tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight a conversation with tim conway, one of the funniest men to perform on television. he is probably best known for "the carol burnett show." entitlediography is "what's so funny?: my hilarious life." we are glad you joined us. a conversation with tim conway is coming up right now. ♪

>> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: there's funny, and there's hilarious. so funny that even costars can't keep a straight face during his gets. that pretty much sums up the work of tim conway, whose work on "the carol burnett show" remains the standard by which all comedians are judged. he has written an autobiography titled "what's so funny?: my hilarious life."

before we begin our conversation, first a look at the skit on "the carol burnett show" that goes on the little longer than the producers intended, and that's because carol and vicki couldn't stop laughing. >> i was at this freak show, and i saw these siamese elephants. [laughter] they were conjoined at the end of their trunks like that. stand oner made them their back feet like that, and they had their trunks stretched. then this little monkey would come out. danceded out there and the merengue. i felt sorry for him. he couldn't go like the other elephants. all they can do is just below.

[laughter] >> mama. eep.]little [b scenes, what the had the directors asked you to do? >> just say allison because we are running very long on the show. allison --st say elephant because we're running very long. >> you are running out of time, and he says, can you say elephant? >> we were running very long. i blame the director on that. tavis: how much of your comedic

genius had to do with the liberty you were given to freestyle when you needed to? think when i learned the rules i kind of go against the rules, because why would you have somebody sitting up there not saying anything but elephant ? i try to fill in those links. -- blanks. a lot of times it doesn't work out because people are doing show, so it's not my why would i worry. i printed this out because it was so hilarious to me. share with the audience what your personal biography says.

tim conway's personal biography. i am literally reading this. "i was born, and then i did "the carol burnett show" for 11 years . what else is there to know?" >> i didn't want to get too lengthy. tavis: i love that. what else is there to know? those 11 years, is that the best years of your life, or overrated? >> this is the best of my life. as you near the end. i felt a little tinge. it could have been a big thing for you. i would have killed with that, wouldn't i? >> you could have gotten another week. there is so much in this,

i don't even know where to start. let me throw some things that you that got my attention. you were not born with the name tim conway. that's not your given name. >> no, my mother was romanian, which wasd me toma, pretty unusual. that was my original name. toma libertarian morganski, i think. pellver learned how to s the last part. tims: how did it become conway? by steve allen changed it for me. just d, why don't you

tim.the o and make it --ried to save [laughter] this is why i don't have a talk show i can't talk. funny story.is a since we were talking about your given name, there is a hilarious story about your christening. would you care to remind us? >> they put you on the little, and everybody walks around the i had rolled over and rolled off at and hit the table and went down to the floor and rolled under the table.

the priest said, so bless, he's gone. said, he has risen. the priest said, i don't excel. floor -- id onto the don't think so. i had rolled onto the floor and under this apparatus. one of the kids kicked me on the head and said, i hear something. it's a miracle. he's here. so they picked me up and put me back. you started out doing sketch comedy? >> yes, comedy. tavis: there is so much in the book i can do justice. this is not so funny, yet it becomes the beginnings of your

comedic career. you are in school a few years later. you have dyslexia, and when you are asked to read in front of the class -- kids can be cruel. they are laughing at you. they are making fun of you because you can't read. >> or right. -- write. tois: you are being called read in front of the class. they are laughing at you, and somehow in that process you realized there was something fun about making people laugh. that kind of thing would shut at,body down, to be laughed but only you can find something in that. >> i did. me out of a lot of trouble, especially fighting with other kids, because i would

themhat humor to challenge rather than golden gloves. it was an instrument to keep people away from me. a guy who is being funny i don't think. this is always so fascinating to me. >> not to me. tavis: new heart may be dealmaker media i can think of was the only- he person i could think of who ends up in comedy that doesn't have some strange story about how comedy kept them out of trouble or got them -- there are so many comedians -- they say comedy is

often born in dark places. close friendsery and often mistaken for one another. he has mentioned that comedy kept him out of a lot of trouble. i think it kept me out of a lot of trouble, too. when a cop would pull me over and say, let me see your license, and i would say, let me see your shoes, and he would put his shoe on the window, and i would say, those are nice shoes. here is my license. ie thing led to another where spent a lot of time behind bars because the police in cleveland had very little sense. [laughter] tavis: they didn't find you so funny, did they? your dyslexia not withstanding

and people laughing at you, you ended up being a pretty decent athlete. until you got hit in the back. i was a great athlete. not just for the good. every muscle toned to perfection, as you can see. -- not just pretty good. because i was small. the coach made me a guard on the football team. you should be a guard. i was up against guys your size as a guard. i guess he did it for jokes. of pain involved in that. i was like a little mouse. i would kind of scratch into the secondary and tackle a guy with the ball or that thing.

an elongated ball. i became a pretty good athlete. tavis: until you got a pretty good hit one day. i will let you tell the story. >> like i ran into my back and cracked the vertebrae. he was on my team and evidently had something against me. i just kind of laid on the tarmac there. we were playing at an airport. they came out to us, and the coach said, show them you can up, off, so they stood me and i fell down. they stood me up, and i fell down. they said, maybe there's something wrong with this.

so the vertebrae had been had cut off a lot of things, like my speech and they laid mehat. back -- they didn't have to lay me down. they just stood me up, and i plopped back down. -- orthere for a while there for somed time. tavis: i could never figure that out either. >> they finally put me on a stretcher and took me off the field. i consider myself very lucky from that day forward that i wasn't paralyzed, because i should have been. tavis: all jokes aside for at least 30 seconds.

you tell the story years later how you were in your chiropractor office and he pretty much tells you the back pain you are having at this age was connected to that injury way back in school. >> yes, and i should have been paralyzed actually. the nerves in my spine were pinched. you had to tell the jokes. the jokes had to get out. went to a football party afterwards and passed out in the trees. they said, maybe something is wrong with him. they called the ambulance and to me to the hospital, and here i am. i said i want to be well enough to do tavis is show. they got you here 80 years later. when did you know -- was there a

similar moment when you -- >> tuesday. >> what year was it on tuesday when you found out you were gifted enough to really do this comedy thing? >> very early in high school. 11 and 12 grade. wass: you knew then comedy your future? >> it got me out of a lot of trouble. to fight many big guys like yourself, although i could handle you. because i am a natural athlete. tavis: every muscle toned to perfection. used -- because i was stupid in high school, and i really couldn't handle what they told you to do, like spell or , so i used kind of -- i

would have been on a stretcher trying to read if i haven't gotten up and walked off that field. out thisw did you roll career? what do you regard as similar moments that got this career really moving in hollywood? >> people laughed at me because i couldn't pronounce names, and i couldn't read aloud without putting words into sentences which were never there. about president eisenhower, and i read the wasn't in bed with the nurse, but i said he was in bed with the nurse, and they said, president eisenhower

was it? so i just went with it. tavis: u.n. with a bit. did it kill? >> oh, yeah. yeah. tavis: to what degree would you attribute your success to the physical part of your comedy. one-liners allth so much of what people love you for and regard you for was there was so much physical comedy as well. >> i was a great athlete. i really was. my wife -- my mother, who was my wife -- took in my pants. my uniform look pretty swift.

i was probably the best looking guy on the football team. tavis: you were a great athlete and really good-looking. >> yeah, so i was a pretty sharp guy. oft with this knowledge residents and things of that nature. and i could recite "mary had a little lamb," so what more could you ask for? tavis: speaking of your mother taking up your pants, there was a story in the book. i'm not sure if it's true or you are just pulling my leg, but i think it's a true story of the time you were boxing and you had to box with one hand. is that a true story? butler, boxing billy and billy was about a foot taller than i was. a big tall, lanky guy.

i kept hitting him in the stomach, and he kept hitting me in the head, and i think the people in the crowd saw the humor in that, that this guy is really going at his stomach, and the other guy is pounding me in the head. being a natural athlete, as i was, i went out for every sport, and that helped me get with the guys. i wanted to be a cheerleader, but it was all girls. i didn't have a shot at that. tavis: the funniest thing for me about the fight with your one hand, you were such a small guy your shorts kept falling down. you had your shorts in one hand. >> my mother made shorts, and my

name was little butcher. she kind of put that name on there for me, but my pants kept falling down, and the more i with almost every swing my pants fell a little further. treated to awas , so i justy actually went with it. tavis: that's comedy. you've got to go with it. i don't know if you can see this. can you zoom in on that photo? i am putting this up because that is such wonderful haberdashery.

pristine and so clean. i raise that because you are also a tailor. you are a great athlete. you are a good-looking guy. .our mom was a seamstress >> i made this. tavis: he made this. it's one-of-a-kind, i must say. >> it is. one sleeve is longer. i made a lot of clothing i wore in school. just for laughs. what has been -- you have been at this 60 years as a professional. what has been the joy for you in making us laugh? what have you gotten out -- i know what i have gotten, what do you get out of making us laugh? >> very little. i am busting my hump making you

laugh. tavis: and you get nothing out of it. >> i get nothing out of it. the enjoyment of seeing an audience and knowing they are .aughing it's hard to be sad when you are laughing. i enjoy making people happy. be resting you could on your laurels, every time you pop up on a show. a guest appearance here. >> a lot of times they don't want me. i have been standing outside the door for almost a week now. toing could i go and talk you. tavis: we had a hole in the schedule, and we slotted you in. >> they goodness somebody got sick. i couldn't stand here another week.

what i did.y much just waited around for somebody to puke's and then jump in there and take that spot. tavis: i love seeing you and ms. guestt -- who has been a on the show. the two of you were in hot in cleveland. that was funny. you were reunited. >> yes. i am from cleveland -- well, the outskirts of cleveland. so it was good to be home again, although it was filled out here. they had pictures of cleveland. tavis: pictures of cleveland. my time is up, and that's a shame, because i could do this all might. my nose is running, i have been laughing so hard over the last or demons. it's been an honor to have tim conway. great athlete, toned to

perfection, every muscle of his body, often tailor -- awesome tailor, sometimes comedian, and author of the new text called "what's so funny?: my hilarious life" with the lovely forward from his dear friend carol burnett. what a delight to have you on this program. >> never liked her. isn't that amazing? tavis: thank you for the time. >> well, ok. tavis: i appreciate it. >> take you. -- thank you. >> that's our show for tonight. as always, keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time as we take id grab -- a deep grab at what has

been affecting the country. that's next time. we will see you then. ♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs.

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