Nice Girls in History: Carol Burnett

I’ve admired many female role models over the years, and I’m proud to call Carol Burnett one of them. Although I’d be willing to bet she’d crackle with humility at the ‘role model’ title. She was born in 1933 in San Antonio, Texas. It’s no wonder I liked her the first time I saw her, as she’s the same age as my mother. Many women from that generation found living in a male-dominated world stifling, and rebelled against it. Yet it didn’t make them hard – they have a quiet determination about them, among which Ms. Burnett is a stellar example.

Carol Burnett - Charwoman

Her own mother, a publicity writer for movie studios, may have had an influence on her, however, she moved in with her grandmother at a very early age. Her grandmother accepted her, as both of her parents were alcoholics. After they divorced, Carol moved to a boarding house with her half-sister Chrissy in a poor section of Hollywood.

Her imagination manifested early – she created a twin sister named Karen, and in her own words, “fooled the other boarders in the rooming house where [they] lived by frantically switching clothes and dashing in and out of the house by the fire escape and the front door. Then [she] became exhausted and Karen mysteriously vanished.”1

After Carol’s graduation from High School in 1951, she won a scholarship to UCLA. She planned to study journalism, but instead became interested in writing plays. She switched to theatre arts in which she had to perform in front of a live audience. She has stated many times that when she heard the response given to her in such an immediate medium, she was hooked on performing.

Along with her then boyfriend, Don Saroyan, they decided to quit their studies so they could move to New York and ‘make it’ on Broadway. Carol took an interest in musical theatre, but as many aspiring actors, had trouble finding roles. After a couple of small roles in television, she caught the attention of such variety show luminaries as Jack Paar and Ed Sullivan performing a routine written by Ken Welch called, “I made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles”.

Charwoman in Color

Her appearances on many talk and game shows allowed her to find her breakout role as Princess “Fred” in Once Upon a Mattress in 1959. Her performance garnered her a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Garry Moore snapped her up and made her a regular player on his eponymous variety show. During her three year run, she originated a number of original characters, including her famous ‘charwoman’ – which later became her signature alter-ego.

Some of her early guest appearances included roles on The Twilight Zone, Gomer Pyle, USMC, and The Lucy Show. Carol was the first celebrity to appear on Sesame Street, appearing in that show’s first episode. After her appearance with Lucille Ball, they started a life-long friendship, with Lucy even offering Carol her own television show via Desilu Productions. She turned the opportunity down, hoping to create her own variety show. It was lucky for everyone she made that choice, as it mean the origination of The Carol Burnett Show.

The Carol Burnett Show debuted in 1967 and ran through 1978. It was a huge success even though the executives at CBS had little faith in the project, citing their beliefs that only men could be successful as the host of a sketch comedy series.

Cast Pictures from 1967 (L) & 1977 (R)

Carol and her daughter, Carrie Hamilton co-wrote a play called Hollywood Arms (adapted from Carol’s memoir, One More Time). It was made into a Broadway production in 2002, but unfortunately, Carrie passed away from Lung and Brain cancer that same year. The play won a Tony for actress Michele Pawk in 2003.

Carol has been active defending the rights to her work over the years. When a tabloid paper ran an untrue and libelous story, she sued, and was ultimately awarded $800,000. She donated a large portion to several colleges, hoping that the Law and Ethics courses it funded could serve as valuable teaching tools for aspiring journalists.

From the early 1980s through today she has continued to take guest roles on television. Those shows include Mama’s Family (based on a sketch originating on The Carol Burnett Show), Fresno, Mad About You, Law & Order SVU, and Glee. Agnes Nixon, the creator of All My Children, wrote a role specifically for Carol, and she reprised it on the Soap’s series finale in 2011.

Carol and Lucille Ball

Carol maintains open and warm relationships with her friends, family, and fans. At the end of each episode of The Carol Burnett Show, she tugged her ear, as a message to her grandmother, continuing the practice after her death. In addition to her friendship with Lucille Ball, she has maintained lifelong friendships with Julie Andrews, Vicki Lawrence, Liz Taylor, and Rock Hudson. She even conducted question & answer segments with her studio audiences. Carol was quoted in the May 14, 1971 issue of Life Magazine as saying she has no patience for “those who’ve made it, then complain about loss of privacy.”1

Carol on Glee

The Carol Burnett Show won 25 prime time Emmys, and Carol was personally nominated for 23 Emmys; winning 6. She’s won two Golden Globes, a Tony ‘Special Award’ for charitable works, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Carol was honored at the 2003 Kennedy Center Honors and was inducted into the California Hall of Fame at the California Museum for History – Women and the Arts. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1975.

Carol Burnett's Star on the Walk of Fame