A Special Evening with Carol Burnett

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"A Special Evening with Carol Burnett"
The Carol Burnett Show episode
Episode no.Season 11
Episode 24
Directed by Dave Powers
Written byRoger Beatty
Rick Hawkins
Liz Sage
Robert Illes
James Stein
Franelle Silver
Larry Siegel
Tim Conway
Bill Richmond
Gene Perret
Dick Clair
Jenna McMahon
Ed Simmons
Buz Kohan
Bill Angelos
Gail Parent
Tom Patchett
Jay Tarses
Stan Burns
Mike Marmer
Artie Julian
Gary Belkin
Arnie Rosen
Ken Welch
Mitzie Welch
Production code0124
Original air dateMarch 29, 1978 (1978-03-29)
Guest appearances
James Stewart
Craig Richard Nelson as the Psychiatrist
Harvey Korman
Episode chronology
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"Episode #0123"
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"A Special Evening with Carol Burnett" is the two-hour series finale of the American variety/sketch comedy television show The Carol Burnett Show . It is the 279th overall episode of the show and the 24th episode of the eleventh and final season which aired on CBS on Wednesday, March 29, 1978 from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. EST.

Contents

The episode, directed by Dave Powers and written by a large number of collaborators, was videotaped in front of a live audience on March 17, 1978 at CBS Television City's Studio 33 in Hollywood, California. [1]

Summary

Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence reminisce about past shows and introduce excerpts spanning eleven seasons of The Carol Burnett Show which include the following highlights: Burnett does her Tarzan yell and performs in duets with such guests as Liza Minnelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, Rock Hudson, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé; in comic skits, Burt Reynolds sings "As Time Goes By"; Harvey Korman sings "They Call the Wind Maria"; and Burnett sings "Come Rain or Come Shine," "The Lady Is a Tramp," and "You Light Up My Life"; movie parodies include The African Queen and The Postman Always Rings Twice .

Additional highlights include Lawrence singing "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" and "S-P-L-I-T", a spoof of a country-and-western song; Bing Crosby and Bob Hope appear in a restaurant skit; Conway performs the role of a sports commentator in his very first sketch on the series; a Columbo parody titled "Cobumble" is featured and Dick Van Dyke appears with Burnett in the comic sketch "Hand Insurance"; a series of bloopers and outtakes are included from previous shows featuring the regular cast.

Also featured are new sketches of "Mrs. Wiggins" and "The Family". In "Mrs. Wiggins" sketch titled Flashbacks, Mr. Tudball (Conway) is moving his office to a new location and has a flashback to the first time he interviewed Mrs. Wiggins (Burnett); and in "The Family" sketch The Psychiatrist, Eunice (Burnett) and Mama (Lawrence) visit a psychiatrist (Craig Richard Nelson) as Eunice is trying to figure out what went wrong with her life. (Although these were the final sketches of The Carol Burnett Show, the characters would end up being reprised one year later in a different four-week series, Carol Burnett & Company ).

As a special surprise for Burnett, Conway introduces a piano player and – when the curtain goes up – it is legendary screen actor James Stewart playing the piano and singing "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". Burnett, a lifelong fan of Stewart's, breaks down in tears and expresses how much she admires and loves him, and Stewart reciprocates by saying: "Carol, I just feel so wonderful to be here, to be a part of all these millions of people to thank you for all the wonderful beautiful times you've given all of us, all of these eleven years. And I'm frankly speaking for all the millions of people".

In the final moments of the show, Burnett, as the Charwoman, is backstage and waves goodbye to the show's staff and celebrities from the audience as they silently walk by to wish her farewell. Harvey Korman, who was appearing as a guest, stops and gives her a kiss; Lawrence comes out of a stage door, signs Burnett's autograph book, kisses and hugs her and leaves; Conway comes down the stairs and does the same.

She then walks across the empty stage towards a sign reading THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW and flips it over to read CLOSED. Sitting on her Charwoman's bucket, Burnett talks about how hard it is to leave and why she decided to end the show despite a season 12 renewal. She says it felt like the time to move on to do other things while the show was still doing well. She talks about the crew and each member of her cast and how much she loves and respects them. Finally, she thanks the audience and tearfully sings a soulful rendition of the show's closing theme-song "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together". She blows a kiss to the audience, tugs at her ear one last time and says goodnight. [2]

Production notes

Although CBS wanted to renew the show for another year, by this time, Burnett had grown tired of the weekly grind and wanted to explore acting roles outside of the comedy genre. With the changes in cast (Harvey Korman left the series after the 1976–77 season and was briefly replaced by Dick Van Dyke) along with the mediocre ratings (finishing its last season in 66th place), she felt that television was undergoing a transition and that the variety series format was on its way out. Therefore, Burnett decided to end the series on her own rather than be canceled later.

The celebrities in the audience for the final episode included Lillian Gish, Bernadette Peters, Betty White and husband Allen Ludden, Roddy McDowall and Jim Nabors.

The Carol Burnett Show was one of the longest-running variety shows in television history; its conclusion marked the closing of another chapter in television as Burnett was the last of the great comedic talents heading a variety show, and hers was the last offering live entertainment before an audience.

DVD release

On October 3, 2017, Time Life released The Best of The Carol Burnett Show – The Final Show as a single disc DVD in Region 1 to commemorate the show's 50th anniversary. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Burnett</span> American comedian and actress (born 1933)

Carol Creighton Burnett is an American comedian, actress, and singer. Her groundbreaking comedy-variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which originally aired on CBS, was one of the first to be hosted by a woman. She has performed onstage, on television, and in film in varying genres, including dramatic and comedic roles. She has received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and seven Golden Globe Awards. Burnett was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Conway</span> American actor and comedian (1933–2019)

Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. From 1966 to 2012 he appeared in more than 100 TV shows, TV series and films. Among his more notable roles, he portrayed the inept Ensign Parker in the 1960s World War II TV situation comedy McHale's Navy, was a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy The Carol Burnett Show where he portrayed his recurrent iconic characters Mister Tudball, the Oldest Man and the Dumb Private, co-starred with Don Knotts in several films (1975–80), was the title character in the Dorf series of eight sports comedy direct-to-video films (1987–1996), and provided the voice of Barnacle Boy in the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants (1999–2012). Twice, in 1970 and in 1980–1981, he had his own TV series.

<i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> American variety/sketch comedy television show (1967–1978)

The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular cast member after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that he was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.

<i>Mamas Family</i> American television sitcom (1983–1990)

Mama's Family is an American sitcom television series starring Vicki Lawrence as Mama. The series is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called "The Family" featured on The Carol Burnett Show (1967–78) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979). The sketches led to the television film Eunice, and finally the television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Korman</span> American actor and comedian (1927–2008)

Harvey Herschel Korman was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS's The Danny Kaye Show, but he is best remembered for his performances on the sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show, for which he won four Emmy Awards, as well as his partnership with Tim Conway. Korman also appeared in several comedy films by Mel Brooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Lawrence</span> American actress, comedian, and singer (born 1949)

Vicki Lawrence, sometimes credited as Vicki Lawrence Schultz, is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for her character Mama. Lawrence originated multitudes of characters beyond Mama on CBS's The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1978, the variety show's entire series run.

"As the Stomach Turns" is a series of comedy sketches parodying the soap opera As the World Turns featured on The Carol Burnett Show, with one installment airing on Carol Burnett & Company. The sketch was created by show writers Kenny Solms and Gail Parent. The Carol Burnett Show introduced the series during its first season in 1967–68 and continued to air new installments for the remainder of its 11-season run, through its final season in 1977–78. The final installment of "As the Stomach Turns" did not air until September 8, 1979, on a different four-week summer series titled Carol Burnett & Company. This was the only installment of "As the Stomach Turns" that did not air on The Carol Burnett Show, which completed its run almost a year and a half earlier on March 29, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelma Harper</span> Fictional character

Thelma Harper, better known as Mama, is a fictional character played by American actress Vicki Lawrence. Mama is a purse-lipped, thickset senior citizen in her mid-to-late 60s. She has lived in an unspecified part of the Southern United States called "Raytown" for her entire life, evident from the southern drawl of her speech and customs. Mama is an exaggerated version of a prototypical middle twentieth century lower middle class grandmother in the United States South. The character was originally created for Carol Burnett, however, Burnett preferred to play Mama's daughter Eunice Harper Higgins, resulting in Mama as Lawrence's claim to fame.

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Eunice Higgins is the main character in "The Family" comedy sketches played by Carol Burnett and featured on The Carol Burnett Show (1974–78) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979). Eunice also was featured in her eponymous CBS TV movie, which aired in 1982. The film starred Carol Burnett as Eunice; Ken Berry as Eunice's well-to-do brother, Philip ; Harvey Korman as Eunice's husband, Ed Higgins; Betty White as Eunice's sister, Ellen Harper-Jackson; Vicki Lawrence as Eunice's "Mama", Thelma Harper; and Dick Clair as the voice of Eunice's father Carl Harper. The film takes the Harper family on a 23-year journey.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Family (sketch)</span> Sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show

"The Family" is a series of comedy sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show, with one final installment airing on Carol Burnett & Company. The Carol Burnett Show introduced the skit starting in the 1973-1974 season. Overall, it aired new installments of the skit for the last five seasons of its total 11-season run; the skit aired from the 1973-1974 season to the 1977-1978 season on the show. However, the final installment of "The Family" did not air until September 8, 1979 on an entirely different four-week summer series entitled Carol Burnett & Company. This was the only installment of "The Family" that did not air on The Carol Burnett Show, which had completed its run almost a year and a half earlier on March 29, 1978. Altogether, there were 31 installments of "The Family" sketches.

<i>The Tim Conway Show</i> (1980 TV series) US television series - 1980-1981

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Went with the Wind!</span>

"Went with the Wind!" is a comedy sketch featured on the eighth episode of the tenth season of The Carol Burnett Show. It originally aired in the United States on CBS on November 13, 1976, and is a parody of the 1939 American historical drama film Gone with the Wind. The sketch was written by two young writers, Rick Hawkins and Liz Sage. In 2009, TV Guide ranked the sketch #53 on its list of "Top 100 Episodes of All Time".

Eunice is a 1982 American made-for-television comedy-drama film starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry and Betty White which is based on characters of a recurring series of comedy sketches called "The Family" featured on The Carol Burnett Show (1974–78) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979). The film was broadcast as a "CBS Special Presentation" on March 15, 1982 and served as a precursor to the spin-off television sitcom Mama's Family. It was directed by Roger Beatty and Harvey Korman.

The Harvey Korman Show is an American sitcom television series starring Harvey Korman, Christine Lahti, Barry Van Dyke and Milton Selzer that aired for five episodes on ABC from January 31 to August 3, 1978.

"Mrs. Wiggins" is a series of comedy sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show, with one installment airing on Carol Burnett & Company. The Carol Burnett Show introduced the skit series during its ninth season in 1975–76 and continued to air new installments for the remainder of its 11-season run, through its final season in 1977–78. However, the final installment of "Mrs. Wiggins" would not air until August 18, 1979 on a different four-week summer series titled Carol Burnett & Company. This was the only installment of "Mrs. Wiggins" that did not air on The Carol Burnett Show which had completed its run almost a year and a half earlier on March 29, 1978. All together, there were 19 installments of "Mrs. Wiggins" sketches.

<i>In Such Good Company</i>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Oldest Man (character)</span>

The Oldest Man, sometimes referred to as Duane Toddleberry, is a recurring character from comedy sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show. The character was created by Tim Conway during his run on the show and is noted for Conway's performance of slapstick and ad-libbed humor. The character has been revisited in Conway's live comedy tour with fellow actor Harvey Korman from 2003 until Korman's death in 2008, twice on The Queen Latifah Show between 2014 and 2015, in a sketch in the Motion Picture & Television Fund, and also in the collector's edition DVD titled Together Again, which includes new sketches starring Tim Conway and Harvey Korman in their classic roles from The Carol Burnett Show.

"Cinderella Gets It On!" is a musical comedy sketch featured on the 12th episode of the 9th season of The Carol Burnett Show. It originally aired in the United States on CBS on November 29, 1975, and is an adaptation of Charles Perrault's folk tale Cinderella that is set in the 1970s disco era. The sketch was written by Gary Belkin and Roger Beatty and featured music composed by Arthur Malvin. The sketch was directed by Dave Powers.

References

  1. "A Special Evening with Carol Burnett" at Toledo Blade, retrieved July 4, 2016.
  2. The Carol Burnett Show TV series finale, retrieved July 4, 2016.
  3. "The Carol Burnett Show - The Final Show".