Tiny Tim’s TV Debut Didn’t Really Age Well

Everyone thought that Tiny Tim was foolish to chase a career in music and compete with artists that have huge advantages. Yet, this Manhattan-born dreamer proved them wrong when he began to rise like a star for all the different reasons.

When Tiny Tim started his musical calling, everyone who knew him tells him that he’s exceptional: with his falsetto voice and his signature ukulele that was entirely different from the predominated industry of electric guitars. He landed with different gigs, endured a small salary from it until he became well-known, and starred in few independent films that made him became well-known inside the show business.

His appearance on You Are What You Eat (1968) singing “I Got You Babe” booked him his first Television gig at Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In. It’s a sketch comedy show hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin that was well beloved by its American viewers. The first part shows the hosts talking about the “artists” that they introduced on the show, now living a normal life due to career flop. But then, Rowan called in Tiny Tim, who brought a shopping bag, pulled in his ukulele, and began to sing in a soprano voice “A Tisket A Tasket” and “On The Good Ship Lollipop.” It was funny and entertaining to watch as the dumbstruck Martin waited for Tim to finish the song.

After the performance, the hosts made fun of Tim, either based on his looks or the fact that he’s weird. Essentially, such behavior from them isn’t going to sit well with today’s standards, and to insult something so bizarre and fascinating as Tiny Tim is considered bad. Nevertheless, it was with comedy that Tiny Tim rose to fame, and he will forever be remembered for it.

You can watch the performance below.