Carol Burnett Movies
American entertainer Carol Burnett and her sister were both raised by their loving grandmother. It has long been a matter of public record that Burnett credits her grandmother for encouraging her to utilize her comic and musical talents to the fullest. Working her way through UCLA, she majored in English and Theater arts, gradually developing the poise and self-confidence to tackle an entertainment career. After nightclub work, Burnett was spotlighted on the variety programs of Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan, and Jack Paar, bringing down the house on Paar's program with the specialty ballad "I Made a Fool of Myself over John Foster Dulles." In 1956, Burnett co-starred with Buddy Hackett in the live TV sitcom Stanley, which unfortunately was scheduled opposite the indestructible Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. A near-star several times over, Burnett finally grabbed the brass ring with her bravura performance in the 1959 off-Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress, which led to a three-season stint as a regular on The Garry Moore Show. An Emmy award resulted from her contribution to Moore, and another Emmy followed for a 1962 joint appearance with Julie Andrews at Carnegie Hall. Some of her comedy of the era was the self-deprecating sort allotted to women who weren't raving beauties, but she transcended the cruelty of the jokes with an inner beauty that one would have to be blind to miss. As a slapstick comedienne Burnett was unrivalled, even by the sainted Lucille Ball, and on occasion she was allowed to drop the comic mask and deliver a heart-rending ballad. In 1962, CBS signed Burnett to a long term contract under the supervision of her then-husband, producer Joe Hamilton. After an uncomfortable few months in 1964 in which the producers of the Broadway production Fade Out Fade In sued Burnett for abandoning the play to appear in a weekly variety series The Entertainers, her post-Garry Moore career moved along unevenly. She was advised to sign for another series but avoided the option of situation comedy (she once insisted that she didn't want to be trapped playing someone named Agnes every week). In 1967, virtually out of desperation for a workable idea, The Carol Burnett Show premiered on CBS. Burnett patterned the program after Garry Moore's opening monologue, brief sketches with continuing characters, parodies, musical bits, and a closing all-star musical comedy production number. With such first-rate supporting talent as Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner and Tim Conway, The Carol Burnett Show was a ratings-grabber until its final telecast in 1978. Carol Burnett's life and career since then has been distinguished by as many valleys as peaks. Her film career never truly got off the ground, despite excellent performances in such pictures as Pete 'N' Tillie (1972) and A Wedding (1978). Nevertheless, Carol Burnett has more than earned her place in the pantheon of television giants. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1975
Carol Burnett and Alan Alda star in this TV version of the 1972 Broadway comedy 6 Rms Riv Vu. The title is New York Times shorthand for an available 6-room apartment with a river view. Two thirtysomething Manhattanites show up to look over this vacant apartment: Anne Miller (Carol Burnett), a bored housewife, and Paul Friedman (Alan Alda), an unhappily married advertising copywriter. The door is accidentally locked, and Anne and Paul are left alone together....and that's where the plotline -- and their relationship -- shifts into gear. Bob Randall adapted the script from his own play. 6 Rms Riv Vu was first telecast March 17, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
One of television's most beloved commedians and one of Hollywood's greatest love goddesses appear together for the first time in this made-for-cable comedy drama. Mary Catherine Castelli (Carol Burnett) is a fifty-year-old real estage agent whose husband left her for a younger woman; since then she's been making up for lost time with short term relationships with a number of men, some of whom happen to be married. Deborah Shapiro (Elizabeth Taylor) is also middle-aged and freshly divorced, through she is still coming to terms with being single again and has had little luck finding a new beau. Mary and Deborah meet literally by accident when they get into a fender-bender outside Mary's office, but the two soon strike up a friendship after Deborah asks Mary to help her sell her house. Together, Mary and Deborah help each other deal with their new lives as single women, the difficulty of getting back into the dating pool, and the mildly terrifying onset of middle age and menopause. Based on a novel by Shelly List (who produced this film), Between Friends was produced for the permium cable network HBO. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
As co-hosted by Gene Kelly and Kathryn Crosby (the wife of Bing Crosby), this exclusive video compilation presents priceless back-to-back clips from many of Bing's Christmas specials that aired from the early 1960s through the late 1970s. Featured guests include: Jackie Gleason, Twiggy, David Bowie, Fred Astaire, Carol Burnett and many others. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, (more)
- 1996
Jimmy Stewart had a certain something that drew audiences and held their attention. A true "screen hero," Stewart's sincere, slightly befuddled persona as George Bailey in the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life and Elwood P. Dowd in the ever-fresh Harvey is the marker of an era. Indeed, Stewart's Everyman in the Frank Capra directed hits Mr. Smith Goes to Washington will make the most cynical stand up and cheer. Learn about Stewart's childhood in Indiana, prolific career, his heroism in WWII, and his family life. Richard Kiley narrates this biography. ~ Leslie Birdwell, All Movie Guide
Directed by Rick McKay, who traveled across five continents during the documentary's production, Broadway: The Golden Age is both a celebration of current Broadway stars and a tribute to Broadway legends past. Through a plethora of interviews and vast amounts of archival footage, McKay presents a variety of factoids, anecdotes, and memories from over 100 Broadway actors, writers, and directors. The careers of Laurette Taylor, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Marlon Brando are all animatedly retold, as is some of the Broadway "lore of olde," such as Angela Lansbury's struggle to land a role in Mame and the shocked reaction to West Side Story on its opening night. In addition to footage and discussion regarding highly successful Broadway stars, a variety of actors recount their experiences and struggles in finding even a small amount of critical recognition. The cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bea Arthur, Edie Adams, Alec Baldwin, and Kaye Ballard, and many others. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edie Adams, Bea Arthur, (more)
- 1998
This two-hour TV entertainment special takes a surface skim (95 minutes minus commercials and promos) over the history of CBS, quickly skipping past decades of CBS radio to concentrate on CBS television from the late '40s to the present. It features more than a dozen hosts (Adam Arkin, Ed Bradley, Carol Burnett, David Copperfield, Roma Downey, Fran Drescher, Don Johnson, Angela Lansbury, David Letterman, Cheech Marin, Mary Tyler Moore, Dan Rather, Della Reese, Ray Romano, Jane Seymour) introducing a parade of primetime clips covering a variety of shows, events, and people -- Ed Sullivan, The Carol Burnette Show, 60 Minutes (Mike Wallace interviewing Barbra Streisand), Gunsmoke, The Honeymooners, Edward R. Murrow (his oft-seen editorial on Joe McCarthy), I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone, The Waltons, Dan Rather reporting from Vietnam, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Green Acres, Dallas, Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, M*A*S*H, The Andy Griffith Show, Murphy Brown, the JFK assassination, and more -- with reminiscences from Tom and Dick Smothers, David Letterman (on Ed Sullivan), Larry Hagman (on "Who shot J.R.?"), Alan Alda, Ron Howard, Walter Cronkite, and others. At 95 minutes, these nostalgic nods, truncated tributes, and familiar faces might leave many viewers yearning for an archeological dig through the little-seen rarities and antiquities buried in the Museum of Television & Radio collection while waiting for the major networks to cover broadcasting history in depth. Premiered May 20, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Arkin, Ed Bradley, (more)
- 1987
Hosted by the funny lady herself, this compilation video contains four of her favorite vignettes gleaned from her highly-rated, long-running television variety series. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2003
This two-hour documentary chronicles the spectacular rise and comparatively quiet fall of one of Hollywood biggest TV production factories. Desilu was formed in 1951 by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz as the production company for their popular weekly sitcom I Love Lucy. The success of this program, coupled with Arnaz' uncanny business and financial acumen, enabled Desilu to grow and expand, ultimately taking over the studios previously occupied by the couples' former employers, RKO Radio Pictures. Grinding out such successful properties as The Untouchables and The Andy Griffith Show, Desilu remained solvent even after the breakup of the Ball-Arnaz marriage. In 1961 Ball bought out Arnaz and became the first woman ever to run a major Hollywood studio. Displaying a knack for picking winners that almost rivalled her ex-husband's, Ball bankrolled such chancy projects as Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Her success continued unabatedly until 1969, when, weary of the pressures of being an executive, Ball sold Desilu to the studio's next-door neighbor, Paramount. Ball and Arnaz' daughter, Lucie Arnaz, narrates the documentary, while such latter-day comediennes as Carol Burnett and Roseanne Barr discuss the influence that Lucille Ball has had on their careers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
The 90-minute TV special Eunice reunites the "family" originally created for the weekly variety series The Carol Burnett Show. Carol Burnett plays Eunice, the frustrated, viper-tongued, ever-envious wife of dyspeptic, long-suffering Ed (Harvey Korman, who also directed). Eunice carries on a ceaseless battle with her cranky, obnoxious mother (Vicki Lawrence), who considers the day wasted if she can't spread a little gloom amongst her loved ones. The special is constructed in the form of a three-act play. Act One, set in 1955, delineates Ed and Eunice's courtship, and also introduces Eunice's easily hurt brother Philip (Ken Berry). Act Two takes place in 1963, with Philip encouraging Eunice to head to New York in pursuit of an acting career, which comes to naught when, in Act Three, she self-indulgently chooses a life of booze and broken dreams. And Act Four occurs in 1978, with the death of Eunice's unlamented mother (a character later revived for the TV sitcom Mama's Family) and the invasion of her snooty, judgmental sister Ellen (Betty White). Alternately hilarious and heartrending, Eunice was first telecast March 15, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Including such songs as "Broadway Baby," "I'm Still Here," "The Ladies Who Lunch," and "Losing My Mind," this video features a filming of the well-known Stephen Sondheim musical as it was performed at New York's Lincoln Center in 1985. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1979
The Emmy-winning TV movie Friendly Fire was adapted by Fay Kanin from the fact-based book by C.D.B. Bryan. Carol Burnett and Ned Beatty play Peg and Gene Mullen, the parents of a young soldier who is killed in Vietnam. Dissatisfied with the "official" version of their son's death, Peg and Gene conduct a soul-wrenching investigation of their own. Only after months of military stonewalling does the truth come out: their son was accidentally killed by "friendly fire" from American artillery. This revelation leads to Peg Mullen's full-scale embracing of the anti-war movement. Even allowing for the grimness of the story, Carol Burnett's taciturn performance wears on the viewer after a while (one wonders if Peg Mullen ever smiled before her son died). Far better within the framework of the film is the superbly detailed performance of Ned Beatty as Gene. Friendly Fire was originally offered on April 22, 1979, as an ABC Theatre presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 2003
Organized by New York's Museum of Television and Radio, this impressively assembled tribute to the funny women boasts a stellar all-female cast, drawn from half a century's worth of video entertainment. Hosted by Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), the special uses rare film clips and interviews to pay homage to such iconic figures as Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, Bea Arthur, and especially the woman who started it all, Lucille Ball. A number of veteran comediennes are in attendance, along with the newer crop of "girls." Amidst the hilarity, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Seinfeld) offers a poignant paean to the late Gilda Radner. Great Women of Television and Comedy was originally broadcast by NBC -- which may explain the preponderance of guest stars from that network's then-current sitcom manifest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Originally aired in 1994 on NBC, this Christmas special features Harry Connick, Jr. singing holiday favorites such as "Sleighride," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "All I Want for Christmas," "Jingle Bells," What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas," among others. This video also features a rare duet performance of Connick and fellow musician Aaron Neville singing "The Christmas Song.".
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Based on a 1978 play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, The Laundromat was made for cable by acclaimed director Robert Altman. Late in the middle of one night, two women from different backgrounds meet at a laundromat. Alberta (played by Carol Burnett) is a middle-aged ex-school teacher who normally does her wash in the safety of her home. Unfortunately, her washing machine is broken and, self-conscious about what it would mean if her neighbors saw her leaving home to do her laundry, she has traveled across town late at night to clean her clothes. Deedee (played by Amy Madigan) lives down the block from the laundromat. A newlywed, Deedeeis already discovering that her marriage is loveless and her husband is an adulterer. The two women -- one proper and controlled, the other free-spirited -- seem to have little in common, but as the night goes on, they let down their guards and air out their dirty laundry. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Burnett, Amy Madigan, (more)
- 1982
Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice is a fact-based TV movie starring Carol Burnett and Lloyd Bridges. Burnett plays Beatrice (emphasis on the second syllable: "Be-AT-trice") who compensates for her shyness and lack of self-respect by drinking heavily. Bridges plays Beatrice's husband, who tolerates his wife alcoholic intake until he can stand no more. She begins attending Alcoholics Anonymous and cleans up her act. But that's not the end of the story: Beatrice then sets out to establish a halfway house for other female alcoholics. The domestic scenes between Burnett and Bridges are far more compelling than Burnett's climactic tiltings with bureaucracy during her efforts to realize her dream. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Adapted by Richard Vetere from his own play, the made-for-TV The Marriage Fool served to reunite Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett, the stars of the 1972 theatrical feature Pete 'n Tillie. Matthau is cast as widowed septuagenarian Frank Walsh, whose sedentary lifestyle is shifted into third gear by the arrival in his life of flamboyant, sixtyish widow Florence (Carol Burnett). Falling in love, Frank and Florence try to convince Frank's son Robert (John Stamos) to tie the knot with his own girlfriend, Susan (Teri Polo). Robert not only resists the entreaties of his father, but he also refuses to give his consent to Frank and Florence's planned marriage. Charles Matthau, son of star Walter, directed the film and has a cute cameo role. First telecast on CBS on September 20, 1998, The Marriage Fool has since been released on cable and video as Love After Death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, (more)
- 1997
Melanie Mayron guest stars as Doris, the astrologer sister of the Buchmans' dog-walker, Nat (Hank Azaria). When Doris offers to draw up charts for the Buchman family, Jamie (Helen Hunt) is reluctant to cooperate -- and not without good reason. Originally slated to air in the U.S. on February 4, 1997, this episode was bumped to March 11 due to an unexpected pre-emption (though it ran on Canadian TV on February 4, as scheduled). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
The time has come for baby Mabel to choose between breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. Her choice does not please Paul (Paul Reiser) or Jamie (Helen Hunt), by try to reason with an infant. Meanwhile, Jamie's flamboyant mother, Theresa (Carol Burnett), begins dating a much-younger member of the Lord of the Dance ensemble. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Season six of Mad About You picks up where season five left off, as Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) bring their new baby daughter home from the hospital. The next step: What to name the kid? Surprisingly, Jamie's scatterbrained mother, Theresa (Carol Burnett), solves this knotty problem. Paxton Whitehead returns to the role of the Buchmans' snooty British neighbor Hal Conway. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Carol Burnett and Carroll O'Connor join the cast as Jamie's parents, Theresa and Gus Stemple, the latest in a long line of actors to essay these roles. When the Stemples arrive for a two-day visit, Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) try to determine the best time to tell Theresa and Gus that Jamie is pregnant. Turns out, however, that the Stemples have a little surprise of their own: After 37 years together, they're on the verge of a divorce. Though officially the 100th episode of Mad About You, this installment is listed as number 101 in the current syndication package. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt) have decided to hold off telling everyone that Jamie is pregnant until the couple can make a formal announcement at their Thanksgiving dinner. This plan is undermined by a number of "security leaks" in the office of gynecologist Joan Golfinos (Suzie Plakson). The ending offers six degrees of surprises thanks to an unheralded guest star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) vow to assure their respective families that, with all their faults, they still love them. Things don't go quite as planned when Paul accidentally runs over his mother-in-law, Theresa (Carol Burnett), with his car. On the other hand, Theresa's hospital stay does bring her estranged hubby, Gus (Carroll O'Connor), back into the family fold. ~ All Movie Guide
