In conjunction with Turner Classic Movies' live action Disney Film Festival, I had the incomparable opportunity to interview Tim Conway. I had to pinch myself during the conference call to remind myself that I was talking to this talented comedian, writer, and legend.
Those of us who grew up with the "Carol Burnett" Show remember Tim from his wild antics with Harvey Korman. Younger moms and kids will likely recognize him as one of the voices in Max Lucado's "Hermie" videos. He also hosted "Thou Shalt Laugh 2," a video of clean comedy. I really enjoyed chatting with Tim. He is warm, hilarious (of course!) and humble. Here's a little of our conversation:
Me: (to the TCM representative) I'm not sure how much time we have...
Tim: Well, I have a dentist appointment in May, so I have to be done by then, if that works for you.
Q: That works! :) Tim, my hubby is a big Andy Griffith Show/Don Knotts fan. So I have to start by asking, what was it like working with Don Knotts?
A: Tell your hubby it was the best. I knew Don for 40 years. I met him on the Steve Allen show, and ended up writing a couple of movies for Don. He was just as kind and as gentle as you saw in Mayberry. He loved people, he loved the business. Probably the nicest man I’ve ever met…
Q: I know you’ve raised five boys and one girl. Do you have any parenting advice, esp. for raising boys?
A: It’s nice when they get older, they begin to understand a few things…when I first came out to LA from the Midwest, I wanted to keep them grounded and level, and I think we did that. I don’t see them much anymore, though. We have an ATM outside the house, so they just pull up and get the money. Oh, and there’s a lot of nonsense about an empty nest—the nest is never really empty.
Q: Who were your comedic influences?
A: Don Knotts was a big influence on me…I liked his approach to what he thought was funny. He understood people and knew what made them smile. He exemplified something I really believe, that to satisfy an audience, you want to give them something that won’t embarrass them (or you). He never dealt in language and nudity (of course, no one would want to see Don Knotts nude, so maybe that’s the reason he stayed away from it). And he was just a real person.
Q: You said in the DVD about the live-action Disney film festival on TCM that Don knew how to go with the moment, and not crack up. Was that the difference between him and Harvey Korman?
A: Well, Korman never had a chance. I was a writer on that show, and we’d do something in rehearsal and I’d change it completely in the live performance. He’d say, “I don’t think that sketch is working, it needs something,” and I’d tell him, “Well, I have a little something I’m going to do there.” Like the famous dentist scene—he didn’t know I was going to do the Novocaine thing. It would just lay him out.
Q: You’ve had so many successes…What are some of the highlights of your career?
A: I’ve had a very nice career…hopefully, I’ve never had to apologize for anything I did. Carol taught us a lot of lessons about not dealing in politics and religion…that divides the audience, and you don’t want to do that. We did fun for funny.
Q: Who would you suggest that young artists study to learn the craft of comedy?
A: I learned from people like Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin. And then Jackie Gleason and Steve Allen--they did their shows live and were forced to be really funny to entertain an audience. Now, Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy stole a lot of material from me, and we’re still in litigation about that. I expect it to pay off in a big way one of these days.
Q: You’re still performing. What’s the secret to your longevity?
A: A 1/5 of Jack Daniels in the evening sets you up real well. J I just enjoy life and love people, and think people are hilarious. The other evening, a lady came up and asked for my autograph. I gave her one, and she complained that she couldn’t read it. I said, “Well, that’s how you know it’s authentic.” But she kept complaining, so I said, “Give me your address, and I’ll go home and type you out an autograph and send it to you.” So she did, and I went home, typed my autograph, and sent it to her house. She’s probably showing all her friends the autograph, telling them, “See? It’s real—he typed it!”
Q: That IS hilarious! What do you think about the Disney film festival on TCM?
A: It’s a nice reflection of what comedy used to be, and hopefully we’ll get back there. It started with Clark Gable saying, “Frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a ---“ and escalated from there, unfortunately. But there IS good programming on television, you just gotta look for it. Turner Broadcasting is such a hit in my house–they show the movies with great actors, simple stories—really good stories—that you can watch as a family.
For more info, visit www.timconway.com
