How Lily Tomlin found liberation in exploring her characters | American Masters | PBS

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  • Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
  • Official website: www.pbs.org/americanmasters | #AmericanMastersPBS
    On October 10, 2007, Lily Tomlin spoke about her time on Laugh-In and how she developed her characters. Interview conducted by director Michael Kantor for the six-hour PBS comedy series, “Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America” (2009).
    00:00 Utilizing character work to push past the limited expectations for female comics in the 1960s
    02:37 Drawing on life experience to organically form the “Edith Ann” character
    05:08 Hitting the ground running on Laugh-In debut with “Ernestine”
    08:28 The struggle to separate Tomlin’s work and career from the runaway success of her characters
    10:24 The boy’s club of comedy and their narrow fascination with the puerile
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 62

  • @tomwestbrook
    @tomwestbrook 28 днів тому +39

    I’m pretty sure Ernestine brought down the old AT&T. Lily is a national treasure. I bought at least one of her albums back in the 70’s and listened to it repeatedly and laughed my head off. I finally found I was gay later in the decade and came out in the mid-80’s to my family. Lilly Tomlin is a hero to me.

  • @BettyofOOO
    @BettyofOOO 28 днів тому +31

    She is a national treasure.❤
    I love that she and Jane are still together, the way Lily talks about her with so much reverence is very sweet.

  • @amherst88
    @amherst88 27 днів тому +19

    So grateful to have grown up with women like Lily as role models ❤🧡💛

  • @PsulOrtiz
    @PsulOrtiz 27 днів тому +10

    I am just realizing now, just how very beautiful she is physically.
    And when she smiles she is even more pretty because she smiles from her heart!
    How could I have missed all of this for so long??!!!
    DUH!!!

    • @johngore7744
      @johngore7744 25 днів тому +1

      Yup. Her eyes light up fantastically.

  • @fbaesh
    @fbaesh 28 днів тому +16

    There's a lot to unpack here, re: comedy writing. Worth multiple views 🙂👍

  • @billythomas4804
    @billythomas4804 27 днів тому +11

    I saw LT once back in the 70’s and her stage consisted of a stool, a mike and a spotlight. For almost two hours, she held the sold out show in the palm of her hand. Phenomenal talent to witness!

    • @GCKelloch
      @GCKelloch 26 днів тому +1

      Had my mother take me to her show for my 12th birthday. It was phenominal. I'll always remember one line about one character's guru telling her not to let something bother her, and she says: "but it does bother me, it does bother me", and the spot light goes out.

    • @jjwintrs
      @jjwintrs 13 днів тому +1

      Signs of intelligent life in the universe...

  • @paulsuchy6210
    @paulsuchy6210 27 днів тому +7

    When someone asks, "what person would you want to meet and spend time with?", my choice has always been Lily Tomlin. I grew up watching her on television and listening to her albums, and her style of humor is unmatched. Of course, she made me laugh (sometimes jokes would stay with me for days), yet she also could come up with something so clever, that rather than immediate laughter, I would be taken aback and think, "that is so funny" before I would lose my composure; it's a gift that seems to belong to her alone.

  • @Michaela1942
    @Michaela1942 25 днів тому +3

    My husband and I have had the great pleasure of seeing her live when she brought her one woman show to our area. It/she was wonderful and one of the best theater experiences we'd ever had. Amazing talent.

  • @Nunofurdambiznez
    @Nunofurdambiznez 18 днів тому +1

    MARVELOUS interview!! I had no idea Lily Tomlin was so witty and well-spoken! She's fantastic!

  • @nightowl6260
    @nightowl6260 27 днів тому +8

    She is such a brilliant person.

  • @mikeryan9239
    @mikeryan9239 26 днів тому +2

    It is so good to see and hear Lily. I'm pretty sure this is an older clip as Lily looks much younger than she does today. I wanted to post because I met Lily and Jayne in 1972 while working as a waiter at the Venetian Room, the entertainment room of the Fairmont Hotel here in SF. I met a lot of stars while working there such as Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, Cleo Laine, Steve & Edie Lawrence, the Smothers Brothers, Brenda Lee and many more. I was out on the floor schmoozing with guests/customers when I saw her step into the wings out of the corner of my eye. She was alone. I excused myself and went directly into the wings, not sure what I was doing. Lily saw me right away and I smiled like a crazy person, like we were old friends. "You ok?" I whispered and she quipped, "I need some gum. Do you have any?" I said no but told her not to worry and headed through the kitchen doors, and down to the tobacco stand where a pack of Spearment gum was 35 cents. (THAT was a lot of money because you could get a heaping plate of fries at any one of the many Fosters Cafeterias for 15 cents!) I hurried back and when I came into the wings there was another person, a big person, heavy-set, shorter than Lily and they were huddling. "Spearmint?" I said holding up the green pack of gum. Lily smiled big and stuck her hand out. When she began to open the end, Jayne took it away from her. I think she said, "You haven't time," because Lily went onstage within a minute after that. For years I didn't know who the woman was with Lily but eventually figured it out when I'd see photo spreads and interviews of them together, Jayne identified as Lily's manager. When I see Jayne today she has shed all the weight and you'd never know she was ever really heavy.

    • @babe7401
      @babe7401 23 дні тому

      Maybe i'm wrong but i doubt that that person you saw with her was Jane Wagner, in all the pictures and videos i see even the old ones she was never heavy as you said

  • @marlynklee9821
    @marlynklee9821 27 днів тому +3

    Whenever I was depressed I listened to her LP album that featured Ernestine the telephone operator, sticking her nose in everybody’s business, memorable characters like J’Edgar Hoover, the Pope, one ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingoes, etc.

  • @sandybear61
    @sandybear61 23 дні тому +1

    She is so brilliant, and what a gorgeous smile. I’ve always loved her eyes when she smiles…they twinkle!

  • @treesny
    @treesny 27 днів тому +2

    All these incredible characters plus a film career with many wonderful roles. God bless director Robert Altman and his genius for casting, when he chose her to play a serious dramatic role in "Nashville" (1975)!

  • @LK-zf2hd
    @LK-zf2hd 27 днів тому +4

    Lily, a national treasure!

  • @RaymondHng
    @RaymondHng 24 дні тому +5

    3:29 The TV show that Jane Wagner wrote can be found on UA-cam as "J.T. Classic Holiday Movie w/ Kevin Hooks"

    • @haplessasshole9615
      @haplessasshole9615 21 день тому

      Thank you! I found a listing for it on IMDb, and it had an 8.8 overall rating, which is very high. I was wondering where I could find it.

  • @anthonymccarthy4164
    @anthonymccarthy4164 25 днів тому +1

    I loved Lily Sold Out, especially the scene of Ernestine with Liberace.

  • @artgirltexas
    @artgirltexas 27 днів тому +1

    My sister had This Is a Recording and Modern Scream, and I listened to them endlessly as a kid. ❤

    • @RaymondHng
      @RaymondHng 24 дні тому +1

      "Hi! I'm not a professional actress. I am a real person like yourself."

  • @T190.JLS27
    @T190.JLS27 13 днів тому +1

    I was a young child of 5 or 6 when Laugh In was on TV, and it must’ve really sunk in. I’ve been the jokester in the crowd ever since. Throughout the years I have occasionally thrown out “Is this the party to whom I am speaking”, confusing the younger generation and getting laughs from those in the know! Love Lily!

    • @SophieBird07
      @SophieBird07 9 днів тому +1

      I just used that line today, and why I got on here looking up Lily Tomlin again. Also reminded of my son, also when he was four years old. I still remember him running up to me, doing an about face, then bending over with an …”Ah hahahah…gassed yah”. He hasn’t changed that much!

  • @johnboyle382
    @johnboyle382 27 днів тому +1

    My favorite movie as a kid was probably Incredible Shrinking Woman, years later it happened to become Nashville. Lifelong fan.

  • @paulbutler1873
    @paulbutler1873 22 дні тому

    I saw her one woman show on Broadway and she was absolutely brilliant. Front row seats too!

  • @laurawalters7973
    @laurawalters7973 24 дні тому +3

    She is so beautiful.

  • @michaelsteve5922
    @michaelsteve5922 26 днів тому +1

    Edith Ann, Ernestine, Edwina Cutwater: pure excellence.

  • @ryfren8218
    @ryfren8218 20 днів тому +2

    “Ernestine” is indeed responsible for the breakup of the US telephone monopoly. Congress originally debated this, quoting that character.

  • @4Beats4Me
    @4Beats4Me 20 днів тому +1

    No one like Lily. What a brilliantly funny woman .❤❤❤❤

  • @NightOwl64
    @NightOwl64 25 днів тому +1

    Lilly Tomlin is a brilliant entertainer❤

  • @twhelostl61
    @twhelostl61 22 дні тому

    Edith Anne lives. Lily said "I try being cynical, but it's hard to keep up" One of her iconic lines. Jane is the wordsmith and Lily makes these adventures human. Ernestine is an unforgettable moment in showbiz history. Chaplain would have loved it.

  • @zensea298
    @zensea298 27 днів тому +2

    ❤❤❤❤Lily Tomlin!!

  • @patriciafeehan7732
    @patriciafeehan7732 26 днів тому +1

    Laugh In is so dated and I loved it growing up. However, Lily, Arte and Ruth were so creative and talented young people. My favorite movie was All of Me.

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 26 днів тому +1

    AN ABSOLUTE LEGEND 🌈

  • @michaelplunkett8059
    @michaelplunkett8059 25 днів тому

    Love her work for decades of smart laughter. She and Steve were a hoot matching wits in All of Me.
    But Moment by Moment with Travolta was "Oh, BOMBO" as Johnny Carson used to say.

  • @andrastetriformis6241
    @andrastetriformis6241 28 днів тому +5

    ❤❤❤

  • @jointheleanrat
    @jointheleanrat 27 днів тому

    Thank you for sharing all this Lily!!

  • @catherinetimmerman9107
    @catherinetimmerman9107 22 дні тому

    Lily is a great comedian!

  • @markleon411
    @markleon411 26 днів тому

    Wonderful insights.

  • @DavidMcFarner
    @DavidMcFarner 27 днів тому +3

    She’s right, you know.,

  • @badpurvis1
    @badpurvis1 26 днів тому

    Her name is Lily. She’ll never wilt.

  • @bobbifergus3110
    @bobbifergus3110 27 днів тому +1

    I wish someone would remaster and rerelease The Incredible Shrinking Woman!

    • @egglady
      @egglady 27 днів тому +3

      They did… it is available on Blu-ray.

    • @RachelSitea-mn2qk
      @RachelSitea-mn2qk 24 дні тому

      @@eggladySure warrants it! How great. TISW is unfairly ignored, and it’s a touchstone for any woman who’s been severely toxed.

  • @StopWhining491
    @StopWhining491 24 дні тому

    Lily has always made my ribs hurt, laughing.

  • @babe7401
    @babe7401 22 дні тому

    Io ti amo Lily Tomlin! ❤

  • @babe7401
    @babe7401 23 дні тому +1

    I sense she has such a big ❤

  • @frankpeter6851
    @frankpeter6851 27 днів тому +1

    Was that story about Madeline khan?

  • @amandakaywyatt8850
    @amandakaywyatt8850 8 днів тому

    Ms. Tomlin....
    You just explained...
    My life.
    Men are not funny or smart.
    They're juvenile.
    Women understand what a human is; it's not just a body.
    Thank you. ❤

    • @amandakaywyatt8850
      @amandakaywyatt8850 8 днів тому

      Imma get United Nations Declared Human Rights access for ALL;
      & make kkkolonizers understand that elephants are people.
      ❤🌈☮️🔥⚖️🐦

    • @amandakaywyatt8850
      @amandakaywyatt8850 8 днів тому

      Please inform Ms. Fonda that includes action to stop climate change, *and* end poverty porn. 🛼
      That film *saved* my life, multiple times over.

  • @bigcatproductions2789
    @bigcatproductions2789 25 днів тому

    🎉 Tommy Velour 😎

  • @SailorMoonFriends
    @SailorMoonFriends 27 днів тому +2

    Lily Tomlin sounds like Joan Cusack.

  • @patriciafeehan7732
    @patriciafeehan7732 26 днів тому

    Where is Chad Everette now?

  • @nowthenzen
    @nowthenzen 26 днів тому

    The inimitable Lily Tomlin

  • @spacemissing
    @spacemissing 24 дні тому +1

    Boys don't think girls are funny? Well, THIS boy doesn't agree.
    I often find female comics and actors more enjoyably funny than males.
    Examples: Carol Burnette, Rita Rudner, Tracey Ullman, Gilda Radner,
    Jennifer Saunders (creator of AbFab), Jane Curtin, Sarah Millican.

  • @mynameisworld
    @mynameisworld 22 дні тому

    The thumbnail led me to believe this was going to be about Edith Ann. It was mostly about sex and farts. 🙄
    Seems like if they'd put "sex and farts" in the thumbnail instead of "Edith Ann", it would've gotten more views. Just not mine.

  • @irvingberlin-o8h
    @irvingberlin-o8h 11 днів тому

    Remember when Lily Tomlin Ripped Off Andy Kaufmann after he was dead ?

  • @proflcr8779
    @proflcr8779 25 днів тому

    ❤❤❤