amexspam This is a show that I remember as a 10, but when reviewed 30 years later is a 7 with occasional eights. If you erase the nostalgia and purely focus on the writing it is a 6, but the brilliance of the performers raises it to a 7 and sometimes an 8 - Tim Conway and Carol are always at a nine level. I watched it every Saturday, but it was the best of what was on and not an 8.8 by itself. If you are rating by memory and not by today, get copies of back programs and see if your opinions hold, If you've never seen it, it is definitely worth watching to see some extraordinary characters, but it is not an 8.8. Apparently the line police needs more. How about...Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth;

TRhett 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."

glenn smith Our family watched 'The Carol Burnett Show" together almost every week. As I remember it was the only show on TV that we all watched together. Carol, the cast, the writers and the producers did a great job of creating a show that was funny, creative and entertaining for all age groups. Tim Conway and Harvey Korman were one of the best acts on television. Vickie Lawrence was perfect for the show. Carol is an American television icon....Thanks for the Memories,"I'm so glad we had this time together, Just to have a laugh, and sing a song. Seems we just got started and before we knew it, Came the time we had to say, 'So long.'" ..........music and lyrics by Joe Hamilton

raysond "THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW",was an eleven year staple of CBS Television. During its run on the air,the show was the second-oldest prime-time series in the history of television,and the third longest-running musical-variety-comedy show on the air,which premiered on the network September 11,1967 and ending its astounding run on April 12,1978. It is in an era in which variety shows were rapidly disappearing from television,THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW,survived for more than a decade. The life span for other variety series in the 1970's rarely exceeded two or three seasons,and their total number had dwindled substantially from the heyday of variety shows in the 1950's and well into the 1960's. Only Carol Burnett managed to remain popular and successful which prove to be a solid ratings winner for CBS. The small nucleus of her regular cast remained constant for several years,with none of her original supporting troupes leaving until 1974(which consisted of actors Harvey Korman,Lyle Waggoner,and Vicki Lawrence). It was their chemistry that helped hold the show together. The binding force,however,was Carol Burnett herself,who was one of television's most versatile performers,who could sing,dance,act,clown,and mime with equal facility. Over the years,certain basic aspects of the show remained the same. There was in one point in each telecast,usually at the beginning,when Carol and the evening's guest star would answer questions from the studio audience,which was based from CBS Television City Studios in Hollywood. The comedy sketches to this day are considered "comedy classics" and let me explained way.From comedy sketches that spoof TV shows,I do mean shows from the decade of the 1970's,popular movies,or other forms of mass entertainment that made THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW one of the most loved variety shows of all time. One of the most loved comediennes performers to this day. Several sketches are consider classics including "As The Stomach Turns","Went With The Wind","Mr. Tudball and Mrs. Wiggins",and lets not forget the classic sketch of "Ed and Eunice"(which several years later ran as a series titled "Mama's Family" during the 1980's),which starred Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman as an uptight married couple constantly at odds with Eunice's mother,played brilliantly by Vicki Lawrence. Many more sketches were just as hilarious and were uplandishly funny.Speaking about the cast,only actors Vicki Lawrence and Carol Burnett remained throughout the show's entire 11-year run. Lyle Waggoner left the series in 1974 to pursue other interests,particularly starring opposite Lynda Carter in the "Wonder Woman" series of the 1970's. It was there that after Waggoner left the show in 1974,other frequent guests included Jim Nabors,one of Carol's closest friends,and also actor Ken Berry. However,during the show's 1975-1976 season,that guest star Tim Conway joined the regular cast in the fall of that year and would remained until the show's final season,ending in 1978. The heartbreak came during the show's final season(1977-1978)that actor Harvey Korman decided to leave the series,which was a loss that was felt deeply by the entire cast. He was replaced by long time guest star Dick Van Dyke,who left the show three months after he had arrived. He was replaced by semi-regular guest stars Ken Berry and Steve Lawrence,but the ratings were beginning to slip dramatically. By the fall of 1978,after eleven years on the air,the show was about to face an upcoming end. The series final episode was a two-hour finale that premiered on April 12,1978. However,repeats were aired during the summer of 1978,and during the summer of 1979,and later into syndication under the title,"CAROL BURNETT AND FRIENDS",which were edited into a series of half-hour shows from the original series to be repeated for local stations.