We Laughed

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

“The original gag about the curtain rod was that Starlet pulls the curtains down and says, ‘I’m going to make me a dress.’ It had been written that I come down the stairs with everything just kind of hanging, which would have been funny. But I went into costumes that day, and Bob [Mackie] says, ‘I have an idea.’ He brought out the curtain rod with the green curtains on it and I fell on the floor. I said, ‘This is the most brilliant sight gag ever.’” - Carol Burnett, Performer

Interviewees discuss the memorable TV episodes that made us laugh.

Highlights

Carol Burnett on the famous "Went with the Wind!" sketch on The Carol Burnett Show

00:49

Bill Dana on the famous kiss between "Archie Bunker" and Sammy Davis Jr. on the All in the Family episode he wrote

00:46

Tim Conway and Harvey Korman on the "Went with the Wind!" sketch spoofing Gone with the Wind on The Carol Burnett Show

00:55

Chuck Barris on a contestant's answer to the question, "What's the most unusual place you've ever made love?" on The Newlywed Game

00:54

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

02:18

Who talked about this topic

Andy Ackerman

Andy Ackerman on directing his first episode of Seinfeld, "The Chaperone," and on working with the cast

03:01

Edie Adams

Edie Adams on how Ernie Kovacs would tune a television

00:54

Edie Adams on memorable moments from Ernie Kovacs' acts and shows - playing the giant piano

00:44

Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander on shooting the finale of Seinfeld

04:14

Steve Allen

Steve Allen on Kim Novak as a guest on Tonight

01:23

Steve Allen on the openings of The Tonight Show

01:07

Steve Allen on dressing as a cop and going out onto the street for The Tonight Show

01:35

Steve Allen on the fake car accident stunt on The Tonight Show

00:45

Steve Allen on sketches on The Tonight Show - The Question Man

02:21

Steve Allen on sketches on The Tonight Show - Crazy Shots

03:59

Steve Allen on a tug-of-war with an elephant on The Steve Allen Westinghouse Show

02:00

Steve Allen on a tea-bag sketch on The Steve Allen Westinghouse Show

00:57

Steve Allen on funny phone call sketches on The Steve Allen Westinghouse Show

04:13

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

Larry Auerbach

Larry Auerbach on the final episode of M*A*S*H: "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"

01:49

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

Bob Barker

Bob Barker on the most memorable Price is Right contestant (who lost her tube top)

01:26

Chuck Barris

Chuck Barris on a contestant's answer to the question, "What's the most unusual place you've ever made love?" on The Newlywed Game

00:54

Ken Berry

Ken Berry's long F Troop tracking shot

01:28

Steven Bochco

Steven Bochco on "The Venus Butterfly" episode of L.A. Law

01:39

Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine on being "Center Square" on Hollywood Squares

01:57

Bernie Brillstein

Bernie Brillstein on getting Muppet Ralph the dog on The Jimmy Dean Show

02:16

Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett on the famous "Went with the Wind!" sketch on The Carol Burnett Show

00:49

Carol Burnett on her Tarzan laugh

00:44

Allan Burns

Show co-creator Allan Burns on Mary Tyler Moore's expertise as an actress that allowed her to play the first part 'serious' of famed The Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust," even when she had trouble keeping a straight face during dress rehearsal

02:10

Sid Caesar

Sid Caesar on his Pagliacci take-off ("Galipacci") on Caesar's Hour and an ad lib he did "live" when his make-up pencil broke

01:36

Dann Cahn

Editor Dann Cahn on editing the famous candy factory episode of I Love Lucy entitled "Job Switching"

02:14

Editor Dann Cahn on editing the famous Vitameatavegamin episode of I Love Lucy entitled "Lucy Does a TV Commercial"

01:28

Marcy Carsey

Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner on when they realized that The Cosby Show would be a hit (the Monopoly scene in the pilot)

02:05

Dick Cavett

Dick Cavett on interviewing friend Groucho Marx

02:31

Glen Charles

Glen and Les Charles on the series finale of The Bob Newhart Show

01:58

Les Charles

Glen and Les Charles on the series finale of The Bob Newhart Show

01:58

Tony Charmoli

Tony Charmoli on receiving a Dance Magazine Award on The Tonight Show for his choreography on Hit Parade and walking off The Tonight Show

03:55

Tom Cherones

Tom Cherones on the Seinfeld episode "The Finale"

00:31

Tom Cherones on the Seinfeld episode "The Junior Mint"

01:32

Tom Cherones on the Seinfeld episode "The Bubble Boy"

01:13

Tom Cherones on the Seinfeld episode "The Contest"

01:41

Tom Cherones on the Seinfeld episode "The Parking Garage"

03:01

Robert Conrad

Robert Conrad on his Eveready Battery commercial

01:32

Tim Conway

Tim Conway on his favorite sketches on The Carol Burnett Show

00:49

Tim Conway and Harvey Korman on the "Went with the Wind!" sketch spoofing Gone with the Wind on The Carol Burnett Show

00:55

Tim Conway and Harvey Korman on the dentist sketch on The Carol Burnett Show

03:06

Hal Cooper

Hal Cooper on Allan Sherman insisting Bill Cosby be a guest on the Tonight show

02:00

Bill Dana

Bill Dana on the famous kiss between "Archie Bunker" and Sammy Davis Jr. on the All in the Family episode he wrote

00:46

Dick Ebersol

Dick Ebersol on Eddie Murphy wanting to kill "Buckwheat"

01:19

Jamie Farr

Jamie Farr on cross-dressing as "Klinger" on M*A*S*H and reaction from fans from the "Big Mac" episode

02:45

Charles Fox

Composer Charles Fox on Ed Ames' famous tomahawk stunt on The Tonight Show

02:33

Patricia Heaton

Patricia Heaton on the final episode of Everybody Loves Raymond as a "brilliant way to end the series"

02:06

Barry Kemp

Barry Kemp on the Newhart series finale

02:28

Don Knotts

Don Knotts on Andy Griffith Show co-star Howard McNear ("Floyd, the Barber") and the episode "Convicts-at-Large"

02:00

Harvey Korman

Tim Conway and Harvey Korman on the "Went with the Wind!" sketch spoofing Gone with the Wind on The Carol Burnett Show

00:55

Tim Conway and Harvey Korman on the dentist sketch on The Carol Burnett Show

03:06

Vicki Lawrence

Vicki Lawrence on specific episodes of The Carol Burnett Show such as "Went with the Wind," and on Harvey Korman being nervous about playing Clark Gable

Norman Lear with Emerson College

Norman Lear on Bill Dana writing the "Sammy's Visit" episode of All in the Family -- and the script not being submitted for an Emmy award for Bill Dana

03:46

Eugene Lee

Eugene Lee on production design for the "Les Miserables" Saturday Night Live sketch with lobsters in a tank and on working up until the last second

06:03

Sheldon Leonard

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

02:13

Bob Mackie

Bob Mackie on the famous curtain-rod dress he made for Carol Burnett in "Went With the Wind," a spoof of Gone With the Wind on The Carol Burnett Show

02:17

Garry Marshall

Garry Marshall on Jack Paar walking off the set of the Tonight show in 1960

00:21

Dick Martin

Dick Martin on directing the series finale of Newhart and its surprise ending

04:10

Ed McMahon

Ed McMahon on the famous Ed Ames tomahawk throwing incident on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

03:00

Mary Tyler Moore

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

03:48

Suze Orman

Suze Orman on how she handled meeting Kristen Wiig after seeing her parody on Saturday Night Live of Suze's show

Marty Pasetta

Marty Pasetta on the Academy Awards infamous streaking incident

01:34

Marty Pasetta on Marlon Brando refusing his Oscar

01:20

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 is Enciente," where she tells Ricky she's pregnant

00:47

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 the birth of "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy

00:57

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 is Enciente," where she tells Ricky she's pregnant

00:47

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 the birth of "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy

00:57

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

Phylicia Rashad

Phylicia Rashad to why The Cosby Show was so popular

01:34

Phil Rosenthal

Phil Rosenthal on the "Bad Moon Rising" episode of Everybody Loves Raymond

01:27

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 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that won Mary Tyler Moore an Emmy

01:28

Jay Sandrich on a favorite episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show: "Toulouse-Lautrec is one of my Favorite Artists"

01:28

Bob Schiller

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

02:00

George Schlatter

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

01:53

Jack Shea

Jack Shea on "George Jefferson's" walk on The Jeffersons

00:39

Robert Smigel

Robert Smigel on "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" roasting Jennifer Lopez and Eminem at the MTV Video Music Awards

08:37

Robert Smigel on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show about Gerald Ford, which was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live

08:06

Ben Starr

Ben Starr on writing the episode of the Brady Bunch ("The Personality Kid") which includes the famous line "pork chops and apple sauce"

03:35

Jerry Stiller

Jerry Stiller on working with Michael Richards on the Festivus episode of Seinfeld

01:52

Bruce Vilanch

Bruce Vilanch on writing jokes for the Academy Awards on the fly, and on Billy Crystal's Jack Palance jokes f-- or which they won an Emmy

03:24

Bob Weiskopf

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

02:00

Tom Werner

Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner on when they realized that The Cosby Show would be a hit (the Monopoly scene in the pilot)

02:05

Tucker Wiard

Tucker Wiard on funny moments on The Carol Burnett Show

02:02

Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler explains how his character "Fonzie" first said "whoa" on Happy Days

00:48

Bud Yorkin

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

01:15

Jeff Zucker

Jeff Zucker on the first episode of Saturday Night Live following 9/11

01:26

Alan Zweibel

Alan Zweibel on Gilda Radner's cancer, and on her guest-starring on It's Garry Shandling's Show

07:53

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