Martin Short: My first guest is the star of the enormously successful
CBS drama, JAG. Please welcome a fellow Canadian, David James Elliott!
David James Elliott: I'm glad I wore the black suit [looking at Martin] ....Let me undo this. It's the way to go. [unbuttons his jacket to loud oohs and aahs and whistles from the audience].
MS: Oh they love you, don't they?
DJE: God bless them. ... Thank you. ... They like Canadians.
MS: It's very hard. We Canadians are shyer people. Do you find the love and the affection and caring and the feeling and the good that they heap on you that ... if this was a Canadian ....
DJE: If this was a Canadian audience, it would probably be much like this [leans back and politely applauds]
MS: Really good, eh? [joins DJE in show of polite applause]
DJE: Yeah.
MS: Good for you.
DJE: They would feel the same ...
MS: Don't put Canada down...
DJE: No, I wasn't! ... [looking around] .... It's a very small room back there [meaning backstage]
MS: I know, for a giant like you. It is odd, as a Canadian, you do have ... there's a different sensibility there. We're a more insecure country, wouldn't you say?
DJE: You know, growing up next to a giant like America, I think it's probably had a little something to do with it. I don't know if it's insecure ...
MS: Oh I think it is. I'm certainly frightened and it can't just be from my height. There's got to be more to it than that. When I was a kid I used to get excited. I used to run down and say, 'Mom, Walter Cronkite mentioned Canada on the news. We're worthy, huh?' I don't think that's normal. And when you look at the Olympics and they'd say, 'Oh, there's a skier from Ot-TA-wa.' .... No, it's OT-ta-wa!
DJE: Oh yeah, yeah! ... I never realized that we were reserved until I came here and I heard people like sort of mentioned that.
MS: But when you go and people attack you and fawn over you, as you told me earlier that they do ... I don't believe you, by the way ... But let's say it's true .... Uh, do you find that you, because Canadians kind of take success pretty well. With the exception of Alan Thicke in the '80s, I've never seen a Canadian ... well, I kid, I kid Alan, but I've never seen Canadians ... well, they don't seem to end up in Betty Ford. They seem to be really in control of their success, don't you think?
DJE: I guess. I mean, look at you!
MS: Don't go by me! Go by Michael Fox and the others.
DJE: Michael Fox. Yeah! You know what? ... We'll see how it goes.
MS: You've done fine so far.
DJE: Thanks, Martin! And I wanted to tell you, you look exactly like you do on film. Which is kind of weird because people tell me that I don't. ... [laughter] .. I hope there's a segue out of that ...
MS: No, but I'd hoped you'd say, 'Gee, you look so much better!' But exactly! Well, I've played some pretty attractive characters, so ...thanks, DAVE!
Martin Short show staffer: Um, what was the story you tell about the woman who stopped you in the park?
MS: Oh yeah! It was the other night. A woman stopped me in the park. 'I don't mean to offend you in any way, but has anyone ever told you you look like Martin Short?' ... Thanks, madam. Thanks a great deal!
DJE: That's great! [laughing]
MS: Tell me about ... I find JAG ... the reaction to your series very interesting. Because ... it's a pro-military show, right?
DJE: I guess. Yeah.
MS: Yeah. And one would assume, ... when I was in university in the early '70s, that would be a very negative thing. And now that isn't a very negative thing in America.
DJE: You know, that's always puzzled me because, what is negative about ... without the military, God knows what would be happening here at this moment. [loud cheers and applause from audience].
MS: I agree.
DJE: That's always puzzled me. I'm not far to the right, I figure I'm sort of a liberal guy.
MS: I actually am a democrat or a liberal or whatever you call it.
DJE: Right.
MS: But I would say I agree. Without the military ... we'd be called 'comrades'.
DJE: Yes.
MS: I mean, Ralph Nader says we should invade China. Everyone has switched from the sensibility of being anti-military to 'we need the military'. We need the military to keep peace and keep humanity going throughout the world. So I think that JAG is probably ... I think that the reason why it is so successful is because it's crossing over so many ....
DJE: It took a while. I mean, we're in our fifth season and last night, no, it wasn't last night, a couple of nights ago, when the show aired, it was the highest number we'd ever had. I mean, it was like through the roof. [loud cheers and applause]
MS: Money ... money ... [holding out his hand and rubbing his thumb and index finger together] ... you get paid in American money, right?
DJE: Do you? [chuckling]
MS: I always hear that series work is ... remember from Charlie's Angels on and you always hear Farrah Fawcett saying, 'I'm telling you, I'm working 23 hours a day.' And you always feel badly for Farrah. You did! You always hear that these kind of series are the hardest, longest, grindiest series.
DJE: Hardest working people in show business.
MS: Yeah they are! Do you ever see your family? Do you ever see your wife?
DJE: My wife is here today.
MS: Well. I saw your wife.
DJE: You know, I don't see her as often as I'd like. I'm going to tell you, one time, a couple of years ago, my daughter ... we went away and she kept saying, telling my wife how much she loved her. 'I love you, Mommy, I love you.' And then my wife said, 'Why don't you tell Daddy you love him?' She said, 'I really don't know him very well.'
MS: Ooooh.
DJE: Oh my God. So I took that summer off. Normally I try to do a movie ...
MS: Sure .... and your wife's in the show now.
DJE: Yes. She is.
MS: So that's better. That'd be very nice.
DJE: Yeah. She has a recurring role and my daughter got a little upset about that.
MS: What did she say?
DJE: I remember calling Nanci and telling her. She was really excited and I told Stephanie and she was like, 'Really. FINE!' Slammed the phone down, ran to her room, and slammed the door. Because I guess I'm not around as much as she would like and now she figures Mommy's not going to be around either.
MS: It would give her more time to write the hatred book that she'll be writing about you. [pretending to type] 'Damn you, Daddy sir!'
DJE: Yes. [laughing]
MS: 'And Daddy felt he was a great big hero by not taking a movie in the summer. Who cares?' ... Something like that.
DJE: [laughing along with audience]
MS: All right. David, the show's called JAG. It's on Thursdays [Tuesdays] on CBS. It's a huge hit. Congratulations!
DJE: Thank you.
MS: Thanks for being here.
DJE: Thanks for having me, Martin.