For $22, I can’t think of a finer way to spend an evening than with Carol Burnett and Tim Conway. I grew up watching the re-runs of Carol Burnett and Friends and I dare say that it would be difficult to find a television show that yielded more laughs. Mrs. Wiggins and Mr. Tudball, Mama’s Family, the Old Man, the kitchen commercials, and so many re-occurring bits that cracked us up each and every time. And who can forget such classic skits as Went With the Wind and As the Stomach Turns? Words cannot express how much I always loved Carol’s show…and how excited I was to now get the opportunity to see her and her #1 cohort in comedy, Tim Conway, in person.
Bob and I met up with our friend Steve Cox at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, in time to line up outside and claim our will-call tickets. The show was to begin at 7:30pm, so we had a half-hour or so to roam the theatre. I grabbed a seat down in the right side front, four rows from the stage. Bob and Steve stayed near the back on the same side. I looked around for celebrities, but instead spotted friends Randy Skretvedt and Rob Ray, who were just there to enjoy the show.
Steve did point out that Eddie Deezen was in attendance, so I got a photo with him (seen here), and I spotted Ed Lauter and approached him for a photo as well (seen here). I later heard that both Paul Dooley and Florence Henderson were in the house, but I never found them. Too bad…I would have loved to have met Mrs. Brady.
Carol Burnett and Tim Conway made there appearance amidst the roaring, cheering crowd promptly at 7:30. Supposedly, there were no photos allowed – but it soon became clear that no one was going to stop me. Bulbs flashed everywhere when they stepped on the stage. After they greeted the audience, Tim Conway jokingly told the audience that he had “been advised by management to announce that there is no photography allowed in the theatre.”
For the next hour or so, I was regaled to be in the presence of these unbelievably talented performers and icons of my youth. The Writers Bloc series that this was part of was supposed to simply be a discussion about one participant’s newest book – in this case Carol’s new tome This Time Together – Laughter and Reflection. The book was barely mentioned, but it didn’t seem to matter to Carol…or the audience.
Much of what we heard – I later found out from Bob – was simply Tim Conway’s comedy act. Still it amazed me that he was able to segue into his comic bits so seamlessly. A gentleman behind me remarked how quick he was on his feet. Yes, indeed he was, but he was also a master at manipulating the subject into an opportunity to tell his hilarious anecdotes. Come to think of it, how exactly did Conway shift the conversation to talk about the way his father mis-wired their doorbell?
After the ‘discussion’, Carol and Tim fielded questions from the audience just as she always had on The Carol Burnett Show. I could have easily got to the microphone quickly since the microphone was right in front of me – but didn’t…and of course, wish that I had. My friend Randy lined up to ask one, but they never got to him. Carol got to go through all of the standards: getting kissed by an audience member, tugging her ear, and doing her Tarzan yell.
When the show ended, I made a weak attempt to get to the stage to get a Conway autograph, but he disappeared quickly after signing one for a fan (I had previously acquired some through the mail as seen here). He had told a fan during the Q&A that he would be out to sign along with Carol, but he never did. Carol, however, must have signed an autograph in her book for nearly everyone in the house. Although the theater was extremely dis0rganized in the way they lined everyone up, eventually we got through. Even though I had brought along a nice photo of Carol with Julie Andrews that I had purchased at the Hollywood Show the past weekend, I knew there was no way that she would be able to sign anything else.
There were supposedly no photos allowed, but one of the ladies who worked for Carol said “sure, you can take one.” However, theater security told a different story and rushed us out, in no way allowing time to pose for picture. Bob did an outstanding job of snapping a candid in a split second as she signed my copy of her newest book that I had purchased at the theater that night. Steve even got Carol to sign his book with his red pen – her favorite color.
After the show, Bob, Steve, and I, stopped by a nearby IHOP to enjoy an evening snack. The crispy banana caramel cheesecake hit the spot. It was a nice way to end the night after the high of seeing two legends on stage, and then getting to meet Carol Burnett and obtaining an autograph.
We got back to Bob’s house in San Bernardino that night around midnight. I crashed as soon as could. I’d have another big day coming up, starting with driving myself through Southern California for the first time in my life!
California will continue…
Drooling with envy! Yes, IHOP is tempting. (Although I’m more of a Waffle House girl.) But wow, Carol Burnett and Tim Conway. Somehow I missed that being on your itinerary. How I too loved Carol Burnett and Friends. Such a great tale.
Ashleigh Heath Armstrong
June 30th, 2010
That was a magic night, indeed. Thanks for capturing it so well, Brad.
Randy Skretvedt
July 1st, 2010
“She would have made it too if she hadn’t been wearing her lucky ham.”
My favorite Carol Burnett show quote of all time. Well, that one and the entire skit commercial of Bing Crosby talking about “mmmuffins n’ sausssages.”
John
July 13th, 2010