by Tim Conway and Jane Scovell
Publisher: Howard Books
Release Date: 29 October 2013
ISBN: 9781476726502
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 272
Genre: Nonfiction; Autobiography
Time to read: 5 hours
Source: Christmas gift from my wife
aStore Link (Real Book): What's So Funny?
aStore Link (Kindle Book): What's So Funny?
Summary
(excerpted from Goodreads)
Six-time Emmy Award-winning funnyman Tim Conway, best known for his characters on The Carol Burnett Show, offers a straight-shooting and hilarious memoir about his life on stage and off as an actor and comedian.
My Reaction
Tim Conway has long been one of my favorite comic actors beginning with reruns of the Carol Burnett Show and a VHS copy of Dorf on Golf (now available on DVD). Since that time, I've been able to watch those same reruns countless times, as well as catching some of his other work, not the least of which was alongside the late Ernest Borgnine (and Conway's longtime friend) as voice actors for Spongebob Squarepants as the undersea dynamic duo of Mermaid Man (Borgnine) and Barnacle Boy (Conway). So, when I saw Mr. Conway on some random talk show promoting his new book, I instantly asked my wife for it for Christmas; and she delivered.
The first two chapters took me a while to get through as I familiarized myself with his storytelling pattern, which tended to jump around with relevant anecdotes rather than chronologically. This pattern is consistent, by the way, with much of what you would expect from the famed improvising actor. Once I grew accustomed to his style, I flew through the book (as time would allow).
One of the biggest impressions I got from Tim Conway's life was his devotion to family, beginning with just him and his parents in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. I could imagine the smile on his face as he recollected fond memories of his home and the modest living his parents tried to give him. In later life, he ended up with a half-dozen children, whom he took to visit his parents every summer to make sure that bond continued. I truly admire someone in the acting world who takes time for his family, and you can tell he really enjoyed it.
Another highlight for me was to discover all of the connections with some of my other favorite actors and comedians that Mr. Conway had—many of them resulting in lifelong friendships. If anyone had the right to be a name-dropper, it is certainly an 80-year-old with decades of experience who is still going strong. But, these stories did not come across as name-dropping so much as they were fond memories of close friends; and that humility ran throughout all the pages of this book.
I found myself laughing out loud so many times while reading What's So Funny. It also helped to form a more complete image of the life behind a man who has made me laugh a million times.
Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reading Challenge 2014
For more information on this book:
Hopping over from the Nonfiction Reading Challenge.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fun book! I'm old enough that I saw the Carol Burnett shows when they were first aired -- a highlight of the week!
Joy's Book Blog