This may be the first TV appearance by LILY TOMLIN in May of 1969 on the New York based Joan Rivers' short lived talk show, before her appearance on MUSIC SCENE in Sept '69 which ran for only 17 weeks....
Not that Lily's career didn't go perfectly well, but had she been born about 10 years later I imagine she might have been an early (or original) cast member of SNL. She's so brilliant.
Well, it is good that she was born when she was born because one of the creator of SNL said, that Lily Tomlin and her sketches were reasons why SNL was born. We can only polemic if SNL would exist without Lily influence in that particular era.
This was around the time of Laugh-In so Lily had been on television, right? But this might be a first talk show appearance. I will say that I've never seen this monologue and I've seen Lily in person many times - starting with Appearing Nightly, her first Broadway show. I recognize the 'foremost beauty expert' but this woman and the words I don't recall. It takes balls to be sitting on a talk show, be asked to go into a four minute monologue and do it - while the other guests are sitting next to you. There's no one like Lily (and Jane)! Thank so much for posting this.
She didn't join Laugh-In until Spring of 1970. As the poster mentioned above in the fall of 1969, she got cast on a show called Music Scene which was a youthful, more rock-based Laugh-In (more psychedelic, less groovy camp). It got cancelled, and Mike Schlatter who originally wanted Lily for Laugh-In allowed her to come back to Laugh-In at the start of 1970.
she appeared on Merv Griffin's early NYC syndicated talk show before this where she did Ernestine as this character without costume or make up. one of her appearances is on you tube...or was.
She did this routine on Merv Griffin's show and it appeared as a black & white video tape many years later on a tv retrospective of her work. I don't know if it had any particular year to it but there is that possibility that it was prior to this appearance on Joan's local show.
What? This is the early point in a legendary comedy career. Lily made characters and became them, essentially a chameleon of comedy ... and everyone saw her talent. Well, everyone but you. Reminds me of a bible quote, something about pearls and swine.
Says the Jim Gaffigan fan. 🙄 *snort* Well I just busted a lung laughing at this. Maybe your funny bone was broken? I hope you’re feeling better by now.
