What’s So Funny? My Hilarious Life

Devotees of Tim Conway will revel in this heartfelt and sweetly revealing memoir. The actor and comedian begins by recounting what he knows about his family history, though Conway admits that he’s quite short on specifics. The humorous memoir proceeds more or less chronologically through his childhood, college years, time spent in the army, and his endeavors to break into show business. Conway’s first stint as an assistant on a Cleveland radio show led to work in the new field of television, and a chance meeting with actor Rose Marie—a star on the Dick Van Dyke Show—proved fortuitous. “Her visit literally launched my career,” Conway writes. By 1966 he had relocated to Los Angeles and began appearing on the Carol Burnett Show. Conway discusses his many professional relationships, which provide the scaffolding for this delightful minicourse in early television history, touching on actors like Don Knotts, Steve Allen, Garry Moore, Harvey Korman, and Burnett. The author writes candidly about his two marriages; his feelings on parenting; his love of horses; his professional ups and downs; as well as his recent work in theater. This is a warm-hearted tribute to Conway’s professional and personal life, with endearing peeks behind the television camera. Agent: Jennifer Gates and Todd Schuster, Zachary Schuster Harmsworth Literary. (Oct.)