My Dad's Funnier than Your Dad

Book excerpt: Comic and television star Tim Conway (The Carol Burnett Show, McHale's Navy, Dorf) enjoyed enormous popular appeal. In this humorous, loving, and surprising memoir, Tim's eldest of his six children, Kelly, reveals that the Conway home life was as riotous as some of her father's legendary comedy sketches. Kelly Conway allows readers an intimate look at an American childhood set in 1970s and 80s Los Angeles, from the studios of CBS to the racetrack of Santa Anita Park where her father taught his kids the art of horse betting. Tim Conway took his hilarious creativity off the set to the family home, where he acted as the ringmaster to six unruly lion cubs—and often lit the fuse of their short-tempered mother, Mary Anne. Kelly takes us through the fascinating world of entertainment from the lens of her dad’s television stardom to her own career in costume design and wardrobe styling, using the lessons her father taught her about holding her own in the often cruel world of show business. But it’s not until Kelly realizes that she must find the courage to fight for her dad when he faces a devastating life change that her steadfast commitment to him becomes clear—although it will mean losing lifelong relationships, and at times, facing harsh criticism. My Dad's Funnier Than Your Dad is Kelly’s love letter to her father, an account of the warm, laugh-filled world of her childhood. And when life brings sadness instead of smiles, it’s the mutual respect and fierce devotion that Kelly shares with her famous father which ultimately defines the true meaning of love.