The Best People In The World!

Thursday, October 31, 2013

What's So Funny? My Hilarious Life



"Dear Jane,

Without your assistance, this would have been a pamphlet. - Tim"

If you have been around as long as I have, you might just remember Tim Conway, the comedian who graced our television sets with his delightful and unforgettable skits from such memorable shows like The Carol Burnett Show, McHale's Navy as well as movies like Disney's The Apple Dumpling Gang and The Shaggy D.A. But one thing remains clear, he is definitely committed to making people life and that in itself is truly a wonderful gift we all need more of.

In the book, "What's So Funny? My Hilarious Life by Tim Conway and Jane Scovell, the reader gets a look at the life behind the scenes of what made Tim who he is today. Reminiscing about his childhood living in Chagrin Falls, Ohio being the only child to Dan and Sophia Conway, we immediately get a sense that this isn't your usual autobiography. Written in the same manner that we all know Tim there are laughs scattered through this book to guarantee not only a smile but a laugh or two. There are the stories of Tim's mom, Sophia who was so conscientious with money that when it came to wallpapering his room as a young boy, she refused to spend money on wall paper paste and created her own from flour and water. The only problem is during the summer with the heat, it baked the paper and caused it to peel off the walls.

He shares another great example from his childhood about his parents quirks and how much they truly enjoyed each others company.

"They liked to do things together, like dancing. One time they decided to take dancing lessons at a local studio. At the first lesson they were given a strip of paper with two sets of footprints on it, one for the man and the other for the woman. It was a basic dance pattern. The idea was to take the sheet home, put it on the floor, put a record on the phonograph, and step on the appropriate footprints in time with the music. Simple, right? Not for my parents. When I came home from school, I found them standing in the middle of the living room with the music baring from the phonograph. They looked at me sheepishly and asked if I could help them. Help them? How could I help them when what they'd done was cut the footprints from the paper and pasted them on the bottom of their shoes? I guess they figured that would make the shoes magically do the steps. When it didn't happen they were stopped in their glued-on tracks." (pg 33).

There are so many great memories captured in this book from his encounters and friendships with Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Steve Allen, Ernie Anderson, Don Knotts and so many others that this is guaranteed to be a memoir like any other. There are practical jokes he played on police officers, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne as kids from his childhood growing up in school. I think some of the best parts are his time spent on the Carol Burnett show. It had me going back to YouTube to watch such notable episodes like The Dentist skit with Harvey Korman who Tim was challenged to make break down during the skit with laughter. This is truly a great book to enjoy.

I received What's So Funny? by Tim Conway and Jane Scovell compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. I absolutely loved this book. Just the style in which it is written is such a easy going and likeable manner of Tim Conway that you can sense that he has truly enjoyed his life every step of the way. There are some great pictures capture inside that gives you an inside look at the love and laughter as well as personal friendships he has managed to capture after all these almost 80 years with us. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars! Thank you Tim for the memories and the laughter after all these years! You've made life a true joy!

For more information about What's So Funny?, Tim Conway, Jane Scovell or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Howard Books (October 29, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1476726507
  • ISBN-13: 978-1476726502
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please share with me your comments. I love to know what touched you about this post or how it has blessed you in any way.