Review of The Carol Burnett Show

lbliss314 - I just read a short interview with Carol Burnett in which she discussed the unbelievable amount of work that went into this legendary show, and the utter impossibility of doing something like this on a weekly basis today. The cast of 6-ish, the full orchestra (Nelson Riddle, if I'm not mistaken), the 50 fabulous costumes per week (by, of course, Bob Mackie), the 6 - 8 sketches/numbers per week that had to be written, rehearsed, set to music, and performed live - WITH guest stars . . . it just went on and on and on. The bottom line: No, this could NOT be pulled off today - it would be prohibitively expensive, and require a small army of people. But boy, I'm so glad we had this time together. This came along during my childhood, so I had to beg to stay up late, too. When I was a child, I spent most Saturday nights with my grandparents, and I was trying to remember that fantastic Saturday night lineup. I remember Mary Tyler Moore throwing that beret in the air (of course, back then I had no idea the HUGE cultural shift that represented); I remember Bob Newhart walking past the "Picasso horse" in Chicago to work; and I remember Carol, but I couldn't put it all together. I knew this would be the place to come. You're right . . . CBS on Saturday Night was "Must See TV" WAY before NBC thought of it. I always wondered why Carol was never able to reignite that spark . . . it seemed like her "light" was dimmed before its time. I think the loss of Harvey Korman, together with Carol's personal "issues" (I seem to remember big trouble with her daughter, husband, AND parents . . . remember the "National Enquirer" debacle?) sent her into retirement way before her time. Like several others here said, I really wish they would collect the FULL show on DVD, not just edited-for-syndication snippets. But what a ride it was for 11 years . . . of course, everyone remembers "Went With the Wind" and "Mildred Fierce" (I can't even watch the original movies, because I think of Carol Burnett the entire time), "Missus Awhiggins" . . . and my personal favorite, "Mama and Eunice," which was just brilliant at times (esp. with guest stars like Ken Berry, Betty White, and Jim Neighbors). I remember an episode of Mama and Eunice where Eunice tried out for (and was cut from) a "reality TV" show, and it was as moving as anything "serious" on TV. This show worked on so many levels, it truly deserves the moniker "LEGENDARY."