A Short conversation about Eugene Levy
'Best friend' says comic deserving of top honour
  
Tony Lofaro
Canwest News Service
Monday, April 28, 2008

It was a friendship forged in the early '70s at McMaster University, where Martin Short was studying social work and Eugene Levy was a sociology student.

The Hamilton natives met in high school and hit it off, sharing a comic sensibility, and would later appear together in several plays at university. It was a close friendship and it has endured, even as each went on to great success in show business, as each blazed his own comedic paths through stage work, movies, television.

"I'd say Eugene has been my best friend for an insane amount of time," said Martin Short. He even dated Levy's sister, Barbara, in high school.

Short will be at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa next Saturday night to honour his old and dear friend. Levy is among the 2008 recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, and will also be on hand at the gala that will honour lifetime achievement by Canadian artists. Levy, his people said, was driving from Los Angeles to Toronto last week and not available for an interview, but Short was able to cut out a few minutes to reminisce about old times. Like the time he turned to Levy for life-changing career advice, after graduating in 1972 with a bachelor of arts in social work.

"Eugene was the one who really talked me into trying (acting) for a year."

Levy encouraged him to audition for Godspell, the musical then playing in Toronto. Both got parts in the show -- along with few other fledgling, future stars including Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin and Paul Shaffer, who was musical director. Short and Levy shared a house in Toronto during the run of Godspell. A few years later they joined the cast of the now-classic TV series SCTV, and between them created some of the most memorable and humorous characters on television, including Bobby Bittman and Earl Camembert (Levy), and Ed Grimley and Brock Linehan (Short).

"Eugene has spent most of his life in comedy, but he's a great actor," said Short, adding that Levy is a talented -- and selfless -- writer.

"The cast of SCTV would usually write a skit with one of the show's writers, and occasionally they would write a piece on their own," Short said. "Eugene was the only cast member who would write an entire piece and put himself in a small role."

Each has become a major comedy personality, Short most recently with his hapless celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick, and Levy with a movie career that really took off with the first American Pie movie in 1999.

Through it all, they've stayed as close as they were all those years ago in Hamilton.

"We talk every three days," said Short, adding that Levy only recently moved to California. After the Governor General's gala, Levy and Short will reunite with other SCTV cast members in Toronto for the first time in 24 years.

Two shows, May 5 and 6, will aid of The Alumni Fund, which raises money for veteran artistic and support personnel from SCTV and The Second City comedy troupe who are facing hard times.


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