How Carol Burnett Made Her Variety Show A Reality | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

people now every time um you know it's a. woman is gets a late night talk show. they talk about this woman's in late. night and it's and that this is a. breaking a barrier and I always think. it's yes that's great and it's important. but I always try and remember that you. Mary Tyler Moore Lucille Ball were. smashing these barriers 60 years ago um. it's absolutely stunning and we need to. remember that because I I I think you.

guys well CBS didn't want me to do it. they didn't want you to do the show no. didn't want me to do a variety show and. I had a weird contract that said that if. that I'd signed a few years before with. CBS that if uh I Carol wanted to do a. variety show hourong comedy variety show. CBS would have to put it on for 30 shows. whether they wanted to or not that was. some agent I could have used him in 19.

93 and. so I when the time came I I pushed that. button and got. um uh one of the vice presidents of CBS. on the phone and I said I I think I want. to push that button that's what we call. he said what button he forgot about it. and I said you know where I get to do 30. oh let me get back to you said so he. called the next day it's sure he got a. bunch of lawyers you know to talk to. find out.

about that contract he said yeah I see. that Carol but you know um comedy. variety is a man's game yeah and he said. it's Sid Caesar it's Jackie Gleason it's. Milton Burl now it's Dean Martin Dean. Martin yeah yeah and he said you know we. it's not for you gals he he said uh. we've got this sitcom we'd love you to. do called here's. agus.

that is the. perfect perfect bad pitch sitcom and by. the way I'd like to bank that now I will. I will put up the money Carol if you'll. do the Agnes. show well I think it's safe to say you. prove them wrong I think so yeah uh well. at least we got 30 shows out of it and. we wound up having 276 so we did okay it. must have been interesting the next. morning after the Carol Bernett show.

aired I know that everyone else you know. in my house would be talking about it. the next morning we'd be talking about. all the things that we saw and what made. us laugh one of six kids we're you know. we're all packed together in this house. uh we're all about six months apart I. don't know how my mom did that and um we. we it's the Irish thing um but we would. be talking about cuz we we loved your. show and I'm curious as Carol Bernette.

you must have been hearing from people. the next day about you you must have. been curious would you gu you know. people on the street or just people in. your life was there from the get-go. people were um pleased yes now we didn't. score every week by any means but for we. had a pretty good average you know and. uh the first few years uh like first two. or three or four years I was more goof.

like I had been on the G Moore Show. which is why they wanted me to have. Lyall so that I could Swoon over Lyall. and after that I thought wait a minute. I'm married and I've got children this. let's not do that anymore that's when we. started giving ly more to do other than. for me to go Gaga over right you know. and then we uh started. getting more I don't know um a little. bit serious when we did the family show. yeah.

where Unice and Mama and Ed and some of. those were uh you know you look up. dysfunction in the dictionary and you'd. find that sketch it would get very dark. and I remember thinking this like it got. to me in a good way uhhuh I remember. very well when your character went on. the gong show The Gong Show yeah you. know it's all played for comedy and then. you get gonged and the camera just stays. on your face it get smaller and smaller.

and smaller small and smaller and. smaller and you're thinking is there. going to be some reprieve or some laugh. and there wasn't no and I remember that. to this second how powerful that was and. it gave me the idea that it doesn't. always have to be funny right it's one. of those memories I have from television. some people hated hated it of course. they did yeah it made them UNC. comfortable and then.

others after it had aired a few times. you know few I was getting a manicure. and the manicurist was Russian and she. said you know that F you do that's just. like my family in. Russia so people identified but you know. what's interesting too you were playing. this really real dysfunctional family. and then that is most comedy Now The.

Comedy of discomfort and dysfunction so. what you were not initially but what you. were playing with a little bit was. something that now is dagur it's all all. comedy I feel but you didn't see stuff. like that on a variety show you did not. that was different and what's really. funny was we only thought we were going. to do it one time so they had written. for me to be mama and we were going to. have a guest starby Eunice and but. Eunice spoke to me and because my mother.

had a lot of dreams that never came true. and I said I want to I I think I want to. play Unice so then we were going to hire. a an older woman to play Mama right and. Bob Mackey our costume designer said oh. let Vicky do it we'll just take off her. eyelashes and put her in a fat suit and. put a wig on her and that's it and she. was so young at the time playing 24 yeah. yeah hilarious 24 years old and I I said. we hired her when she was 18 to be my. sister and she wound up being my.

mother the business will do that to. you.