Late Night Last Century: Michael Keaton Shines in Letterman’s First “Late Night Holiday Film Festival”

The actor Michael Keaton—who, while conducting press for his latest film, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, announced he will soon add his actual birth name to his acting credit, thus becoming Michael Keaton Douglas—is a funny man. 

As David Letterman was making a name for himself as the host of NBC’s Late Night in the 1980s, Keaton, who had starred in comedy films like Night Shift (1982), Mr. Mom (1983), and Johnny Dangerously (1984), was a natural fit for the show: young, quick-witted, edgy, and carrying the same captivating presence he maintains today.

During the week of Thanksgiving in 1985, NBC and Letterman decided to try something different. As the cast of Saturday Night Live enjoyed their holiday, the network aired the first “Late Night Holiday Film Festival” on Saturday, November 30. A who’s who of comedy performers were given a chance to write, direct, produce, and/or star in their own short films: Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Bette Midler, Paul Schaffer, Harry Shearer (who recruited Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Marcia Strassman), and Keaton. 

For his project, entitled, “But I’m Happy,” Keaton decided to write, direct, produce, and star. It’s a fitting choice, considering that the short film begins with Keaton playing a fictionalized version of himself, a star so self-obsessed and wowed by his own fame that he does not realize that he is, in fact, broke. Thus, he must return to reality. He gets a job dumping fish heads. “Nobody’s buying popcorn now,” his new boss tells him. Trying to get back into show business, he takes a failed job as a TV pitchman for a carpet company. He waves to his friend Ron Howard from outside a fancy restaurant. Nothing works. 

Eventually, a camera crew tracks him down at a monastery, where he has become a monk. But it doesn’t take long for Keaton to break his vow of silence and ask if they can bring his resume back to Hollywood. When the crew asks why he is abandoning his work as monk, he gets aggressive and kicks them off the property. In their post-film conversation, Letterman loved the film’s last line: “Get the hell off the holy compound.” 

But my favorite line from the appearance comes not from the film, but when Keaton first walks out onto the Late Night stage. He is chewing gum. Not very polite for a talk show guest. Letterman asks if he is, in fact, chewing gum. Without missing a beat, Keaton replies, “Yeah, but I don’t have enough for everybody.”

Will DiGravio is a Brooklyn-based critic and researcher, who first contributed to Paste in 2022. He is an assistant editor at Cineaste, a GALECA member, and since 2019 has hosted The Video Essay Podcast. You can follow and/or unfollow him on Twitter and learn more about him via his website.