Norman Lear, Lily Tomlin, and Bob Newhart on hats, computers, and getting arrested

Legendary television trailblazers Norman Lear, Lily Tomlin, Bob Newhart, and Carl Reiner were recently honored at a Paley Center gala in Los Angeles. Together, the quartet is responsible for some of comedy’s finest moments of the last 60-odd years, including shows like All In The Family, Laugh-In, Newhart, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. They’re also all still vital members of the entertainment community, with Lear working together with Jimmy Kimmel to produce live versions of some of his classic shows both earlier and later this year, Tomlin wrapping up her beloved show Grace & Frankie, Newhart still touring his stand-up, and Carl Reiner popping up occasionally on-screen and on Twitter. The A.V. Club talked to Lear, Newhart, and Tomlin on the Paley Center red carpet about everything from Lear’s trademark white hat to Jane Fonda’s spree of recent arrests to Bob Newhart’s 1977 purchase of a Commodore PET computer.