User Reviews

Having just watched all eps of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" that gave Lily Tomlin her big break, I then went to YouTube and just saw her second TV special she did for CBS which aired the season after her previous show ended. Among her guest stars in this one are Alan Alda and Richard Pryor. One sketch takes place in a restaurant in which Alan is thinking with his conscience talking to him and Lily is doing the same with hers-while her date is at the table-as their doubles appear vis split screen. That's one of the more consistently funny skits while others-like one taking place in a diner with Pryor among the customers-is more a slice-of-life drama. The upload I watched included the commercials that aired during that program's hour like a Skippy Peanut Butter one with Judd Hirsh or a Max Factor one with Jaclyn Smith. Oh, there was also an Edith Ann skit in which an off-screen voice talks to her as opposed to her "Laugh-In" versions in which she just did a short monologue. I should note that among the writers on this special were Lorne Michaels (who was an "L-I" staff writer before Lily's arrival there) and Ann Elder (who was a cast member of that show during some of Ms. Tomlin's years there). Also on the staff was Herb Sargent who also produced this special and would join the "Saturday Night Live" staff when Lorne created that program two years later. In summary, "Lily" was a fine special for Ms. Tomlin.

THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONFUSION IN MY REVIEW OF THIS SPECIAL. THE BELOW IS REFERRING TO LILY TOMLIN'S FIRST SPECIAL, "THE LILY TOMLIN SHOW", WHICH AIRED ON CBS IN MARCH 1973. THE IMDb TITLE IS FOR THE SECOND SPECIAL "LILY" ( WITH RICHARD PRYOR AND ALAN ALDA )WHICH AIRED ON CBS IN November OF 1973. SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION.

This was Lily Tomlin's first TV special that she did in the 70's. It was made right after she left "Laugh In" and it aired on CBS in March of 1973."Laugh In" had gone into reruns and Lily was offered her own special on CBS. Thankfully, she took them up on it and produced a TV special that was light on the music and heavy on the character-based sketches that she excelled in so brilliantly. It was definitely a different special than most of that time. Lily did some of her classic characters like Ernestine,(who placed a call to General Motors) and Edith Ann, but she introduced a new character named Bobbie Jeanine who was a cocktail lounge organist. This was a wonderful character who sang and talked to her audience at the "Starlight Lounge" where she played. Bobbie spewed out words of wisdom to her troubled clientle. Richard Pryor was a guest on this show and there is a hilarious sketch in which he plays a wino who gets stuck in an elevator with Lily's "Tasteful Lady". The two get to know each other and it is a hoot. Lily also performed some monologues as herself including one on how her father told her "get up and sing a song babe" after he informed a waitress that his daughter was on television. It is both funny and touching. Unfortunetely, "Lily Tomlin" is not available to rent or buy commercially, but it should be. It showed how much talent Lily Tomlin had that wasn't fully displayed on "Laugh In". Following the good ratings of this show CBS offered Lily another special ( LILY which aired in Nov. 1973 ). The second one won an Emmy award for Outstanding Comedy/Variety Special. Lily then went on to do two more TV specials on ABC.

I give this special 10 out of 10 stars!