August 10, 1979.
NBC Studios. Burbank.
Johnny Carson, king of late-night, was sipping water between segments when Ed McMahon leaned in:
“They’re both here. It’s gonna be a wild one.”

And it was.

That night, Carol Burnett and Tim Conway stepped onto The Tonight Show stage, and in just 22 minutes, they gave America a masterclass in comedy, vulnerability, and the kind of chemistry you can’t script—even if you tried.

The segment began with the kind of casual charm that defined Johnny Carson’s best interviews. But as soon as Carol Burnett started talking, the studio lit up with a warmth you could feel through the television screen.

“I used to watch movies just to cry,” she said, reminiscing about her childhood fascination with Hollywood.
“But I never thought I’d meet Cary Grant.”

She paused, grinned—and then delivered the story like only Carol could.
Their first meeting? A Hollywood party. She was starstruck. Panicked. And said the first thing that came to mind:

“You are a credit to your profession.”

The studio audience howled. Johnny clutched his stomach. Carol shrugged.

“I’ve been dying of embarrassment since 1959.”

But before anyone could recover, Tim Conway took his cue.
“I’ve never met Cary Grant,” he deadpanned. “But I did lose my car at a party once. That counts, right?”

He told the story:
He was at a Beverly Hills fundraiser. Stayed too long. Ate too much shrimp cocktail.
When he finally stumbled out—his car was gone.
Turned out… he’d parked in Robert Redford’s driveway.

The punchline? “It’s the only time in my life I’ve been towed by someone more famous than me.”

“Two Legends, One Couch, Endless Laughter”

For the next twenty minutes, Burnett and Conway swapped stories like siblings at a kitchen table.
They talked about The Carol Burnett Show. About the time Conway improvised a scene so wildly, the entire cast broke character—live.
About the Gone With the Wind parody where Carol wore a curtain rod across her shoulders.
About childhood, stage names, crushes.

“I almost became Carol Creighton,” she said.
“Why?” Johnny asked.
“Because Tommy Tracy liked girls with fancy names. I wanted him to recognize me on TV someday.”

Even Conway couldn’t hold in the laughter.

But beneath the jokes was something deeper: two artists reflecting on what it meant to make people laugh for a living, and how they built their careers not just on talent—but on kindness, timing, and mutual respect.

The Tarzan Yell Heard ‘Round the Studio

At one point, Carson leaned in and asked:
“Carol, is it true you can still do the Tarzan yell?”

The audience erupted before she even answered.

She stood up, took a deep breath, and let it rip.
That legendary, absurd, glorious yell filled the room—and Johnny fell back in his chair, tears streaming.

It was the kind of moment that lives forever—not just in reruns, but in hearts.

More Than a Comedy Segment—It Was a Time Capsule

As the interview wound down, Johnny asked both guests the question he saved for people he truly admired:

“What do you still love about this business?”

Their answers were simple.
Carol: “The people.”
Tim: “The chance to surprise myself.”

And that was it.

No forced farewell. No big reveal. Just a moment that felt like watching two old friends at peace with their place in history.

A Legacy That Lives in Laughter

That night in 1979, The Tonight Show didn’t just feature two comedy icons.
It captured the soul of what made them great—not just their timing or wit, but their humanity.

Over 3.6 million people have watched the clip on YouTube in recent years.
One top comment says it best:

“This wasn’t just TV. It was a warm hug from a time when funny didn’t need to be mean.”

And maybe that’s why we keep going back.
Not just to laugh.
But to remember what made us laugh in the first place.