September 11, 1967…’The Carol Burnett Show’ Debuts on CBS
September 11, 1967…’The Carol Burnett Show’ Debuts on CBS
Missed this one yesterday, but better late than never. Although I would love to show you the first episode of the show, that’s not possible. As a matter of fact, I think the first five years of the show are still locked away and have not been seen since they were shown on CBS. Bob Banner was a co producer of the show from 67 till 72 and a long battle over the ownership has prevented those shows from inclusion in either the syndicated ‘Carol Burnett And Friends’ or in DVD releases, so…in place of that, here is a great reel of out takes.
This bit of how the show came about is particularly interesting. After leaving the ‘Garry Moore Show’, Burnett signed a 10 year contract with CBS which required her to do two guest appearances and a special each year.
That contract also had another option…if Burnett chose that one, CBS would put her on the air for 30 weeks in her own show. After discussion with her husband Joe Hamilton, in the last week of that fifth year of the contract, Burnett decided to call CBS and exercise that option in the contract. Mike Dann of CBS Programming, explaining that the variety show Carroll wanted to do was a “man’s genre”, offered Burnett a sitcom called “Here’s Agnes”. Burnett had no interest in doing a sitcom and because of the contract, CBS was obliged to give Burnett her own variety show. The rest as they say is history!
The original show ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated in CBS Television City’s Studio 33. It won 25 prime-time Emmy Awards, was ranked No. 16 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time in 2002, and in 2007 was listed as one of Time magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of All Time.” Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlF4GVVi6Ss
Bloopers from the classic CBS variety show.
From the CBS Photo Archive, via Getty Images, this photo from the first season. The camera 3 operator has the most comfortable position of all the techs on stage.
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/carol-burnett-interacting-with-the-audience-of-the-carol-news-photo/95687373
It is interesting to hear that recordings of the first several years of this program are locked up in an ownership dispute, though I think a clip from Episode #1 appeared in the “50 Years From Television City” special. The CBS “Red Skelton Comedy Hour” videotapes also seem to be embargoed. I think Skelton’s widow has control over them.
Fun. Thanks Micheal!
Here’s a more complete segment : http://youtu.be/sfraU4rFUWY
I totally agree Jodie ! I grew up in Montreal and it was a rendez-vous on CBS for each episode of the Carol Burnett Show. We were quite sad when it ended with the last time she sang “This time together”
http://youtu.be/PjQuZCTLAv4