In it's time, when I was a kid, I watched and loved "The Carol Burnett Show", but like many variety shows (and sitcoms t
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Clothes-Off — 18 years ago(November 07, 2007 01:13 PM)
I just saw her featured on
American Masters
and even the brief clips they showed had me laughing. Think they had a hard time harvesting clips that would still be funny today? I doubt it!
Tim Conway was hilarious and the brains behind the Mr. Tudball-Mrs. Wiggins sketches, but HARVEY KORMAN?! Mr. Unprofessional-cannot-keep-a-straight-face-even-when-it-isn't-that-funny Korman "light years" ahead of Burnett?! Please! The man was good as a foil, and as part of ensemble casts (
High Anxiety, Lord Love a Duck
) but IMO he's the luckiest comic actor in the business having been elevated along with others for most of his career.
And he was annoying as the voice of that green alien on
The Flintsones
. His presence marked that show Jumping the Shark.
"Well, for once the rich white man is in control!"
C. M. Burns -
gbennett5 — 18 years ago(November 08, 2007 11:27 AM)
You're all CRAZY. Big time. Burnett was, and remains, a genius. The
sets and clothes may be dated, but Burnett's talent IS timeless.
As for the "Eunice" sketches, Burnett did something amazing. She brought
depth and character to comedy in the vein of Gleason. As she said, they
were like one-act plays. Every character she came up with was, and remains,
hilarious.
Too bad the world has become so jaded that minor "talents" (Chris Farley,
Chevy Chase, David Spade, etc.) are now called "geniuses" because they're
cynical, "cool" and hip. Combined, these morons aren't fit to polish
Burnett's shoes.
Rubbish. A thousand years from now, Burnett will be watched, laughed
at and compared to Chaplin and Ball. She was, and remains, unique. -
grey_eyed_grrl — 18 years ago(November 10, 2007 11:27 AM)
Her Eunice sketches were particularly mean-spirited and were basically based on Hollywoods perception of the South vs. what the South really is. I grew up in Louisville, KY, and those sketches never made me laugh. When I was a kid, I did not know why that was, but now I do.
Her Eunice character was Southern because she was born & raised in San Antonio, Texas. They weren't meant to be funny but they did have funny moments because life has funny moments. These sketches were based upon a domineering mother who was never supportive of her daughter and how the daughter (Eunice) spent her life trying to gain her mother's approval. The sketches were very poignant and sometimes heartbreaking. Ever see the one where Eunice was on the Gong Show?
As for Carol not being the best talent on the show I'm curious as to why you say this? -
rachel_anne_foster — 17 years ago(April 27, 2008 08:44 PM)
Carol Burnett is genius and Eunice is her most genius creation. My grandmother has stacks of VHS tapes of the Carol Burnett Show and I grew up watching them after school. I always thought Eunice was funny. Then as I got older, Eunice changed into a tragic character. Now I can't think of Eunice without feeling a little tug on my heart. I just wanted to hug her and tell her she's talented and beautiful.
As for Carol Burnett's true comedic moments, anyone who makes it through "Went With the Wind" without letting out a couple horse laughs needs to check their pulse. And the timing between her and Tim Conway in the Mrs. Wiggins skits?! They kill me. Remember how Mrs. Wiggins sharpened the pencils?! Oh. My. God. That's genius. And I vaguely remember an amazing skit that took place at a bus stop and had no dialog at all. Does anyone remember that?
Not only is she comic perfection, she seems like a really nice person who I could sit and have lunch and a few laughs with. (that would be great!)
Carol Burnett is timeless. If you ever run across the PBS special about her, definitely watch it. Your sides will ache - especially when she's with Gary Moore. -
shoyt_2001 — 17 years ago(June 18, 2008 12:30 AM)
OP and a few others need to check out their childhood issues and get them settled before they lose every bit of their sense of humor.
Carol Burnett was and is timeless in her every single show over the past 40+ years. The fact that she du5b4g down and displayed mean spirited behavior, exposed it, then covered it over with humor is a testament in itself to the value of humor in all life.
Life is hard. Humor makes life bearable and good. -
pjpurple-1 — 14 years ago(January 10, 2012 03:39 PM)
I'm not a southerner and I never thought Carol Burnett was making fun of southerners. The Family sketches made fun of families and all the baggage that people carry around in relation to family members. Who else can drive you totally crazy except the people who know you best and know how to push all your buttons!
Whenever Mama would say something mean, both my mom and I would scream with laughter "That's Gram!" Mama reminded us so much of my grandmother. I swear they based the character on her. lol Both were cranky and very difficult to please and still, very funny. That's not a southern trait. It's a human trait. -
SimplemindedSociety — 13 years ago(April 26, 2012 01:50 AM)
'I don't even think that Burnett was even the best talent on her show. Tim Conway and Harvey Korman were light years ahead of her'.
how come?
Carol had a way with line akin to Lucille ball and Mary Tyler Moore. It's not just the physical humor that Carol excelled at.
I question of certain users have even seem most of her shows.
The timeless quality depends on the sketch. -
dddmi7-1 — 12 years ago(April 09, 2013 10:06 PM)
Thank God it's only your opinion. And for the record, OP, IMO Clint Eastwood would've wiped the streets with Matt Dillon. An overweight, beer swilling town sheriff who spent 20 years trying to score an old hag like kitty without success is not a hero.