996 episode ofMuppets Tonight,in which Grimley marriesMiss Piggyto obtain an $85 inheritance from his deceased great-uncle. The character seemingly died later that year onSaturday Night Live,in the skit "Ed Grimley in Heaven", though Grimley is brought back to life by his guardian angel (played by guest starChevy Chase) after showing a video of Ed Grimley's life and commenting that he needs to do more with it before he can come back to Heaven. Grimley would however make a number of appearances in 1999'sThe Martin Short (Talk) Show.
Ed Grimley made a brief onstage appearance, triangle in hand, in the 2006BroadwayshowMartin Short: Fame Becomes Me.He appeared again in 2009'sLet Freedom Hum: An Evening of Comedy Hosted By Martin Short.Short reprised his role as Ed Grimley in aSaturday Night Liveparody music video ofDrake'sHotline Blingin November 2015 on the season 41 episode hosted by then-Presidential candidateDonald Trump.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Alter, Ethan (November 30, 2018)."Role Recall: Martin Short on making his 'Saturday Night Live' breakthrough and stealing scenes in 'Father of the Bride'".Yahoo! Entertainment.Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2019.Retrieved30 July2019.