Celebrities | TV | Pop Culture | 70s
7 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Carol Burnett Show'
Carol Burnett is one of the most influential comedians of all time. Her show was loved by millions, and her ability to make people laugh is truly unique.
The Carol Burnett Show was a truly iconic piece of media. It seemed to be one of those shows that everyone would talk about the next day around the water cooler. The hilarious skit comedy ran for 11 years, boasting 279 episodes of hilarious content, which has been ranked as one of Time magazines best TV shows of all time.
Because the show ran for so long, there is a lot you don't know about it! Check out these 7 interesting facts about The Carol Burnett Show!
Each skit was filmed twice
They would run through the show twice, switching out the audience in between so they could get different reactions. They would edit together the show based on the best reactions and best takes.
Vicki Lawrence got her part on the show because she wrote a fan letter to Burnett
Lawrence's mother suggested she write to Burnett because of the resemblance between the two of them. Lawrence sent a letter to Burnett and mentioned her performance in a beauty pageant, and out of no where the actress actually showed up! Burnett remembered her when they went to working on casting for the show, and the rest is history!
Burnett once used her iconic Tarzan yell as ID
She tried to write a check but she didn't have her ID with her. The manager asked that she do her signature yell to prove it was her. However, screaming in a busy mall meant that the security guards jumped into action. Apparently they didn't know what was going on and she ended up with a gun pointed at her, but obviously it all worked out just fine.
Sometimes the most iconic skits were the ones that they messed up. But who was guilty of going off script most often?
Tim Conway didn't like to follow the script
He was a favorite guest star for the fans, but he would often go off script for long tangents that frustrated some of cast. It did however create one of the most famous bloopers of the entire series when Lawrence added her own ad-lib that caught everyone off guard. Both Dick Van Dyke and Tim Conway fell to the floor while Burnett completely lost it on the couch.
There was only one celebrity guest that Burnett could never book
She always wanted Bette Davis to guest star. Even though they were an incredibly popular series, they couldn't afford her demands. Executive producer and Burnett's husband Joe Hamilton said that if they gave in to Davis's high demand they would have to do it for all future guests.
The signature ear tug was a message to her grandma
She used to tug on ear as a little message to her grandma to say "Hello, I love you." Even though her grandmother passed away while the show was still on the air, she kept it up as a little tribute to her.
The famous dentist skit was based on a real event
Tim Conway had a dentist who once injected his own finger with Novocain so he was able to use that memory to make one of the funniest bits ever. Even Harvey Korman couldn't keep it together during the iconic scene! You can see Korman laughing hysterically the entire time and according to Conway, he laughed so hard that he wet himself!