>> it doesn't heal. it just -- god gives you respites. you know, just little breathers. and you know, he's my baby. >> and donny, he gives some great advice to justin bieber on life after being a teen idol superstar. >> if i was justin bieber, what would you say? >> put the seat belt on, buddy, because it's going to be a bumpy ride. >> the pair of them also explain how they look so damn good after more than 40 years in the business. >> you've admitted to having one dose of botox. >> oh, yeah. i tried it. >> and he this is a primetime exclusive on "piers morgan tonight." >> marie. >> hey. >> it's donny and marie. >> i know. i thought i'd do that -- >> by the way, i want to say welcome to the flamingo, home of donny and marie. >> i love that. >> you know when you call the flamingo that's what they say? welcome to the flamingo, home to donny and marie. it's so cool. >> even you guys, having been in show business all your lives, to have your own classic old style theater in vegas -- >> yeah. >> -- your name in lights on the strip. i walked down in morning and there you are, these huge billboards. it must still give even you guys a buzz. >> it's an ego builder. let me tell you, piers. if you're ever feeling bad about yourself, you can just drive by the flamingo and it's like the biggest billboard in the city. >> did you ever imagine in the '70s when you started that show together, did you ever imagine that here you'd be 40 years later nearly, doing this in vegas? >> no. i mean, you think about a career -- and especially being a woman in the entertainment business, you know, you're lucky to get seven, eight years. and you know, we're going on what -- how many -- >> 48 years. >> 48 years now. >> incredible. >> it is incredible. >> and it's consistently, too. even in the show i say how grateful can i be and i know we're both so grateful. we always knew we'd do something together again. but -- >> if i spent 14 hours with my sister, bottles would start being thrown in my direction. >> believe me, bottles are thrown backstage. >> i've heard that about you. >> it wouldn't be by me. it would be at me. >> come on, let's call it's way it is. we do rub each other wrong every once in a while. but see, that's what works for donny and marie on stage. everybody can relate to it who has a sibling. but there's something about this relationship that works on stage. >> it is almost unique, i would say, in show business, your relationship. a brother and sister who have been doing what you're doing for so long who still like each other. >> well, let's don't push it. >> you know, there is a -- a different relationship as we have matured. you know, definitely it's not 14 and 16 years old anymore. but you know, there's a mutual respect and it's nice to be out there with somebody who they can tell if something's not working and they're there to cover each other or whatever it is. >> it just happened the other night. marie was feeling under the weather and i filled in for her. and just a couple weeks prior to that just the reverse thing happened. i was really feeling bad. she filled in and did some more in the show. pulled it off. >> the bottom line, if it's your sister, you can completely trust each other? >> yes. i can -- >> in a way -- >> i can emphatically say yes -- >> in a way that whoever else you'd work with would never be 100%. >> that's the thing about us, is that people say what keeps you going? i mean, why are you still in the business after these many years? our father taught us such a work ethic, that if there's something worth doing it's worth doing well. when we hit the stage -- i'll tell you something, piers, when we started this thing, we got so much ridicule and comments about oh, you're spending too much money, too many lights. the set, the orchestra, the dancers, the multimedia. you know, you're only going to be here six weeks. so marie and i stuck to our guns. we said this is going to be a great show. we're going to put everything into it. >> and you have to remember, we did our own things for many years. this is like the first time we've worked together -- >> for a long, long time. >> -- in a long, long time. >> so it's almost like -- i'll use the analogy of getting a value meal. you know, somebody -- they get more than what they paid for. you come to the donny and marie show. i mean, we hear it every night. >> do you think you're kind of -- not last of because there are still some others around. of that old school ethic of doing these kind of shows. when you see the young performers today, it seems to me they don't have that same ethic. >> you know, i'll tell you what i feel, is i feel very blessed that i got to grow up working with, you know, sammy davis jr. and dean martin-w elvis presley. we worked with -- >> with sinatra. in this theater. >> absolutely. yeah. >> and to learn, to watch, to be literally -- not just watch them but to work with them. and -- >> what did you learn from the greats? what made them great? what's the thing that takes you to that level? >> i don't know if i speak on behalf of marie, but when we put this show together, you can throw as much money as you want at a show. people don't walk out humming the lights and they say oh, those are the greatest costumes in the world. >> but it's important to have those things. >> you've got to walk out with people saying i know a little bit more about donny and marie. here's the mark that a lot of people miss now adairks producers miss, is they leave out the heart and soul. and that's what i learned from sammy davis jr., from frank sinatra-s when you went to go see those shows you got to know them. so when people come to see the show -- what are you laughing at? >> we -- >> that's true. i like that. >> we did qvc the other day. >> oh, don't go into that. >> but not even that. >> i heard about that. >> but not even that. he did leave his fly down. but before that -- >> you went in to sell records. >> exactly. i'll do anything to sell a record. >> but just to continue what you were saying. >> what? >> learning from old school. we walk out, and immediately he goes and grabs something that somebody's selling and he starts modeling it. well, the producer cuts to a shot, a still shot of the product. and i thought, boy, that is so not what i did in television. to catch those live moments and see him modeling a dress, that's television. >> who would you most have liked to have seen? >> but today it's oh, it's not on the script. >> thank you for telling the world that i was modeling a dress. >> it wasn't on the script. so they panic. >> i know what you mean. who of all the greats that played in vegas would you most have like to have seen in a theater like this? >> we did. >> you saw them all? >> we worked with them. >> i'll give you a great example. i remember going to the hilton. >> that's amazing to me. >> yeah. >> so you performed -- >> you name a name and we'll tell you if we worked with them. >> did you perform with sinatra? >> yes. >> and sammy davis? >> yes. >> dean martin? >> yes. elvis. >> yes. >> elvis in vegas? >> i'll tell you about elvis. >> john wayne. i mean, you name it. it's crazy. it really is nuts. ethel merman. >> i went to go see elvis presley, his last show -- or his closing night show i should say at the hilton. and we were opening up the next night. and i remember watching the king on stage. he could do no wrong. i mean, the audience was in the palm of his hand. the next night i'm in his dressing room with my brothers getting ready and the door opens up. "hi, everybody, i'm elvis presley." and he talked like this, too. >> that's good. >> "i want to say hi and good luck." >> that's my brother. >> i thought, how cool is that? the king of rock and roll just walks through the door and he's a real person. it taught me a lot about leaving the star on stage. when you go off stage, you're just another person. and it really put the whole show business thing into perspective for me. >> it was their job. >> what else made those guys the best? >> they worked. >> i think they didn't look at it as being a celebrity. they looked at it as being an entertainer. it was their job. and it was every day how do i be better, how do i get -- i mean, they loved that audience. we love our audiences. we want them to leave feeling that, you know what, it's an expensive ticket, it's not as expensive as some of them here, but when they leave they got their money's worth, they had an experience, they had something that brought them back to some kind of memory. whether it was way back, the donny and marie original shows or a current something they saw like "dancing with the stars" or whatever, they walkway feeling that they got to know us better. >> here's another thing, piers. sometimes i feel like entertainers, young entertainers that jump into the business, get a lot of fame and fortune -- >> wait a minute, we're wunyoun. >> whatever. >> you actually look ridiculously young. i don't know how you've done this. >> so many people feel entitled. i'm on stage, you need to like me. well, yeah, there's that attitude, that confidence on stage, but they forget about getting out there and working and doing all those little gigs, 366 days a year, and going through the work. going through the motions. >> so being a proper star really from what you're saying is looking out to an audience and making them feel as important as they're making you feel. >> absolutely. and you know -- >> because i don't see that in so many of the new acts. i don't see that. >> what's really crucial -- i mean, i remember milton berle, the first time i worked with him, and he came on and he took a script and he just started slashing -- no, this won't work. and this -- he worked to make that silly little three-minute sketch brilliant. and it wasn't just oh, that's okay, well, the writers -- he worked with the writers. he worked -- it was a constant effort by the people we got to work with to make everything the best it could be. even if it was a stupid sketch, which usually it was on our show. >> do you remember what groucho marx did to you? >> yeah. >> okay. this guy -- dirty old man. >> who, groucho marx? >> pinched my butt. >> pinching marie's butt the whole time. >> wasn't it groucho who said you're only as old as the woman you feel? >> oh, i love that! >> that's groucho. and i would have been 14 1/2. no, 15. which would have been illegal. nowadays. >> good old groucho. they don't make them like him anymore, do they? what was john wayne like? >> john wayne was a very stoic man. >> tall. >> and just -- >> so sweet. >> he'd talk like this really -- >> he was john wayne. >> i'm doing a lot of impressions. >> you're good. >> "well, thank you, kid." >> don't encourage him. >> you should come onmarksmarks. >> maybe i could get a gig. >> we're going to take a break. when we come back, we'll get to the nitty-gritty. you got married. not you. >> i got married 33 years ago. >> you just got remarried to your ex-husband. >> my first husband. >> unbelievable. we'll be right back. ♪ [ male announcer ] in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. t adwiwiout food al t turning on your privacy pyramid. hark. wise is the maiden who keeps a crackling fire on such a frosty day. >> sir, you cannot imagine how glad i am to see you. >> hmm. i smell smoke. >> donny and marie, we're talking about vegas, and it's great to be there. and it's all very exciting. the most exciting thing to happen in vegas is you got married. >> that's the most exciting thing? >> well, because you got married to a guy you married before. >> it was the most exciting thing for me that i've done in my life. >> tell me, how did this happen? >> well -- >> you got married how long ago? >> it's been 29 years. >> 29 years ago. >> see, i'll forever be 29. >> 29 years ago you marry this guy, and the marriage only lasts three years? >> uh-huh. >> and you get divorced. why did you split up then? what was wrong then? >> you know, piers, i think too young. the world was watching us under a microscope. just a lot of things went into play. but, you know, you move on. your heart's broken. we have a child together. and, you know, looking back, it is what it is. the thing that i find fascinating about now is that, you know, he's so sweet. and he still is the core of who i fell in love with. >> you remarried, but he never did, is that right? >> no, he never remarried, no. >> because he never remarried, did you, in the back of your mind, ever think i wonder if one day -- >> i really did not. no. there was no we would ever get -- i mean, really, do you really think that way? no. but, really, it was our son who i was moving here. and he said, dad, mom needs some help moving. and we've always kind of known each other and been amicable and friendly. but it wasn't until two years ago that we thought, well, let's give this a shot. >> that was after you'd split up and divorced your second husband -- >> oh, yeah, i'd been divorced almost, what six years now or something like that. >> so you were a single woman. he was a single guy. circumstance of vegas. so what goes on in vegas -- >> stays in vegas. >> -- in your case stayed in vegas. >> no, it was just we didn't really want anybody to know we were dating because if it didn't work out that hurts children. i really was set on being single. >> did your son know that you were dating? >> no. >> how long did you keep it from him? >> when we told him we were getting married. >> seriously? >> can i just interject a thought? i thought the most beautiful part of that wedding was the fact that stephen, their son, was one of the witnesses to that marriage. to me it was the culminating -- it just gave me chilled when i saw that. >> amazing. >> the story is it's a cinderella story with a lot of bumps in the road with a beautiful ending. >> it is completely that. and wonderful for you after all you've been through. what i find extraordinary is that you're dating your son's dad. >> yeah. >> and he doesn't know. what did he say when you told him? >> well, can you imagine if it didn't work out? that would be a double hurt. >> and your son is nearly 30 now? >> he's 28. yeah. >> don't make me any older than i am. >> what was your reaction? >> i thought it was fantastic. >> he was the first person i've told. >> because i've always had this familial relationship with steve. i've always loved the guy. you know, he's just -- he was a great brother-in-law. it hurt me for my sister but really hurt me to see them fall apart like the way they did. >> for any brother, when you see your sister have her heart broken as you say you did the first time when the marriage fell apart, doesn't part of you feel that protective thing of i hope this doesn't happen again with this guy? >> let's go one step further. it's always been uncomfortable between -- at least for me between us that i have a very successful marriage for 33 years and she didn't. because we've always shared our careers and everything together. and it's always been very difficult part for me. but when i saw that -- i'm kind of getting emotional about this. when i saw them coming back together, it was a great moment. >> it is emotional. it's a remarkable story. >> the best is when we were kneeling across the altar, when we were married in vegas, not by elvis, it was in the mormon temple -- >> it wasn't the drive-through chapel. >> but they ask the man first, and he said yes. and you know, our eyes were very teary-eyed. it was beautiful. but i saw our son sitting there, and he was smiling. and then it was my turn to say it next. and all of a sudden, this look on his little face kind of like, mom, you'd better say yes. and then i said, yes. and his little face just beamed. >> oh, it was perfect. >> it was beautiful. >> what was the moment for you when you thought i want to be back with this guy? was there a moment? >> you know, the only thing i can say is when it's right it's really right. and there's not one piece of doubt in me that we weren't always right. it's just we're smarter now. >> do you think the reason that stephen never remarried is that he quietly hoped one day -- you're nodding. you think that? do you think that? >> i just think i'm a hard habit to break. no. >> isn't that a song? i feel it coming on. and even more incredibly, you wore -- you wore the same dress that you wore when you first married him. >> yeah. i had designed this beautiful dress. my daughter rachel helped me design it. she designs my clothes in the show. but it showed up five days before the wedding in pieces. i'll show you. it was crazy. and four days, five days before i got my dress, i found out in my garage, a box with my original wedding dress. piers, i didn't even know i had it still. and so i took it down and i was having it, you know, dry-cleaned and whatever, put away again because it had been opened. well, immediately i start crying because this dress was a mess, the one i designed, and the lady who was helping me, she goes, where's that dress? i said it's at the dry cleaners. so we called them up and said, have you started cleaning it yet? they said no, we haven't. i said i need it back. and i put it on and it fit. yeah. it's crazy. >> so you're the same size exactly as you were 26, 27 years ago? >> i had to let it out just a tiny bit right across my upper back. and, you know, just like that much. >> there are women all over america going, i wish i could get into my dress -- >> it was a waist cinch belt. i was so happy. >> what did you think, donny, when you saw her in that dress again? >> it was beautiful. i have a picture up in my dressing room that -- they gave me the picture. >> did you get it? >> yeah. >> i left a picture. >> and i started crying. there's my sister in the wedding dress, the original wedding dress. >> back with the guy she loves so much. >> back with the guy -- i mean, it's a picture of my wife and myself, steve and marie. and it's just -- it's one of my favorite pictures right now. >> we're going to take another short break right now. when we come back, we're going to talk more about the wedding and some special significance to the day you got married. ♪ it ain't all about the money sometimes ♪ ♪ it don't take a lot ♪ when you count up what you got ♪ ♪ if you got love ♪ you're living the good life to be one of the 10 people to win the chevrolet, buick, gmc or cadillac of your choice. just push your blue button and tell the advisor you want to enter to win a car. ♪ you don't even have to be an active subscriber. so push it now. before all 10 cars are gone. no purchase necessary. see rules at onstar.com to enter without a blue onstar button. sweepstakes ends may 31st. desperate for nighttime wiheartburn relief?ar button. for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. talk to your doctor about your risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures if you take multiple daily doses of nexium for a long time. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. talk to your doctor about nexium. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. without having toloan wait for an answerugh on a timeline that looks like this. at regions we've streamlined applying for a loan so that you get honest answers in about 30 minutes. it's sure time somebody did. marie, i want to talk to you about the day that you -- >> what do you want to talk to me about? >> well, actually, it's sort of a serious