The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)

Television show featuring skits by Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe.

Stars:

Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman

Won 8 Golden Globes. Another 30 wins & 69 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Carol Burnett	...	Various Characters (278 episodes, 1967-1978)
Vicki Lawrence	...	Various Characters (278 episodes, 1967-1978)
Harvey Korman	...	Various Characters (254 episodes, 1967-1977)
Lyle Waggoner	...	Various Characters (182 episodes, 1967-1974)
Tim Conway	...	Various Characters (110 episodes, 1967-1978)

Storyline

Television show featuring skits by Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe.

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Plot Keywords:

actress playing multiple roles | joke | comedy team | running gag | recurring character | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carol Burnett and Friends

Filming Locations:

Ed Sullivan Theatre - 1697 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Burngood, Bob Banner Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the final show of the first season, Carol Burnett appeared as her "washerwoman" character, and walked out of the theater, every seat empty save for a bald man who had fallen asleep in his seat. In a touching gesture, she stopped by him, leaned over, kissed him on his scalp, and walked out the doors of the back of the theater. It was so well-received that every subsequent season ending, the scene was repeated with a bald actor in the audience. At the end of the last show of the series, she walked out to the back of the stage (amid the wild applause of the audience) and kissed a similarly "sleeping" security guard.

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Quotes

Housekeeper: [After the Cunningham's have entered a scary castle] Go away. For three hundred years, no strange person has been inside this castle.
Mrs. Cunningham: You wanna bet?

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Crazy Credits

At the end of most shows in the early seasons, the announcer said "This is your announcer speaking."

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005)

User Reviews

Classic show, classic people, classic memories

The Carol Burnett Show was one of the most fabulous shows ever on TV, and certainly the best of its type, the variety show, which is gone now. Carol, her delightful ensemble cast of Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and her many guest stars always delivered a great show.

What stands out for me is her film takeoffs, and on this board, I'm sure that's what stands out for most of us. I had the misfortune of seeing "Mildred Fierce" before I saw the real "Mildred Pierce." So I laughed all the way through Mildred Pierce. Torchy Song and her marvelous Joan Crawford - when I saw Mommie Dearest, all I could think of was Carol Burnett. Sunset Boulevard - when I saw the movie after seeing her takeoff, she was all I could think of.

But there was one movie takeoff that beat them all - Gone with the Wind. An absolute classic. If Carol Burnett had in her entire career only walked down those stairs wearing the rods still in the drapes and said, "Thank you. I saw it in the window and I just couldn't resist it," it would have been enough to make her a superstar. The skit was so brilliant that I can still remember watching it at home when friends came by to pick me up. They started watching it and laughing, too. When a commercial break came, one of my friends said, "Okay, let's go." Everyone moaned that they wanted to see the rest of it. My friend objected, saying, "It's going to be hours - they haven't burned Atlanta yet." The skit was so complete, he was sure he was watching a takeoff of the entire film.

I don't know why there isn't a place on television now for this kind of show, but I can hazard one guess. Burnett did takeoffs on the film The Heiress, Til We Meet Again, Mildred Pierce, Torch Song, Sunset Boulevard - if she was on TV today, no one would laugh because they wouldn't know what she was doing. I'm sure most people have never seen most of those films - certainly not enough to keep her on the air. It's an amazing thing to think about how the world has changed. I'm glad I was in the world before it did.