Comedic talents like Lily Tomlin and Cloris Leachman are put together once in a blue moon. Tomlin fondly talks about those times.
During an appearance on “The Talk,” Tomlin remembers her time costarring with Leachman in a movie version of the popular CBS sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
Tomlin said she “was just crestfallen” to hear of Leachman’s death.
“I felt she was going to live forever,” Tomlin said on “The Talk.”
Cloris Leachman Told Stories That Made Tomlin Laugh
Tomlin said Cloris Leachman, who died on Wednesday at 94, would come into the make-up trailer and tell story after story. It usually ended up with much laughter bouncing off the walls.
“It was just a providential bit of comedy that was just really fun to do,” Tomlin, 81, said.
She recalls one scene in the movie that both of them simply improvised on the spot.
“When I was rescuing her from a hospital where she had shock treatments … and we’re running down the hall together, and somehow we got our bags mixed up,” Tomlin said. “We absolutely improved the whole thing. We had no idea it was going to happen, and we didn’t know it would stay in the movie.”
Reece Witherspoon Shares A Heartfelt Remembrance
Other people in the entertainment industry have been sharing their remembrances of Cloris Leachman after her death.
Actress Reece Witherspoon said on Twitter, “Truly original and larger than life in every unique performance. An incredibly talented actress who will be deeply missed.”
Leachman won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Last Picture Show” in 1971. She also appeared in two very popular Mel Brooks comedies, “Young Frankenstein” in 1974 and “History of the World, Part 1” in 1981.
She also played roles in TV shows like “A Brand New Life,” “Cher”, “The Woman Who Willed a Miracle,” “Promised Land” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” Obviously, her breakout TV character was Phyllis Lindstrom on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” on CBS. That costarring role ultimately led to her own spin-off show called “Phyllis.”
Cloris Leachman won eight Emmy Awards and picked up 22 Emmys throughout her career. With iconic TV and movie roles to her name, she will not be forgotten.
H/T: People
