Series / The Carol Burnett Show

"Let's bump up the lights..."

"I'm so glad we had this time together
Just to have a laugh or sing a song
Seems we just get started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'"

A hit Variety Show starring (who else?) Carol Burnett, which aired for 11 seasons (1967–78) on CBS. The show followed a simple format of weekly guest stars, sketch comedy, movie and TV parodies, and musical numbers. What set it apart was how off-the-wall the cast and writers would take things. Basically anything went, as long as it was funny (and could air on TV, of course). Many also consider it to be the first comedic variety series centered around a woman.

The regular cast initially consisted of Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner; Tim Conway (who'd appeared numerous times as a guest) succeeded Waggoner in Season 8, while Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman for the 11th and final season. Jim Nabors (whom Burnett regarded as her "lucky charm") appeared as the guest for the first episode of each and every season. One of the show's more popular recurring sketches spun off into the sitcom Mama's Family.

After a failed one-skit anthology series called Carol and Company (1990–91), CBS attempted to simply reboot The Carol Burnett Show in its original format in 1991 for a total of 9 more episodes.

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Let's bump up the tropes:

• Accidental Misnaming: One "Family" sketch has the character of Mavis Danton (played by guest star Madeline Kahn) constantly refer to Eunice as "Bernice".
• Adjective Animal Alehouse: In a sketch about a man trying to get his car's license plates at a government agency, he asks the female clerk if he can take her to lunch and she says for him to meet her at the Whispering Escargot^note French for "snail" restaurant.
• Adolf Hitlarious: The "Interrogator" sketch, in which a Nazi commandant (Tim Conway) interrogates a POW (Lyle Waggoner) using an Adolf Hitler hand puppet.
• Affectionate Parody: Given the type of show this is, the bulk of its film and TV parodies firmly place themselves in deconstruction territory.
• Argentina Is Nazi-Land: The "Cafe Argentine" sketch with Lucille Ball is this, condensed down to a single high end restaurant. The fact that our main waiter opens up with a German accent, calls Carol and Lucille "Fraulein", runs the place like the SS, and the food is more in line with German cuisine than typical Argentinian should have given it away even before the manager shows up.
• The Artifact: The initial premise of the "Carol & Sis" segments was Carol trying to take care of her much younger sister Chrissy (played by Vicki Lawrence), with the help of her reluctant husband Roger (Harvey Korman). Over time, however, the focus of the sketches became more about Carol and Roger, their up-and-down marriage, etc. With Chrissy only being there to make snide remarks. In fact, in many of the last "Carol & Sis" segments, Chrissy doesn't appear at all, nor is she even mentioned.
• Author Avatar: The Charwoman.
• Bits of Me Keep Passing Out: "The Dentist Sketch" in which a hapless dentist (Conway) keeps accidentally injecting various parts of his body with Novocaine.
• Black Comedy: Characters could die, or meet horrible fates, and it would always be Played for Laughs. For example, the sketch where Harvey Korman is a WWII air-bomber, who jumps out of a plane, but ends up losing his parachute. Obviously he's a dead man. The sketch ends with this:
  Tim Conway: Well, at least he landed on the enemy target.
• Bland-Name Product
  • One sketch parodies commercials where a character is approached by a stranger asking them to try a new product. Carol plays a housewife who has multiple people enter her kitchen and ask to to try items like Leg & Hammer (Arm & Hammer) baking soda and Borito (Purina) Dog Chow.
  • In a sketch with several dolls, one is named Barbrie (Barbie) and one is named G.I. Jack (G.I. Joe).
• Blatant Lies: Invoked during a Q&A segment.
  Audience member: Do you ever get nervous before a show?
  Carol Burnett: No. (promptly mock-faints)
• Briefer Than They Think: The Mrs. Wiggins sketches were only part of the show for the final three seasons.
• Bullet Dancing: A sketch with John Byner has him as a gunslinger who enters a bar and takes over. It ends with him ordering everyone to dance as he fires around their feet. Lyle Waggoner is the bartender, Harvey Korman is one of the patrons, and the others are played by the Ernie Flatt Dancers. They all do a very well-choreographed number.
• Bull Seeing Red: In the second part of a recurring skit about a construction worker (Tim Conway) trying to off his wife (Carol), he buys her a vivid red dress with all the accessories including shoes and a silk handkerchief, then tells her to wear it because he's going to take her dancing. He sneaks a bull into their back yard, then convinces her to practice the flamenco in their kitchen. He opens the back door and tries to coax the bull to look at her. When he fails, he grabs the handkerchief and goes outside, waving it. Naturally, the bull attacks him instead.
• The Chew Toy: Most of Tim's and many of Carol's characters, mainly the Oldest Man and Stella Toddler, respectively. And yes, the two characters did cross over.
• Chroma Key: Used (and Played for Laughs) in some closing mini-musicals from later seasons, like "Beach Blanket Boo-Boo".
• Costume Porn: Bob Mackie did virtually all the outfits on the show, from the grand to the silly. In the case of "The Flasher" sketch, Bob Mackie literally was a costume porn-artist.
• Crazy-Prepared: Initially, the director in "Rhoda Dimple":
  Rhoda Dimple: Wait a minute, hold it, von Megaphone Mouth, we ain't through with the picture yet!
  Director: I want to thank the sound department for their excellent work...
  Rhoda Dimple: I'm talkin' to you!
  Director: The lighting department for their excellent contribution...
  (Rhoda kicks the director in the shin, but he doesn't react to it)
  Director: The Los Angeles Dodgers for the shin guards...
  (Rhoda punches him in the gut, but this makes a metallic sound)
  Director: ...and the chest protector!
  (Rhoda angrily bites his hand)
  Director: And also Dr. Dondelhoit for the rabies shot!
• Crossover: One "Family" sketch had Eunice be a contestant on The Gong Show, with appearances by Chuck Barris, Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan, and Allen Ludden. This is especially brilliant when you remember that Ludden's wife (now-widow) is Betty White, who played Eunice's sister Ellen in the "Family" sketches and on Mama's Family.
• Curtain Clothing: The famous parody of the "curtain dress" from Gone with the Wind, where Starlet walks down the stairs in a gown made from her velvet curtains...with the 6-foot long curtain rod still attached across her back.
  Rat: That gown is gorgeous.
  Starlet: Thank you. I saw it in the window and just couldn't resist it.
• Disaster Movie:
  • Parodied in several sketches, most notably "Disaster '75", which skewers the Airport series six years before Airplane!.
  • In addition, "Disaster '75" features Nora Desmond and her servant Max among the passengers (alluding to Gloria Swanson's role in Airport 1975) in a mild Crisis Crossover.
• Ditzy Secretary: Mrs. Wiggins, Mr. Tudball's bimbo of a secretary. One sketch opens with her just staring vacantly into space. Tudball's constant remarks about her intellect fly over her Sarcasm-Blind head.
• Dysfunctional Family: The Mama's Family sketches, which almost always featured some level of conflict, usually between Eunice and Mama.
• Early-Installment Weirdness
  • The first season, with Vicki Lawrence not appearing outside the "Carol and Sis" skits, other skits being performed on the main show stage, and Clark Jones directing instead of Dave Powers, is definitely this.
  • "The Family". Any Mama's Family fans unfamiliar with the sketches are likely to be surprised at Mama's nastier demeanor (though it did continue into Mama's Family's early episodes) and much of the focus being on Eunice, who's presented here as more sympathetic. Also, in addition to Eunice and Ellen, a number of other Harper children are introduced, but are never seen again, most notably Philip Harper (Roddy McDowall), who was originally the focus of the first sketch.
• Ending Theme: Sung by Carol herself, although there was an instrumental version for syndication. The lyrics are quoted above.
• Every Episode Ending: At the end of the show, Carol would get on stage to sing the ending theme, then go on to collect autographs from all of her special guests from the episode.
• The Eponymous Show
• Face Palm: During the infamous "Siamese Elephants" sketch, Burnett does a sort of "Oh, Crap!" version of this when Conway starts in on his spiel.
• Fake Guest Star: Tim Conway only became a full cast member in season 9, but was already a frequent guest by then.
• Funny Foreigner: Mr. Tudball (and by extension Mrs. Tudball).
• Game Show Appearance: Outside the show, Carol, Vicki, Tim, and Jim once randomly dropped in on an episode of Match Game (they both taped at CBS Television City), and they sat on the floor and played for a round.
• Gender Bender: Occasonally used on The Carol Burnett Show. It's Played for Laughs, of course. Notable skits include the Godfather Honeymoon skit (season 6 episode 9) and the Star Trek Estrogena 7 Parody (1991 reboot episode 6). Also, deleted.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: "Went With the Wind" has a running gag in which Sissy panics about everything, until Starlet slaps her. Eventually, Sissy slaps herself to calm down. At the end of the sketch, Starlet starts panicking, until Sissy slaps her.
• Girl Scouts Are Evil: A recurring sketch with Carol playing a Girl Scout who blackmails people into buying lots of cookies. One of those people being played by Vincent Price.
• Grand Finale: "A Special Evening with Carol Burnett", which included highlights from the show's run, reminisces from the cast, a pair of new "Mrs. Wiggins" and "Family" sketches, and a surprise appearance by none other than Jimmy Stewart.
• Groin Attack: In the "Lost in the Sahara" sketch, Tim Conway goes mad from the heat, takes out a gun and shoots Harvey Korman. Conway then sticks the gun down the front of his pants.... it goes off.
• Helpless with Laughter: The Carol Burnett Show was famous for the cast "breaking up" (known as Corpsing among the profession) during the skits. This results in people finding it necessary to hide their faces so as to avoid breaking character; Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Burnett herself were the most likely to react in this manner, while Conway and Vicki Lawrence were the most likely to cause this reaction in others.
• Identical Stranger: During one Q&A intro, one audience member pointed out another audience member who bore an uncanny resemblance to Bea Arthur.
• Inept Talent Show Contestant: As mentioned, Eunice has a spot on The Gong Show and is so convinced that her singing talent will be her ticket away from her family that she does a lot of bridge-burning before the show. Bad idea.
• Iron Maiden: Played for laughs in one sketch. Tim Conway plays an incompetent torturer who gets trapped in his own iron maiden. Another character absentmindedly puts weight on the lid and forces the spikes into the torturer's body.
• I Was Quite a Looker: Snow White and Prince Charming in a sketch set 15 years after their fairy tale ended. Snow White in particular got demoted from the Fairest of Them All to #906.
  Snow White: Oh, well that's up three over last week's chart!
  Magic Mirror: That's because The Three Little Pigs died.
• Kneel, Push, Trip: A sketch had Carol playing former Queen of England, Elizabeth II, trying to reward a very picky soldier. He didn't want a medal, he wanted a pony. When he specified he wanted a blue pony, Elizabeth (after having a royal fit) whispered something to Prince Philip, who then casually walked behind the soldier while whistling "Rule Brittania". Philip then knelt so Elizabeth could push the annoying soldier.
• Lodged Blade Removal: One skit features Carol and Tim Conway as a clumsy couple trying to save money by renovating their mountain cottage themselves. As they enter, Tim is carrying a bunch of tools, including a big screw driver. Carol bumps into him, shoving its blade into his gut. She asks if he's bleeding, he says, "only internally" and pulls it out and tosses it aside. He suffers no ill effects, but bumbles around not accomplishing much other than hitting Carol on the head, knocking her down, and so forth. It ends with the entire cottage falling in after they toss paper cups into the unfinished fireplace.
• Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex: Spoofed in the "Super Guy" sketch, where the titular superhero's long suffering wife has to deal with his uncontrollable strength ruining the house, her health, and their marriage despite the fact that he loves her to bits. She has to go to sleep in armor just to keep herself from being cuddled to death at night and has tried to murder him at least once.
• Mock Cousteau: The "Jacques Too Close" sketch staring Harvey Korman and Tim Conway.
• Nice Character, Mean Actor: Played in-universe by Shirley Temple parody Rhoda Dimple, who acted like a total brat when the cameras were off.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed
• Oh, Crap!: Surprisingly averted in "The Little Foxies", a takeoff on The Little Foxes. Burnett's character, having supposedly become the last-surviving heir of her family, opens her late husband's safe, but instead of riches she's encountered by a loaded cannon. The resulting deadpan reaction is far more within My God, You Are Serious! territory.
• Once a Season: Carol would always have her good luck charm in the form of Jim Nabors guesting the first episode of each season. This was hilariously lampshaded in the final episode of the series— each of the archived clips from Nabors-guested episodes would comprise of Carol introducing Jim, and then cut to a mere still frame of him. Simply put, Jim Nabors was frozen today.
• Pimped-Out Dress: Many of Mackie's outfits were very fancy, especially if worn by a rich woman.
• Politician Guest-Star: Then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan appeared onstage during one episode's question period.
• Precision F-Strike: What finally caused everyone to crack up in the famous "Elephant Story" blooper.
  Vicki Lawrence (as Mama): You sure that little asshole's through?
• Pretty in Mink: Quite a few well off ladies wore furs. This includes playing Queen Elizabeth II in one sketch, and her white fox wrap flings around a little as she starts yelling at her idiot guard.
• Revival: A short-lived one ran on CBS for nine episodes in 1991. Notably, one of the sketches was a Gender Flipped spoof of the original Star Trek.
• Shotgun Wedding: Eunice and Ed are implied to have had this:
  Eunice: (to Ed) It is time we satisfied [Mama's] curiosity! Go on! Go on, just tell her what happened that night that I went with you and then later on, we had to get married!
  Mama: I get your drift, Eunice. Welcome to the club.
• Shirley Template: A recurring sketch has Burnett play a parody of Temple, aptly named "Shirley Dimple", later named "Rhoda Dimple" likely due to legal issues. One such sketch mocked Temple's unsuccessful bid for politics.^note Temple ran as an independent candidate for a congressional position at the time, albeit as a conservative Republican.
• Signature Transition: Carol closed every episode by singing the Ending Theme and tugging one ear, which was a nod to her grandmother. The credits rolled after the ear tug.
• Significant Monogram: At least one version of the Animated Credits Opening took the CBS in "From CBS Television City" and used the letters to write The Carol Burnett Show.
• Simpleton Voice: Often used by Vicki Lawrence.For example, in "Caged Dames".
• Slapstick: Carol regularly participates in a lot of physical humor throughout the show.
• Soap In A Show: The recurring sketch "As the Stomach Turns," complete with Soap Opera Organ Score.
• Spin-Off: As mentioned, Mama's Family.
• Split-Screen Phone Call: Done masterfully in the "Hotel Operator" sketch, where Carol fields a series of exchanges between several hotel guests and a local tart (Vicki). Veers into The Operators Must Be Crazy as Carol gets intrigued.
• Stop Trick: In one sketch, Carol Burnett plays a bored housewife trying to crash a party next door. She goes into the bedroom in a bathrobe and curlers, and seconds later emerges completely dressed, coiffed, and made-up. Slightly averted in that the camera angle did change, but the effect was the same.
• Sweet Polly Oliver: In one sketch, two single women want to fly to Hawaii by taking advantage of a discount for couples. Carol's character dresses up like a man (she lost the coin toss) and has to put up with such things as the wrong bathroom and an unwanted admirer. Just as the plane is boarding, it looks like an airport employee is about to catch the two, but no, he's after the pair ahead of them. Turns out two men had the same idea to pose as a couple, so one of them was Disguised in Drag.
  • In another sketch from season 4 titled "Naughty Rosemarie" (a parody of Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald musicals, particularly Naughty Marietta and Rose Marie), Carol plays a princess hiding from her fiancé in the Canadian wilderness who briefly dons a Paper-Thin Disguise as a Mountie (she still has her hair and makeup done up and carries the character's distinctive pink fan). Her lover, a Singing Mountie played by Harvey Korman, still ends up Sweet on Polly Oliver, lamenting his feelings in song while Carol duets in reverse falsetto.
• Syndication Title: Carol Burnett and Friends, which edited the shows down to a half-hour by omitting the musical numbers. Probably the most common example of the trope, as it's the only version of the series that airs in repeats (at least in the US), to the point where some younger viewers might not even be aware this was an edited version of The Carol Burnett Show.
• Til Murder Do Us Part: Played straight and/or parodied in several sketches. Most of these attempts go as well as you'd expect.
• Title Drop: Twice in the Gone With the Wind parody.
  Brashley: It went with the wind.
  Starlet: What wind?
  (Suspiciously Similar Song to the "Tara theme" from GWTW plays)
  Starlet: Well, that's pretty, but it doesn't answer my question!
  • The second instance occurs between Rat and Sissy.
• Toilet Seat Divorce: This Charmin commercial parody has Carol play a mom who learns that her family abandoned her since her preferred brand of toilet paper doesn't feel soft enough.
• Toilet Teleportation: Inverted in a spoof of Jaws. The shark is in a toilet. The Quint character fishes for it through the toilet hole, and gets pulled in to his death.
• Trash of the Titans: There's a recurring skit with a poor family, the father of whom (Harvey Korman) consumes a tremendous amount of beer in spite of them being on welfare. In every instance, he throws at least one empty can into the same closet, which never gets cleaned out. As time goes on, the cans begin spilling farther and farther into the room, to the point of covering half the sitting room floor by the end of the skit's run.
• True Beauty Is on the Inside: Invoked for laughs in the "Valley of the Dollars" sketch when talking about the Jennifer North character and how she possesses a lot of great qualities, talking about her exquisite beauty.
  Neely: I'm a superstar and I'm only 20.
  Jennifer: I'm at least a 38.
  Neely: Yeah, but you don't have inner beauty.
  Anne: That's not true. I've seen her X-Rays.
  Jennifer: I only posed for them because I needed the money.
• Variety Show: In addition to the weekly comedy skits, solo artists, comedians and dance numbers are often featured.
• Waxing Lyrical: A few characters in "Went With the Wind" quote folk songs. One instance, in which Rat recites "Dixie", gets lampshaded when Sissy suggests setting those words to music.
• What the Hell Is That Accent?: Mr. Tudball's weird accent was usually assumed by viewers to be Swedish, but Word of God is that it's Romanian (Tim Conway's mother's family was Romanian).
• White-Dwarf Starlet: Nora Desmond, Carol's spoof of Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond.
• World of Ham: "Went With the Wind".

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