I watched a special on PBS last night about Carol Burnett. She was a very funny lady and she looked at the world in a way that most other human beings do not. She was not afraid to make fun of herself or anyone else, but she never did it in a mean way. She just found all the little funny bones in a person's behavior or mannerisms and built around that little comedic skeleton.
Who can ever forget her as Scarlett O'Hara with curtain rod shoulders? Or Norma Desmond, who was the poster girl for silicone implants gone wrong? Or Eunice, whose curls seemed to be twisted a little too tight? The other members of her cast were superb and their chemistry as an ensemble was perfect. The formula had no blanks, no not-quite-there elements. It was such a treat to see Mrs. Ha-Wiggins busily filing her nails again while ineptly operating the intercom or primping. Watching all the cast members trying to stifle laughs because they were enjoying the skit as much as the audience was such a treat. I think everyone who enjoys a good laugh watched Carol Burnett's show thinking about how wonderful it would be to have been on that stage with Carol or Vicky Lawrence or Harvey Korman or Tim Conway. Those people had the best job in America, probably in the world. And many of us who were and are their fans were "so glad we had this time together" once again.
She made me laugh. She still does.
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2 comments:
It's too bad there isn't a show like that on anymore.
We're still on the 'reality TV' kick.
You mean it's too bad there isn't a show where the writers have to exercize their gray matter and be clever and witty instead of producing the quick and dirty? What a concept? Reality TV has its place--far, far away in another galaxy and most sitcoms are not funny unless vulgarity, double entendre ad nauseum, simple-minded plots and characters are what the viewer seeks. Once upon a time, writers could actually write something worth being spoken by the actors...
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