Carol Burnett Appeared in a Variety TV Series Before Starring in Her Own

This comedy legend developed her chops as part of a variety series from the Golden Age of TV.

by Rich Watson

Over forty years since her television show went off the air, Carol Burnett is still loved and remembered. This past Halloween, I saw a woman dressed like Burnett from arguably her funniest skit: her Gone With the Wind parody. The costume wasn’t a perfect match for that dress, but it was recognizable.

Before The Carol Burnett Show won hearts and Emmys year after year, its star was part of a different ensemble comedy cast—one from an earlier generation.

Carol Burnett’s early career

The San Antonio native had various TV roles in the mid-fifties, but her biggest claim to fame at the time was for a comedic song in praise of the taciturn Secretary of State. Burnett performed it on both The Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show.

That led to her stint on Broadway, in her Tony-nominated role in the musical Once Upon a Mattress. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Princess and the Pea,” it ran for 470 performances. (Fun fact: Burnett’s replacement was future Brady Bunch maid Ann B. Davis.)

Around the same time, comic Garry Moore revived his TV show.

Garry Moore: early television star

Moore began in thirties theater (he was friends with Zelda Fitzgerald) and forties radio before making the leap to TV and film.

He was ubiquitous in fifties and sixties TV. He appeared not only on his own series, but as a guest on other comedy programs, plus on game shows.

CBS’ The Garry Moore Show had three incarnations: 

• the first was the longest, beginning in 1950 and running first weeknights, then weekdays.
• the second (‘58-‘64) is the one best remembered, in part because Candid Camera spun off from it.
• the third, in color, only lasted one season, 1966-67.

Moore also hosted the game show I’ve Got a Secret, where celebrities attempted to discern a guest’s secret. Debuting in 1952, it lasted as far as 1967, though Moore left in 1964.

After a sabbatical, Moore returned to TV in 1969 to revive the game show To Tell the Truth. 

He died in 1993.

Burnett on The Garry Moore Show

In her memoir This Time Together, Burnett says she auditioned for Moore when it was a daytime series. She replaced guest star Martha Raye, who was sick, for a week in 1959. She had two days to remember her material. 

That fall Burnett joined the show as a regular, appearing in Mattress at the same time. 

Like her future solo show, Moore combined sketch comedy with musical guests. Among the rising stars to appear on the show included Jonathan Winters, Lily Tomlin, Don Knotts and Don Adams.

The regular cast also included Moore’s longtime partner Durward Kirby and another Broadway star, Marion Lorne. Among the regular writers included Neil Simon.

This is an excellent example of the show’s material.

Moore was nominated for ten Emmy Awards. Among its two wins was Burnett, for Outstanding Performance in a 

Variety or Musical Program or Series, in 1962.

In Together, Burnett describes Moore’s influence on her:

Garry Moore was a wonderful mentor, and I won my first Emmy as a result of doing his show. I can never say enough about his kindness, his smarts, and his generosity. Many times when we were rehearsing a sketch, if Garry had a funny line he would turn it down, saying, “Give this to Durward or Carol—they can deliver it better than I can.” There was no such thing as a big ego where this man was concerned. Working with him provided me with an amazing education—and I had a helluva good time, too.

 

Burnett’s later years 

In the sixties, Burnett alternated between TV and Broadway. She did a TV special with Julie Andrews, for which Burnett won the second of her six Emmys. She also developed a close friendship with Lucille Ball, appearing on The Lucy Show and a TV special with Ball.

In Together, Burnett says CBS offered her a half-hour sitcom in 1967. She wanted an hour-long variety show, something unprecedented for a woman. 

Despite skepticism about whether it could carry an entire season, CBS green-lighted The Carol Burnett Show.

It lasted eleven seasons and won 25 Emmys.

I remember watching her show. I loved both it and the spinoff sitcom series Mama’s Family, with Vicki Lawrence. Watching Burnett must’ve been what it felt like watching Ball in the fifties in terms of popularity and anticipation for the show every week. It was that good.

Burnett remains active today. Last year, NBC presented a ninetieth-birthday all-star tribute to her.

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The 2023 special edition of The Dark Pages with my article on the movie Sunset Boulevard is out now. Let me know what you think of it.

@byrichwatson

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Did you see Carol Burnett on The Garry Moore Show?