Comedy

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tabs

About

“I just love the mirror routine that Lucy did with Harpo because it was done so perfectly.” - Doris Singleton, Actress

Interviewees discuss classic episodes of TV comedies.

Highlights

Doris Singleton on the Harpo Marx episode of I Love Lucy

01:26

Jay Sandrich on the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show

02:15

Marla Gibbs on creating the memorable sequence from the classic The Jeffersons episode "Mr. Piano Man," which had her crawling under the piano in a crowded party to try to answer the front door before "George Jefferson"

01:40

Ron Howard on the Happy Days episode "My Favorite Orkan" (which introduced "Mork") and Robin Williams' talent

03:44

Dawn Wells on the matchmaking episode of Gilligan's Island in which Mrs. Howell tries to set up Mary Ann and Gilligan

00:28

Who talked about this topic

Andy Ackerman

Andy Ackerman on working with Alex Trebek for the Jeopardy! episode of Cheers, "What is... Cliff Clavin?"

00:51

Andy Ackerman on the Cheers finale, "One for the Road"

00:49

Andy Ackerman on the Seinfeld finale penned by Larry David

08:30

Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander on his favorite Seinfeld episode and lines

02:46

Edward Asner

Ed Asner on the classic The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust"

04:23

Ed Asner on The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites The Dust"

06:36

Thomas Azzari

Thomas Azzari on designing the bedroom set for the final Newhart episode

01:49

Thomas Azzari on set designing for the Seinfeld episode "The Finale"

01:52

Paul Bogart

Paul Bogart on directing the All in the Family episode "Edith's 50th Birthday" (airdate: October 16, 1977), where Edith is almost raped by an intruder

03:24

Paul Bogart on directing the All in the Family episode "The Draft Dodger" (airdate: December 25, 1976)

02:39

Peter Bonerz

Peter Bonerz on ordering a rigged up iron to create a special effect on The Bob Newhart Show episode "A Love Story"

01:01

Peter Bonerz on the Ross/Rachel kiss from the Friends season two episode, "The One Where Ross Finds Out"

01:17

Peter Bonerz on the Murphy Brown episode, "Uh, Oh, Part 2," and the criticism of Murphy's single motherhood by then U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle

08:48

Kevin Bright

Kevin Bright on the finale of Friends

06:51

Harvey Bullock

Harvey Bullock on writing The Andy Griffith Show episode "Opie the Birdman" starring Andy Griffith and Ron Howard

05:12

Sid Caesar

Sid Caesar on how Your Show of Show's parody of From Here to Eternity ("From Here to Obscurity") became the source of a lawsuit

01:17

Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll on the "startling" 1968 opening sequence of Julia

01:38

Diahann Carroll on the "startling" 1968 opening sequence of Julia

01:38

Tim Conway

Tim Conway on hosting the notoriously short-lived show (it was canceled during its premiere) Turn-On

02:34

Hal Cooper

Hal Cooper on Maude's funniest moment

03:47

Bill Dana

Bill Dana on how he came to write the classic All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit," and how he and producer Norman Lear invented the show's premise

02:32

Bill Dana on guest star Sammy Davis, Jr. calling him from the set of the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit" to compliment him on the script

00:50

Greg Daniels

Greg Daniels on writing The Simpsons episode "Homer and Apu"

05:00

Greg Daniels on writing The Simpsons episode "Lisa's Wedding"

03:09

Greg Daniels on his favorite episodes and moments of The Office

01:12

Ann B. Davis

Ann B. Davis on working with Don Knotts on The Bob Cummings Show, aka Love That Bob

01:18

Sam Denoff

Sam Denoff on the "That's My Boy" episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show

01:35

Dick Ebersol

Dick Ebersol on Richard Pryor's word association skit when hosting Saturday Night Live

00:43

Gerald Perry Finnerman

Gerald Perry Finnerman on Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"

03:33

Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"

08:03

Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"

08:03

Larry Gelbart

Larry Gelbart on making the transition from radio to television with The Red Buttons Show

02:57

Larry Gelbart on the episode "Abyssinia, Henry" where one of the main characters dies -- which they kept a secret from cast and crew; on the response to the episode -- "M*A*S*H was not all happy endings"

09:58

Marla Gibbs

Marla Gibbs on creating the memorable sequence from the classic The Jeffersons episode "Mr. Piano Man," which had her crawling under the piano in a crowded party to try to answer the front door before "George Jefferson"

01:40

Marla Gibbs on memorable episodes of The Jeffersons that featured her character, "Florence," and on Billy Dee Williams appearing on the show

02:43

Sherman Hemsley

Sherman Hemsley on his first entrance as "George Jefferson" on All in the Family

02:04

Sherman Hemsley on some of his favorite episodes of The Jeffersons

01:28

James Hong

James Hong on his approach to the role of the maitre d' on the classic Seinfeld episode "The Chinese Restaurant"

04:21

Ron Howard

Ron Howard on using the death of a pet in real life to reach the emotions needed in The Andy Griffith Show episode "Opie the Birdman"

01:56

Ron Howard on The Andy Griffith Show episode "The Pickle Story"

01:18

Ron Howard on The Andy Griffith Show episode "Mr. McBeevee"

01:50

Ron Howard on the "Howdy Doody" episode of Happy Days

00:58

Ron Howard on playing a drunk scene in the Happy Days episode "Richie's Cup Runneth Over"

00:48

Ron Howard on the Happy Days episode "Hollywood" which ushered in the TV term "jump the shark"

02:08

Ron Howard on the Happy Days episode "Richie Almost Dies" and Henry Winkler's contribution

01:01

Ron Howard on the Happy Days episode "My Favorite Orkan" (which introduced "Mork") and Robin Williams' talent

03:44

Felicity Huffman

Felicity Huffman on the episode of Sports Night where her character, "Dana Whitaker" kissed Peter Krause's character, "Casey McCall"

00:50

Al Jean

Al Jean on The Simpsons episode "There's Something About Marrying"

01:55

Al Jean on The Simpsons episode "Blame it on Lisa"

00:43

Al Jean on The Simpsons episode "A Streetcar Named Marge"

01:11

Geri Jewell

Geri Jewell on having to perform a dance number on the first The Facts of Life episode on which she appeared ("Cousin Geri")

03:26

Barry Kemp

Barry Kemp on the Newhart series finale

02:28

Sheldon Leonard

Sheldon Leonard on the classic Dick Van Dyke Show episode "That's My Boy?"

02:13

Gavin MacLeod

Gavin MacLeod on "The Last Show," the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show

02:08

Will Mackenzie

Will Mackenzie on directing the Family Ties episode "A, My Name is Alex", featuring Michael J. Fox

07:49

Will Mackenzie on directing the Moonlighting episode "Atomic Shakespeare"

01:56

Rose Marie with Emerson College

Rose Marie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and on working for producer Sheldon Leonard (she discusses the classic episode "It May Look Like a Walnut")

03:14

Garry Marshall

Garry Marshall on The Odd Couple episode "The Odd Monks" (airdate: October 13, 1972)

01:36

Garry Marshall on The Odd Couple episode "Password" (airdate: December 1, 1972)

00:44

Garry Marshall on the Happy Days episode "Richie Almost Dies" (airdate: January 31, 1978) (Fonzie cries)

01:28

Garry Marsahall on the Happy Days episode "Hard Cover" (airdate: September 27, 1977) (Fonzie gets a library card)

01:11

Beth McCarthy-Miller

Beth McCarthy-Miller on directing the final episode of 30 Rock

03:37

Burt Metcalfe

Producer Burt Metcalfe on the most effective line in M*A*S*H: "The Interview"

03:01

Burt Metcalfe on the M*A*S*H finale "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"

09:54

Burt Metcalfe on the next-to-last M*A*S*H episode "As Time Goes By"

04:17

Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore on initially disliking The Dick Van Dyke Show episode "Never Bathe on Saturday" (airdate: March 31, 1965), when Laura's toe is stuck in a faucet

02:03

Mary Tyler Moore on The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust" (airdate: October 25, 1975)

02:18

Carroll O'Connor

Carroll O'Connor on his contribution to the All in the Family episode "Two's a Crowd," and the ad-libbing by he and co-star Rob Reiner

02:43

Carroll O'Connor on All in the Family episodes: "Edith's Problem" (Edith enters menopause), "Gloria Has a Belly Full" (Gloria has a miscarriage), "Edith's Crisis of Faith" (Edith shuns her faith when friend Beverly LaSalle is killed), "Sammy's Visit (Sammy Davis, Jr. appears as himself), and "Archie's Brief Encounter" (Archie has an affair)

03:33

Carroll O'Connor on his acting with Danielle Brisebois in the Archie Bunker's Place episode "Archie Alone," that reveals Edith Bunker's death

01:29

Don Ohlmeyer

Executive Don Ohlmeyer on the final episode of Seinfeld

02:32

Executive Don Ohlmeyer on the final episode of Cheers

01:52

Bill Persky

Bill Persky on how he and partner San Denoff came to write for The Dick Van Dyke Show, on on writing the classic episode "That's My Boy??" with Sheldon Leonard

05:05

Bill Persky on writing with Sam Denoff the Emmy winning The Dick Van Dyke Show episode "Coast to Coast Big Mouth"

03:28

Suzanne Pleshette

Suzanne Pleshette on her cameo on the series finale of Newhart

03:41

Tom Poston

Tom Poston on the final episode of Newhart

01:12

Madelyn Pugh Davis

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Does a Commercial" (Vitameatavegamin)

00:39

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing the I Love Lucy episode "Job Switching" (candy factory)

01:03

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy's Italian Movie" (grape stomping)

00:52

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the I Love Lucy episode "L.A. at Last" (nose catches fire)

01:33

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Does a Commercial" (Vitameatavegamin)

00:39

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing the I Love Lucy episode "Job Switching" (candy factory)

01:03

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy's Italian Movie" (grape stomping)

00:52

Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the I Love Lucy episode "L.A. at Last" (nose catches fire)

01:33

Joyce Randolph

Joyce Randolph on the "TV or not TV" episode of The Honeymooners

00:49

Joyce Randolph on the "The Sleepwalker" episode of The Honeymooners

00:26

Joyce Randolph on the "Better Living Through TV" episode and other episodes of The Honeymooners

01:14

Joyce Randolph on her favorite episodes of The Honeymooners

00:55

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad on favorite moments/ guest stars from The Cosby Show episodes

01:06

Phylicia Rashad on fan favorite episodes from The Cosby Show

00:55

Phylicia Rashad on the final moments of taping of The Cosby Show

00:44

Gene Reynolds

Gene Reynolds on the M*A*S*H episode "Sometimes You Hear The Bullet"

04:00

Producer Gene Reynolds on the classic M*A*S*H episode "The Interview"

04:39

John Rich

John Rich on Sammy Davis Jr.'s suggestion, as a guest on The Tonight Show, that he would make a funny guest star on All in the Family (leading to his appearance on the classic episode "Sammy's Visit")

01:04

John Rich on the audience's reaction to the kiss in the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit"

00:42

John Rich on memorable episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show

05:04

John Rich on Procter & Gamble and CBS having issues with the "That's My Boy?" episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show

03:51

Doris Roberts

Doris Roberts on the Everybody Loves Raymond episode "The Wallpaper" where "Marie" and "Frank" crash a car into "Ray's" living room

01:17

Glenda Rovello

Glenda Rovello on production design for the Will & Grace episodes "Lows in the Mid-Eighties," Parts I and II (set in the 1980s)

00:48

Glenda Rovello on production design for the Will & Grace episode "A Gay Olde Christmas"

02:56

Glenda Rovello on production design for the Will & Grace episode "Jack's Big Gay Wedding"

03:20

Glenda Rovello on production design for the Will & Grace episode "We Love Lucy" which recreated sets from the I Love Lucy episodes "Job Switching," "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," and "Lucy's Italian Movie"

03:16

Jay Sandrich

Jay Sandrich on the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Does the Tango" (1957) in which Lucy dances and crushes the eggs she's trying to hide from Ricky

01:22

Jay Sandrich on the classic episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show which introduced Betty White as "Sue Anne Nivens"

01:04

Jay Sandrich on the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show

02:15

Jay Sandrich on the challenges faced by the writers and cast for the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show

03:18

Jay Sandrich on a scene in Soap which deals with sexual tension, written from a woman's perspective

01:15

Jay Sandrich on The Cosby Show episode "Denise's Friend," and directing an episode that didn't start out as being funny and finding the humor

04:49

Bob Schiller

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the "Lucy Does the Tango" episode of I Love Lucy

02:00

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the final episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, "Lucy Meets the Mustache" with Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams

01:08

George Schlatter

George Schlatter on Richard M. Nixon's appearance on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

01:53

Lloyd J. Schwartz

Lloyd J. Schwartz on classic episodes of The Brady Bunch

13:13

Garry Shandling

Garry Shandling on the finale of The Larry Sanders Show

03:08

George Shapiro

George Shapiro on Andy Kaufman reading "The Great Gatsby" on Saturday Night Live

01:19

Doris Singleton

Doris Singleton on the Harpo Marx episode of I Love Lucy

01:26

Doris Singleton on the I Love Lucy "Baby Pictures" episode

03:44

Doris Singleton on the I Love Lucy "Lucy Tells the Truth" episode

02:15

Doris Singleton on the I Love Lucy episode "The Dancing Star" with Van Johnson

02:09

Doris Singleton on the I Love Lucy episode, "Lucy and Superman"

02:31

Doris Singleton on the "Edith Has Jury Duty" episode of All in the Family

01:54

Yeardley Smith

Yeardley Smith on Michael Jackson guest starring on The Simpsons

02:15

Yeardley Smith on Dustin Hoffman guest starring on The Simpsons on the episode "Lisa's Substitute"

02:14

Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers on working with John Ritter in the classic Three's Company episode "Handcuffed"

01:23

Jean Stapleton

Jean Stapleton on the All in the Family episode "Edith's Christmas Story," which dealt with breast cancer

01:01

Johnny Stearns

Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on how Mary Kay and Johnny (one of TV's earliest sitcoms) came about

03:12

Mary Kay Stearns

Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on how Mary Kay and Johnny (one of TV's earliest sitcoms) came about

03:12

Jeremy Stevens

Jeremy Stevens on memorable episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond

05:55

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Malcolm-Jamal Warner on his favorite Cosby Show episodes

08:12

Bob Weiskopf

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the "Lucy Does the Tango" episode of I Love Lucy

02:00

Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the final episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, "Lucy Meets the Mustache" with Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams

01:08

Dawn Wells

Dawn Wells on the matchmaking episode of Gilligan's Island in which Mrs. Howell tries to set up Mary Ann and Gilligan

00:28

Dawn Wells on her favorite episodes of Gilligan's Island

02:37

Dawn Wells on the "V is for Vitamins" episode of Gilligan's Island

01:13

Betty White with Emerson College

Betty White on The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust"

04:22

Betty White on The Mary Tyler Moore Show finale

03:00

Tucker Wiard

Tucker Wiard on the famous Carol Burnett Show sketch "Went With the Wind"

02:11

Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler on satirizing his iconic character "Fonzie" on Arrested Development ; and jumping the shark.. twice

00:28

Bud Yorkin

Bud Yorkin on the All in the Family episode "Sammy's Visit"

01:15

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