Back then, comedians did more than just stand on stage and crack jokes; they lived their humor. One such amazing occasion occurred on the Carson Tonight Show, when Tim Conway, a comic genius if there ever was one, got his tie jammed in a paper dispenser.

He was backstage immediately before he was set to perform. The camera followed Johnny Carson to locate Tim in such an unusual situation. Imagine a grown guy, a well-known comedian, being caught by his tie in a paper dispenser just before a nationwide television engagement. Nonetheless, there he was, attempting to explain how his tie became snagged as he fumbled with the dispenser.

They tried to conduct the interview right in the men’s room. The idea itself was absurd, and we laughed along with the audience! Tim, in his characteristic deadpan approach, advised cutting the tie, but then joked about its sentimental worth. It was his children’s gift, after all. The humor was not in the deed itself, but in Tim’s casual attitude toward the entire scenario, as if getting one’s tie jammed in a paper dispenser before going live on national television was commonplace! Typical Tim!