This 6-disc set consists of 14 originally aired episodes with some of the most beloved skits ever, including "The Old Folks" with Carol and Harvey as a whimsical married couple; "As the Stomach Turns," a soap opera set in Canoga Falls and featuring the life of Marion (played by Burnett); then there’s "Alice Portnoy," the little innocent but defrauding Fireside Girl of America; "Carol and Sis" featuring Vicki Lawrence as Chrissy the teenage daughter of parents Carol and Roger (Burnett and Korman, respectively); and Harvey and Carol as "George and Zelda," where the two lovebirds meet at an office party and end up married.
The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes - Classic Carol features spoofs on commercials and movie parodies from Tearjerker Theatre with "Sinful Woman," Insomnia Theatre with "Arrivederci, Summertime," and Metro Golden Mouth with "Sonja Honey: Love in an Avalanche." Also "Slippery When Wet" is a spoof of the movie "Dangerous When Wet" that starred Esther Williams and Fernando Lamas with Burnett playing the beautiful swimmer’s role and Ricardo Montalban playing Lamas’s part in The Early Early Show.
There are a variety of guest stars including Ray Charles, Lucille Ball, George Carlin, Bernadette Peters, Mike Douglas, Martha Raye, Edward Villella, Violette Verdy, Diahann Carroll, Nancy Wilson, Nanette Fabray, Frank Gorshin, Lana Turner, Ricardo Montalban, Cass Elliot, Debbie Reynolds, John Davidson, Ken Berry, Imogene Coca, Robert Goulet, Totie Fields, with Garry Moore and Durward Kirby, and the many talented Ernie Flatt dancers, and others.
Time Life’s The Carol Burnett Show contains A Writers' Roundtable: A Conversation with The Carol Burnett Show's Writers discussing the guest stars and what special parts were written just for them; different writers like Saul Turteltaub; crew members that participated in a season-ending party where they performed; and other interesting topics.
There are interviews with show dancer Randy Doney as he describes his part as a dancer/choreographer; and ballet dancer Edward Villella as he talks about introducing classical dance into a comedy sketch, Carol's professionalism, talent and sincerity, and his background as a young boy getting into dance.
Also included are two original excerpts from The Garry Moore Show with Burnett in "Accidents," with Durward Kirby being a bungling accident-prone boss dictating a letter to his secretary about on-the-job safety as he continuously injures her while dictating. Secondly, Burnett plays the part of the Princess of Morovia in a sketch by Neil Simon where she, in all her regality, does a commercial making a toast with a glass of wine. These two shows were repeated on Carol's own show.
Time Life’s The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes - Classic Carol cautions that there may be audio or video flaws in the programs due to the age and quality of the shows. I always considered The Carol Burnett Shows as family entertainment, but it has been brought to my attention that several of their skits might be rated for parental guidance to guard young children's viewing. It seems all of these shows are special and bring a huge amount of joy and laughter to their audience. I think you can't go wrong with a Carol Burnett Show because you could always sit and expect a wonderful entertainment with singing, dancing, acting and especially comedy.
But one cannot forget the glamour and grace that couturier Bob Mackie always brought to every Carol Burnett scene, and particularly Carol's introductory Question & Answer segment where she entered in a elegantly designed gown while graciously welcoming her audience to the show.
The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes - Classic Carol is a definite addition to anyone's video library and you'll watch it over and over -- and don't forget it's great for gifts too!
