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Celebrating a 30 Rock 'Christmas' and Hemingway Memories with Elaine Stritch
by Troy Rogers
 We already knew veteran actress Elaine Stritch was hilarious as Alec Baldwin's mother, Colleen, on 30 Rock, but we had no idea she'd be one of the funniest people we've interviewed, ever. I mean, Elaine Stritch is a natural comedian. After breaking into showbiz back in 1948, Stritch went on to work with some of the biggest names in the history of film and television, including a role next to the legendary Rock Hudson in the classic Ernest Hemingway big screen adaptation, A Farewell to Arms.
In recent years, Elaine Stitch has had a small recurring role as Colleen Donaghy, Jack Donaghy's larger than life, domineering mother on NBC's 30 Rock, which earned her an Emmy and another nomination. With the holidays just around the corner, Elaine Stitch returns to 30 Rock on December 11 at 9:30pm in the episode "Christmas Special" in which Alec Baldwin's Jack character tries to escape spending Christmas with his mother only to have his plans fall to pieces.
We recently caught up with the hilarious Elaine Stritch on a conference call for the 30 Rock "Christmas Special" to find out if she loves to be a thorn in Alec Baldwin's side, if she'll be singing again, and what it was like to lock lips with Rock Hudson and party with Ernest Hemingway in Cuba.
THE DEADBOLT: How much fun is it to be a thorn in Jack’s side, especially around Christmas?
ELAINE STRITCH: Oh, the sharper the thorn, the deeper it goes, the more I like it. Absolutely. And then it’s a better scene, you know. Conflict is great acting material. You show me two people that are getting along and having a cup of tea, I don’t want to watch that on television. But show me somebody that - well, they better have something to say if they’re going to like each other - but show me a conflict and I’ll tune in, you know, especially if it’s funny. And Tina Fey makes it funny. You know, fighting is boring unless Tina gets her pen - a hold of it and it takes on a less serious [tone]. You know, nobody knows what comedy is anyway. But I can have a rip-roaring fight with Alec Baldwin and the audience are in hysterics, so explain that.
But what a healthy thing to see that the fighting is so ridiculous that it’s funny. So the message could be try getting along, maybe. I think if I got along with Alec Baldwin there’d still be something funny about it. Funny, "ha-ha" and funny "peculiar".
THE DEADBOLT: Will you be appearing in more episodes aside from Christmas episodes?
STRITCH: You tell me.
THE DEADBOLT: You have no idea?
 STRITCH: No, but they have to get my availability. I’m glad you asked that, because one thing I really want to do - it’s a terrific job for me because I get to shoot in New York. I don’t have to go to La-La Land. So I can stay here at home and I don’t have to travel, and that’s attractive. But what I want them to do, and what I want Tina to do, is to write an episode that includes Nathan Lane and myself, because Nathan is my other son, which makes me laugh. I mean, all Nathan and I do is laugh offstage about the fact he’s playing my son but we’ve never had an opportunity to get to it. So I want a good script written about Alec and Nathan, and Tina and myself.
THE DEADBOLT: Do you get to sing at all in this episode?
STRITCH: I did a little on the Christmas show. I sang "Chestnuts Roasting by an Open Fire". But it’s a fantasy of Alec's, of my son’s. He just sees me doing that, I don’t really do it. But, in essence, the truth is I really do it. And I had a - not an acting problem but a very interesting challenge, a little tiny challenge as an actress. I did not sing like I sing, I sang like Alec Baldwin’s mother trying to sing. So I rather like that about myself. "Good for you, Elaine," I said when I got off.
THE DEADBOLT: I was always curious about A Farewell to Arms and what it was like to work with Rock Hudson.
STRITCH: Oh, great. Not a care in the world did I have. And not a brain in my head did I have either, because I thought it was perfectly acceptable to fall in love with Rock Hudson. And as far as I’m concerned, it was. What did I know?
THE DEADBOLT: He was a huge star at the time, too.
STRITCH: He was a huge star and one of the best looking guys that ever lived, and a great kisser. I don’t know anything beyond that but he certainly knew how to kiss you goodnight. So, as far as I knew, he was perfectly all right. And gay meant a fun evening to me, that’s all. I didn’t know what gay meant except that it was a fun evening. And so, who knew? Who cared and who knew? Or who knew and who cared?
THE DEADBOLT: When you were working on the film, did you ever get to meet Ernest Hemingway?
 STRITCH: I met Ernest Hemingway a long, long time ago in the Floridita Restaurant in Cuba and I went to his house and we got stoned out of our minds. Just with alcohol, not the hard stuff. The hardest thing I ever - the hardest drug I ever took was, you know, Dewars Red Label. But we went to his house and we had the best time. I wish I could remember more of it but I did meet Ernest Hemingway. That’s one of the joys of being sober. If you have a good fortune in your life and you get to meet people like Ernest Hemingway, you’re there for it. You understand what I mean?
THE DEADBOLT: Yeah, exactly.
STRITCH: That’s the best thing about sobriety. For the last 23 years I know everything that I’ve done. Repeat, everything!
THE DEADBOLT: Well, that’s a good thing.
STRITCH: It is a good thing. It’s a good thing most of the time. Some of the things I don’t even want to remember sober.
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