you have to write to the point where you get respect. because nobody's going to hand it to you as a female. >> come on, lily. lily tomlin, what are you going to do? >> i'm going to do a lady tonight who's an employee of one of america's most beloved institutions. >> fenicia, this is ernestine, i want you to check out a circuit check on all the circuits at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. because, honey, it's almost impossible to get through to that man. >> in the '60s, "laugh-in" was one of the hottest programs on tv. and all of these famous characters we associate with lily tomlin became famous then and turned her into a huge star. >> and that's the truth. >> she was hip. she was not doing material about being a frustrated wife. she was doing character material and it was really new and different and brilliant. >> mama said you went to college.