Lily Tomlin As The Perpetually-Hilarious Ernestine Takes A Minute To Chat With Cher

Sep 21, 2020

Few people are as hilarious as the beloved comedian Lily Tomlin. She's enjoyed a massive career that's spanned across several decades and included guest appearances in various movies, talk shows, and variety shows.

And as you're about to see, few things are more delightful than an appearance with pop superstar and 70s fashion icon Cher, which took place on Cher's show in 1975.

In the seventies, Cher was the star of a hit TV show called Cher, where she interviewed celebrities, invited musical guests, and performed sketch comedy routines with some of the most popular comedians of the day. In one very special episode, she invited Lily Tomlin to perform a sketch with her famous Ernestine character. By this point, both women were masters of sketch comedy, and the results are absolutely hilarious.

And who's Ernestine, anyway? If you're not familiar with her, Ernestine is a character that Lily Tomlin developed back in the 1970s. The character is a blunt telephone operator who made several appearances in various comedy sketches. When Ernestine famously teamed up with the indomitable Cher, you knew that hilarity was about to ensue.

The sketch opens with Ernestine sitting in front of the switchboard. The crowd immediately bursts into applause, a testament to the popularity of this beloved character. Everybody loves Ernestine, and it's all thanks to Lily Tomlin's quick wit and brilliant comedic timing.

While reading a gossip magazine, Ernestine decides to look up Cher's private phone number so she can talk to her directly. She flips through a book of phone numbers that, according to her, the CIA keeps so they can spy on Hollywood stars. She picks up the phone and connects to Cher's line on the switchboard. Let the fun begin!

"One ringy dingy," Ernestine says, repeating her famous catchphrase. "Two ringy dingies..." As she waits for Cher to answer her phone, she becomes increasingly aggravated. Finally, Cher picks up the phone and says "Hello."

Ernestine introduces herself as a "duly appointed and grossly underpaid servant." Then she demands to know the truth behind the stories she's been reading about Cher in her gossip magazine. Cher says that she doesn't think it's any of her business, but patiently answers her questions anyway.

Of course, that's not enough to satisfy Ernestine. She demands to know the truth about Cher's nightly escapades. Lily Tomlin's acting is so hilarious that even Cher can't help but break into a grin throughout the clip. And the audience is clearly loving it, laughing throughout the sketch as if they'd never seen anything funnier.

Ernestine insists "It's not my job to think!" Cher tries to reassure her that the stories about her in magazines are false, but Ernestine's not having it. Lily Tomlin's hilarious facial expressions really take this sketch to the next level.

Cher smiles and rolls her eyes and insists that the stories are false, but Ernestine gets in one hilarious jab after another. The sketch ends with Ernestine eagerly calling up her favorite magazine to give an exaggerated scoop on the things that Cher told her. It's the perfect way to end a sketch that was hilarious from beginning to end.

How hard did you laugh when you watched this classic comedy skit? Tell us your favorite lines and moments in the comments. And send this video to anyone you know who appreciates comedy--everyone needs to see the classics once in a while!