‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’ welcomed comedy queen Carol Burnett in 1979. Johnny introduces her, saying, “She is one of the most talented performers to ever come along in the entertainment business. She is something special!”
The two start the interview by discussing how they both attended Jimmy Stewart’s 30th wedding anniversary party. Carol explains that she was starstruck by the people in attendance. Carol’s grandmother used to take her to eight movies a week down on Hollywood Boulevard, and every star from those films was at this party. When Jimmy Stewart asked her to dance, she was smitten.
Johnny asks Carol, “Even though you’re well-known, don’t you still try to be really cool?” Carol agrees and says that she couldn’t think of anything to say when she met Carey Grant. Carol ended up saying, “You are a credit to your profession.”
Carol said she felt so dumb because she was sitting there talking to Carey Grant and cutting his food for him! Johnny asks her, “When you were a kid going to those movies, who did you most want to meet?” Carol quickly answers that she wanted to meet Jimmy Stewart. When he approached her at the party, she was terrified. Carol told Johnny, “I was tripping all over him. I was so nervous.”
Johnny asked Carol if there was any family history of comedy that led her to the profession. Carol said no and told Johnny that when she was in school, she was terribly quiet and an excellent student. But she kept her stage name because she wanted the boy she had a crush on for six years in elementary school to see her success!
Tim Conway comes out and joins Carol and Johnny. Johnny asks Tim what he is doing with 48 weeks off since Carol’s show only films four weeks currently. Tim says, ‘Well, relax for 48 weeks.”
Then, Tim recounts the one Hollywood party he went to. A guy wearing a red jacket asked Tim, “Can I have your car?” Tim gave him the keys, and his car was stolen. The entire interview is excellent, with plenty of laughs.
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