Martin Short and Steve Martin have created some of TV and film's most enduringly funny characters, and the pair have recently reunited for a hilarious mystery series on Hulu, "Only Murders in the Building."
But one of their most memorable collaborations was on 1991's "Father of the Bride," in which Martin played the anxious title dad and Short the wacky German wedding planner Franck Eggelhoffer. And as Short recently told TODAY's Willie Geist during a sit down with his frequent co-star, looking back, he'd make a slight tweak to the role.
"I kept thinking as long as I didn't wink into the camera and say, 'Aren't I funny?' we'd be fine," recalled Short, 71, of his time making the film. "I went to a wedding after we stopped shooting ... and it was a big, fancy wedding with a wedding planner. And he had his initials embroidered on his shoes."
"I thought, 'We missed that," he added before breaking into laughter.
Fun and games happen all the time between Short and Martin, 76, who in non-pandemic times have gone on the road together in a two-man show, which is back this fall. But some of their best interactions have been captured on film, to their fans' great delight.
One of those is 1986's "Three Amigos!" where they starred opposite former-"Saturday Night Live" player Chevy Chase. According to Martin, the chemistry on set was obvious right away.
"We got along instantly," he said.
"Instantly — all three of us did," added Short. "We immediately bonded through laughter and Scrabble, and before you knew it, we felt at ease."
Some of that ease came from an ability to tease one another; Short recalled to Willie stopping by Martin's house to get a script for "Amigos." He caught a glimpse of the comedian's art collection, which included a Picasso, and had to comment.
"I said, 'How did you get this rich? Because I've seen your work,'" Short quipped.
Martin took that in stride, but got his own back later on. "Toward the end of the meeting, I said, 'It was great meeting you. I expected more charisma.' You know, it was just comedy. We love hanging out with comedians," Martin told Willie.
These days the pair are hanging out with Selena Gomez, 29, who's known more for her music than her comedy. And having her as the latest amiga on their team has been refreshing.
"I thought it was kind of a brilliant idea (to bring her in)," said Short. "It seemed all generations brought in."
"It's surprising," added Martin. "People say, 'Is there a generation gap?' And I said, 'Well, of course.' It's got what you want. I don't want to be up and talk the lingo of a 29-year-old."
"Just using the word 'lingo' kind of covers that idea," laughed Short.
"Only Murders In the Building" is now available on Hulu, with new episodes every Tuesday.