Carol Burnett

Summary

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Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Episode Summary: Carol Burnett (Feb 3, 2026 — The Ringer)

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Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and hilarious episode of Good Hang, Amy Poehler sits down with her personal comedy hero and living legend, Carol Burnett. Together, they journey through Carol’s astonishing career — from humble beginnings in Hollywood, her iconic run on stage and television, her trailblazing work in physical and sketch comedy, to her ongoing projects well into her nineties. The conversation is rich with showbiz anecdotes, reflections on mentorship, women in comedy, enduring friendships, and the joy of silliness.

Rachel Dratch, another comedy star and self-proclaimed Carol Burnett superfan, joins the episode as a special guest to express what Carol means to her and the entire generation of female comedians. Expect laughter, touching stories, mutual admiration, a little crying, and more than a few behind-the-scenes gems.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Influence of Carol Burnett on Generations

• Legacy for Women in Comedy:
  • Rachel Dratch and Amy reminisce about growing up with The Carol Burnett Show as a blueprint for joyful, silliness-driven comedy, and how Carol’s presence felt effortless, approachable, and free from the typical “not for girls” labels.
  • Rachel Dratch [05:11]: “The joy in being silly. The joy in, like, making faces that make you look like you’re not a lady... it’s just so joyous and so good for girls to see.”
• Physical Comedy as Gender-Breaking:
  • Amy and Rachel credit Carol for pioneering physicality and clowning for women in ways previously seen as “the boys’ domain.”
  • Amy Poehler [07:41]: “Physical comedy feels until Carol that it was kind of owned by the boys.”

2. Carol’s Early Life, Luck, and Manifesting Her Dreams

• From Poverty to UCLA:
  • Carol shares her modest upbringing, living with her grandmother, and the mysterious $50 that allowed her to attend UCLA.
  • Carol Burnett [16:01]: “There was a $50 bill. I do not to this day know where that came from... that was my tuition.”
• The Power of Unexpected Opportunities:
  • Stories of serendipity and “Clarence moments” (a reference to the guardian angel in “It’s a Wonderful Life”) thread throughout her career.
  • Carol Burnett [37:25]: “You put it out there in the universe... some of the best things happen when you’re disappointed at first.”
• First Time on Stage:
  • Carol remembers bombing her first acting exercise, then discovering the thrill of making an audience laugh playing a “hillbilly woman.”
  • Carol Burnett [18:49]: “All of a sudden I thought I kind of like this.”

3. Carol’s Attitude Towards Work and Longevity

• Still Excited to Play:
  • Despite age, Carol embraces every new project (Better Call Saul, Palm Royale) with the same spirit she had as a young performer.
  • Carol Burnett [20:46]: “I’m 105 years old, but... I’m just as excited as I was when I came on and said, ‘I’m back,’ you know, it’s the same thing.”
• Friendship and New Collaborations:
  • Eagerness to work with new talents (Kristen Wiig, Alison Janney, Laura Dern) for the sheer joy of “locking eyeballs with them, get in the sandbox and play.”
  • Carol Burnett [21:29]: “I want to work with these ladies... get in the sandbox and play.”

4. Life in Old Hollywood and New York

• Growing Up in Hollywood and the Power of Old Stars:
  • Carol paints a nostalgic vision of climbing the Hollywood sign, watching movie stars at premieres, and collecting autographs from screen icons.
  • Carol Burnett [23:19]: “The O’s were my favorite... I’d just hang over the O’s and say, 'Hello, Hollywood, hello.'”
  • Carol Burnett [26:10]: “I realized her nostrils didn’t match... it was just like a millimeter off.” (On meeting Linda Darnell.)
• The “Rehearsal Club” in NYC:
  • Early days living among aspiring actresses, strict rules, and sisterhood — “Stage Door” turned real.
  • Carol Burnett [34:25]: “You have to be pursuing a career in the theater... it was very strict.”

5. Breaking into Broadway and TV

• Miraculous Career Moves:
  • From missing out on “Babes in Arms” to landing “Once Upon a Mattress” and forging a lifelong connection with stage and screen.
  • Carol Burnett [38:58]: “Had I gotten Babes in Arms, which never left Florida, I wouldn’t have had Mattress.”
• Mentorship from Lucille Ball:
  • Touching stories of Lucy recognizing Carol’s talent, supporting her, and exemplifying a strong, behind-the-scenes woman in comedy.
  • Carol Burnett [41:10]: “She called me kid because she was 22 years older... she said, ‘Kid, if you ever need me for anything, you give me a call.’”
  • Carol Burnett [45:26]: “I got the flowers that afternoon. Happy birthday, kid.” (Lucy’s flowers on the day she died.)

6. Inside The Carol Burnett Show

• The Family Spirit:
  • The show was a joyful, collaborative space—no egos, guests became sketch players, and camaraderie was prized.
  • Carol Burnett [29:30]: “In 11 years, we didn’t have one broadened person that we dealt with at all. Everybody was happy to be on.”
• Embracing Live Mishaps and Fun:
  • Breaking character with Tim Conway and Harvey Korman became beloved moments.
  • Carol Burnett [48:52]: “...I don’t think we. More than 15 times out of 200. But people remember that... because it was so delicious.”
• Freedom and Support from the Network:
  • CBS let them do their thing — only one notable note in 11 years (regarding a nudist colony sketch).
  • Carol Burnett [59:37]: “There was one note in 11 years.”

7. Mentoring and Spotting Talent

• Vicki Lawrence’s Origin Story:
  • Carol’s willingness to take a chance on unknown talent; how Vicki was discovered through fan mail and a local contest.
  • Carol Burnett [57:56]: “Today no network would let us do that. Hire an 18 year old girl with no experience.”

8. Reflections on Aging, Friendship, and Staying Young at Heart

• Julie Andrews, True Chum:
  • Their decades-long friendship, mutual admiration, and dirty limericks.
  • Carol Burnett [53:15]: “My chum.”
  • Carol Burnett [54:39]: “We love each other. We are like— we’re sisters.”
• Staying Playful at 92:
  • On feeling forever 11, thanks to her memories of discovery and playful spirit.
  • Carol Burnett [64:51]: “How do you really feel inside? I said, 11.”

9. Legacy, Influence, and Meditations on Comedy

• Physical Comedy Warmups and Longevity:
  • “Roller skated, climbed signs, could run like the wind.”
  • Carol Burnett [47:04]: “I would roller skate... climb the sign.”
• On Influence and Watching Old Comedy:
  • She prefers revisiting Turner Classic Movies and her comedic forerunners like Carole Lombard and Sid Caesar.
  • Carol Burnett [50:33]: “I watch tcm. Turner Classic... visit all the people that I loved when I was growing up.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Amy Poehler [14:18]: “Carol, you are everything to me. You’re the reason why I’m in comedy, and you are a living legend, and it is really very emotional for me to get to talk to you.”
• Carol Burnett [20:44]: “It feels the same... I’m just as excited as I was when I came on and said, 'I’m back.'”
• Carol Burnett [21:29]: “I want to work with these ladies. I want to lock eyeballs with them. Get in the sandbox and play.”
• Carol Burnett [41:10]: “She called me kid... ‘Kid, if you ever need me for anything, you give me a call.’”
• Carol Burnett [45:26]: “...and she had died that day, on my birthday. And I got the flowers that afternoon. Happy birthday, kid.”
• Amy Poehler [47:15]: “But you have those legs, Carol.”
  Carol Burnett: “Well, they’re the last things to go.”
• Carol Burnett [64:40]: “What is the best part about being in your 90s? — That you’re not 105.”
• Carol Burnett [64:51]: “How do you really feel inside? I said, 11.”

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Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment Summary | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00-03:03 | Opening. Rachel Dratch joins as Carol Burnett superfan. | | 03:03-13:32 | Amy and Rachel on Carol’s influence, physical comedy, friendship questions (including their “Once Upon a Mattress” stories). | | 13:33-20:44 | Amy and Carol begin. Carol’s origin story, serendipity, first acting experiences. | | 20:44-24:16 | Carol on her drive to work, joy in new projects, Palm Royale, making new friends. | | 24:16-27:32 | Hollywood childhood, meeting old movie stars, collecting autographs. | | 27:32-33:51 | Early TV show stories, inclusion of guests, Ray Charles sketch. | | 33:51-38:58 | New York days, the Rehearsal Club, Stage Door parallel, career security. | | 38:58-41:11 | “Once Upon a Mattress,” manifesting, missed vs. seized opportunities. | | 41:11-45:26 | Lucille Ball’s mentorship, guest-starring, industry sexism stories. | | 45:30-50:24 | Carol Burnett Show's culture, breaking character, familial atmosphere. | | 50:24-55:26 | Famous collaborations, hanging out with Cher/Sonny, Julie Andrews, friendship. | | 55:26-59:34 | Vicki Lawrence’s discovery, changes in the business. | | 59:34-61:36 | Only one CBS note; “Annie” & Ms. Hannigan, reshooting Easy Street. | | 61:36-67:34 | Aging, feeling 11, staying playful, memory of her daughter. | | 67:34-end | Amy cries, thanks, closing reflections. |

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The Episode’s Heart

“May we all get... when we all get back to that innocent time.”
— Amy Poehler [67:34], as she and Carol reflect on the lifelong value of staying playful, open, and young at heart.

For listeners, this episode is more than a celebrity interview—it’s a tribute to the joy, resilience, and generosity that Carol Burnett has embodied in nearly a century of laughter. Expect to laugh, cry, and want to call your best friend (your own Julie Andrews) after it’s over.

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Transcript

[Amy Poehler]

This episode is brought to you by Too Good and Co Coffee Creamers. How do you take your coffee? Piping hot, iced, strong, frothy. If you love rich, creamy goodness and delicious flavor in every sip, try Too Good and Co Creamers. They're made with farm fresh cream, real milk and contain 3 grams of sugar per serving. That's 40% less than the 5 gram per serving in leading traditional coffee creamers. Two good creamers are available in sweet cream, roasted, vanilla and lavender. So which one are you trying first? Find two good creamers at your local retailer in the creamer aisle. Welcome, everyone, to another episode of Good Hang. This is a very special one for me. We have comedy legend Carol Burnett. You know Carol, the star, creator, benevolent captain of the Carol Burnett show, an incredible sketch show that changed comedy as we know it and influenced so many of us. An incredible actor in films such as the Four Seasons or the Star Turn as Miss Hannigan and Annie. You may have seen Carol in Better Call Saul or Palm Royale, which is out right now. There's so many things that Carol has done. And you know, I discovered Carol from my living room watching her show with my mom. And we're going to talk about so many things today. And you know what? Don't worry about what we're going to talk about. It's going to be so good. It's Carol. It's Carol Burnett. She's here and we can't believe it. So before we get started, we always like to talk to someone who is a friend or a fan of our guest. And you know when you are, when you start in sketch comedy and you're a woman of a certain age, you have learned everything from Carol. And today we have someone who is a super fan of Carol Burnett and I think a legend in her own right, sketch comedy. And that is friend of our pod, one of my many wives, the great Rachel Dratch. Rachel, how are your headphones doing? This episode of Good Hang is presented by Uber eats. Big news. Aldi is now on Uber Eats and you get 20% off your first grocery order with code NEWALDI26. So whether your fridge is empty and you're too tired to shop or you just ran out of essential ingredients in the middle of meal prep, don't worry. Fill your fridge in just a few taps and get 20% off your first Aldi order on Uber Eats. For orders over $60, you can save up to $20. Ends February 28, 2026. Terms apply. See app for details.

[Rachel Dratch]

Rachel, Rachel, I want to show you I Want to show you how far I've come.

[Carol Burnett]

Amy.

[Rachel Dratch]

What the lessons learned, the improvements made listeners.

[Amy Poehler]

Rachel Dratch is holding up her untangled headphones. Well, I see a little tangle.

[Rachel Dratch]

There's a tiny kink. There we go. But you've always.

[Amy Poehler]

You've always been into a tiny kink.

[Rachel Dratch]

Anyway, here you go. Changes have been made, and I'm ready to go.

[Amy Poehler]

You look great, Dratch.

[Rachel Dratch]

Thank you. I put on a little lipstick for you.

[Amy Poehler]

You know I love you in a blue you I love my baby those baby blues in a baby blue.

[Rachel Dratch]

There you go, Dratch.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, genuinely, when I was like, who can I talk to about the genius that is Carol Burnett? I thought about us because we grew up on Carol. Like, she feels, like, so influential, whether she knows it or not. And I hope to tell her today. It feels like she just influenced us so much. Yeah.

[Rachel Dratch]

I mean, when you said, will you ask a question of Kel Burnett? I got a little paralyzed because I was like, she's such an icon that I got, like, kind of. My brain got kind of tongue tied. I'm like, what do you ask someone that's had such an influence, a pillar of comedy. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I psyched to talk to you before we. Before I talk to Carol, because I actually have been kind of stressed about that. How do I talk to an icon, you know? Do you remember when you first saw a Carol?

[Rachel Dratch]

I mean, my first exposure was the Carol Burnett show, so I just remembered, like, that sort of merry band of players cracking each other up, which, of course, we did later on in her own way, but just that, like, the joy that they all seem to be having together. And her also, like, the way she would talk to the audience afterwards, like, there was no sort of putting on airs about her. She just seemed. It seemed like it is like she is who. She seems like just a fun, regular person.

[Carol Burnett]

No.

[Rachel Dratch]

Sort of, oh, a woman shouldn't be doing this. Like, which, I mean, we always get asked about women in comedy, and, like, we always hate. We get asked that way because I think when we were little, like, we just saw a funny person and we weren't thinking, like, and it's a girl. It was sort of just subliminal. Whatever. Yeah, unconscious. Unconscious. Like, you're seeing Guild around her and you're seeing John Belushi and you're not thinking, like, but she's a woman doing this. You're just, like, getting this sort of role model. You're getting the. The mother bird imprint on the baby bird, you know, so Carol Burnett was definitely like that. Just the. The silliness, the joy in being silly. The joy in, like, making faces that make you look like you're not a lady. Like, acting like you're not a lady. Yes, like that. Oh, it's just so joyous and so good for girls to see. But again, I don't want to get all free to be you and me.

[Amy Poehler]

Nobody was just like who she was. A. A reference that probably nobody remember, but they should. But they should be children. You should know.

[Rachel Dratch]

You didn't know you were getting the message.

[Amy Poehler]

You were getting free to be, but it was a. Boys could have dolls. Okay. Boys could have dolls.

[Rachel Dratch]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Carol's show at times, as, like, the 70s came on to the scene, like, Carol's show was like, oh, like, that didn't have. That wasn't edgy enough or something. You know, maybe someone could say, like, oh, it didn't have an edge, or. But now, like, with distance and time, I'm like, I think that's why I was so drawn to that show. Exactly what you just said. It looked like everyone was having fun. Like, I don't think when we were growing up, at times I thought that comedy was actually going to be fun. I know that sounds stupid, but it was like, it felt like it had to have. Yeah, it just had to have drama attached to it. And she was such an example of, like, comedy could be fun and you could be a nice person doing it. I don't know. Does that make sense?

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah.

[Rachel Dratch]

And just like, full tilt clowns, you know, like, clowning around, you know, like, when cheated. Once upon a mattress.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, let's talk about that.

[Rachel Dratch]

It seems like that might have been. What the hell do I know? Talking about this time period. But it seems like it might have been kind of really, like, freeing and groundbreaking to have this woman getting to add all this physical comedy into this part that I'm sure you know, it's like you're adding in so much physical comedy into that part.

[Amy Poehler]

Physical comedy feels until Carol that it was kind of owned by the boys. Yeah. Did Carol feel like at the time she. There were other people, other women doing physical comedy like her?

[Rachel Dratch]

Get the answer, Cola? Get the answer on that scoop. Also, you two have to compare notes.

[Amy Poehler]

You.

[Rachel Dratch]

You. I'm sure you have. You told her that you also played Winifred in Burlington High School. Is she aware.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for bringing that up. For people that didn't listen to the very highly popular Rachel Dratch episode. And Dratch. I gotta tell you something. That episode Was gangbusters. Are you getting a lot of good feedback?

[Rachel Dratch]

I'm getting a lot of good feedback about that, yes. Every time I hook in with you, I go viral.

[Amy Poehler]

And that doesn't mean that you get sick with a feedback.

[Rachel Dratch]

It doesn't mean I get a virus. I'm not gonna avoid the obvious joke here, but, yeah, We don't need more of that. No, no. But let's let me hook my wagon to you. Things happen for the best.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, thank you for hooking again. But. But for people who didn't. For the, I don't know, one or two people that didn't listen to that episode.

[Rachel Dratch]

Where have you been? Living under a rock.

[Amy Poehler]

Check it out. And then what you'll find is that Rachel Dratch and I talk about how we were both in productions of Once Upon a Mattress when we were young people in our schools and Carol Burnett originated the part of Winifred on Broadway. I got to play that part in my high school. Rachel played the more I played the

[Rachel Dratch]

boring part of Lady Larkin.

[Carol Burnett]

So.

[Rachel Dratch]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

Who in the musical is pregnant? But when Rachel did it because they were so young, they had to take that part out, and then I had

[Rachel Dratch]

nothing to play, so then it got even more boring. But I know this is about Carol Burnett, but I've got to work through this. When we did our episode of Good Hang, a lot of people commented on our obvious love for each other and friendship. That was so obvious because we, like,

[Amy Poehler]

laughed our way through the whole thing.

[Rachel Dratch]

But I was so. I was kind of wondering, since I'm talking to you, like, for her, about her female friendships, about, you know, does she have friends that are like, her true blues from, like, before showbiz that she relies on or even now, like, her first of all, like, her, like, non showbiz friends or her showbiz friends, like, who has, you know, been there along the way. That is part of her journey that she has kind of like, you know, the little support group with or something.

[Amy Poehler]

I love that because when I was lucky enough to do. To do something for her 90th birthday celebration, she watched the entire celebration holding hands with Julie Andrews. They sat next to each other and held hands. They call each other, and I think, I believe they call each other chum. And I'll find out. But I want to ask her about Julie because they have been friends since the 60s.

[Carol Burnett]

Wow.

[Rachel Dratch]

And I mean, talk about our age. Like powerhouse, like Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Carol Burnett and their friends. Come on, chums, you.

[Amy Poehler]

And I've always said that you are my Julie Andrews. And you know, the other friendship that I want to talk to her about is her and Lucille Ball. Yes, they were buddies. Lucille was, you know, kind of a mentor to her. She was probably in her 40s when she met Carol in her 20s, but came backstage after a performance of Once Upon a Mattress and said, like, you got it, kid. Wow. I know. I feel like there's a direct line between a lot of the women I know who worked with who love Carol. Like Kristen Wiig, who works with Carol on Palm Royale and talked about on this podcast that she, like, burst into tears when she met her. You, me, Maya, Tina, like, we all Ana, we all Molly, we all feel like we just watched Carol.

[Rachel Dratch]

Well, Amy, you're so good at talking to people like you've met her too. But I always admire how good you are at talking to the idols and icons.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I'm talking to one right now. I'm talking to one right now.

[Rachel Dratch]

You're doing a great job.

[Amy Poehler]

All right, Rachel, Dratch. I know you're busy. What are you having for dinner tonight before I let you go?

[Rachel Dratch]

Oh, I don't even know.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I know you've got some Broadway plans tonight. Enjoy your night in the town, New York City. Rachel is out and about.

[Rachel Dratch]

Yes, she is. Yes, she is.

[Amy Poehler]

With new haircut. Looking great. All right, bud.

[Rachel Dratch]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for doing this. Stretchy.

[Rachel Dratch]

All right, see you.

[Amy Poehler]

Love you. Bye. This episode is brought to you by Subaru. For me, going the extra mile means taking the long way home. If you're going to grab snacks and the 10 minute trip turns into a two hour journey, suddenly you're on a new street. Then your ice cream is melted in the back and you know, we've solved the meaning of life. But luckily, in my Subaru Hybrid, that's right, I have one and I love it. That extra mile is built right in with longer range and better fuel efficiency than ever before. The Subaru Forester Hybrid and the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. Great cards. I have them both. Love goes the extra mile. Visit subaru.com hybrid to learn more. Hi, Carol.

[Carol Burnett]

Love you.

[Amy Poehler]

Love you. First of all, you look wonderful.

[Carol Burnett]

Back at you.

[Amy Poehler]

Honey, I'm so happy to see you. I mean, I got the chance to see you in person. Maybe longer than I'd like to admit. Maybe like a year or two ago. I don't think I've seen you.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, I sent you, I gave you an award at the 90th.

[Amy Poehler]

At the 90th.

[Carol Burnett]

And then we did it. When you presented me with an award.

[Amy Poehler]

I got to say nice things about you, which is the best.

[Carol Burnett]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

And I just, you know, I just want to get this out of the way. Carol, you are everything to me. You're the reason why I'm in comedy, and you are a living legend, and it is really very emotional for me to get to talk to you. Sweetheart, I'm thrilled that you're here, and it means a lot to me, so thank you.

[Carol Burnett]

You know what? If I had never been born, you'd be doing what you're doing so well.

[Amy Poehler]

We'll never know. We'll never know. But. And, you know, the fact that I get to call you a friend and know you is amazing. It's definitely one of those things where sometimes you feel like your life is a dream. And I think you and I talked about this one, that, you know, life does feel like a dream. And I know that there's moments in your life where you look back at your life and say, do you remember

[Carol Burnett]

the movie It's a Wonderful Life? And Jimmy Stewart has this angel named Clarence. There are things that have happened to me where I feel I've got Clarence on my shoulder from the very early on in life. I remember I. We. I lived with my grandmother. Yeah. In one room a block north of Hollywood Boulevard. And we were poor. Our rent was a dollar a day, $30 a month, and sometimes we could hardly manage that. And so I graduated from Hollywood High, and I desperately wanted to go to ucla. And my grandmother said, forget it. You know, we can't afford the tuition. There's no way. Guess what the tuition was. UCLA in 1951.

[Amy Poehler]

Yearly tuition.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah. Well, for a semester.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, for a semester. $1,000, $43.

[Carol Burnett]

And we couldn't afford it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

So we lived in this apartment building, right in our room, faced the lobby. So every morning I would check. There was a pigeonhole, mailboxes for all the apartments. And I would look out and see if we had a little letter or something in our slot. So I go, and there's a letter in this slot. This one morning I came out and I opened it up in our room. My name was typewritten on the envelope, and there was a $50 bill. I do not to this day know where that came from. Nobody in the neighborhood that kind of money had that. And that was my tuition. So that was Clarence, you know, and I got to go to ucla. Then I got a catalog that said Theater Arts. And I looked through that, and there was a one called Theater Arts, English. So I entered the theater arts department. But also at that time, if you were a freshman, no matter what, if you wanted theater arts, Film. Theater arts. Theater. Theater arts, English, you had to take an acting course.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you remember the first thing you did in your acting class then?

[Carol Burnett]

Yes. Oh, I was terrified. I'd never done anything. I'd never performed or anything. Wow. I thought, oh, my God. And I came in late, actually, and all the other kids were teamed up, and so I was the oddball. And the teacher gave me a couple of monologues to choose from. One from the Country Girl and one from a play called the Mad Woman of Chaillot. And I picked the Mad Woman because it was shorter, you know, And I got up and I, I. It didn't even occur to me to read the play I had. All I did was memorize it. And I said, I'm doing a scene from the Mad Woman of Chalut. I didn't know how to pronounce it, and I did it, and she gave me a D minus. And she said, the only reason I'm not failing you is because you memorized it.

[Amy Poehler]

Sounds like a great teacher.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, she was. She was right. She was right. And then I got into a one act that one of the students had written where I played a hillbilly woman. And of course, we're from Arkansas and Texas. And all I remember is that there was one scene where I came out and I'm this over the hill hillbilly woman. And I just said, I'm back. And everybody cracked up and laughed.

[Amy Poehler]

Was that your first laugh you remember getting doing, like, performing? Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

And from then on, and then some of the other students would come up and some of the. She said, would you be in another one act? Would you be. All of a sudden I thought I kind of like this.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. When I was talking to Kristen Wiig, who was here doing this, who I know you love.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

She said that she kind of burst into tears when she met you.

[Carol Burnett]

And I hate it when people look at me and cry. Am I scaring them?

[Rachel Dratch]

What am I doing when they point

[Amy Poehler]

at you and cry?

[Rachel Dratch]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

But what I was gonna say is Kristin talked about how important it was to meet you, and you talk about how luck played a big part in many moments in your life. But as you know, luck only gets you so far. You kind of have to show. You have to kind of nail it,

[Carol Burnett]

you know, which door to go through.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. And you have to kind of deliver. And what I love about your work, which continues even to this very moment, this very day, because you are working nonstop is. You are this beautiful combination of luck meets opportunity meets gratitude meets flexibility meets collaboration. I've watched and watched you and your career since I was a young person and how you welcome all of those things at once. You're never taking anything for granted.

[Carol Burnett]

No, you don't, but you can't.

[Amy Poehler]

But people do.

[Carol Burnett]

Then they're wrong. They don't.

[Amy Poehler]

Right. But you also are so confident and skilled in what you know you can do. You show up for those lucky moments. And I want to talk about all of that stuff today, but, you know, I think sometimes with. I'm lucky to know a lot of nonagenarians, like my, you know, the 90s or the new 80s babe.

[Carol Burnett]

I like that.

[Amy Poehler]

I just want to talk about the present moment for a second because you are working. What does work feel like to you right now, today? Like, how do you. How. How is work feeling?

[Carol Burnett]

It feels the same.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

I don't, you know, I. I'm 105 years old, but I. I still, like when we were doing our. Doing Palm oral and all that. I'm just as excited as I was when I came on and said, I'm back. You know, it's the same thing. And I was just. Another thing I was thrilled about Palm Royale was when Abe Sylvia called me. He was the creator and director and showrunner. All of that. Just two, three years ago, I guess it was, and said, we're going to do this show and we'd love you to be a part of it. I said, well, what's it about? Who? And then he told me who was going to be in it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

Kristen Wiig, Alison Janney, Laura Dern. I said, I'm in. Don't even bother sending me a script. I want to work with these ladies. I want to lock eyeballs with them. Get in the sandbox and play.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

And it's. It was really, of course, the first few episodes, I was in a coma.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. You have it in your contract that you need to be able to sleep on set.

[Carol Burnett]

Exactly. Yeah. Get up at 5 in the morning, go get made up, Go right back to bed.

[Amy Poehler]

But, you know. But those women that you talk about, you know, have become your friends and you are. And I. And I feel grateful for this too, is that you're a living example of. It's just like, if one's lucky enough, they keep meeting new people and new friends.

[Carol Burnett]

Absolutely. Absolutely. I felt that way. I was very lucky to do Better Call Saul. That was just before Palm Royale.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

And I was a big fan of Breaking Bad. And Vince Gilligan and I watched Bob Odenkirk and all, and Vince Gilligan said, we'd love you to come. I'm there no matter what. So it was a wonderful, wonderful time for me, too.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, you're one of those people that, you know, you've gone back and forth in your life between New York and la, and I want to talk about both. And I bet that each block or section of the city holds a memory. What was Hollywood like when you were there? How would you describe it?

[Carol Burnett]

Have to lock your doors. And every morning when I would go out getting ready to go to school, I'd look up and there was a Hollywood sign. And we used to climb the Hollywood sign.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah. The neighborhood kids and I. Now, you can't get near it.

[Amy Poehler]

Sure.

[Carol Burnett]

But we would fly kites or roller skate. And then we'd say, yeah, I'm bored. Let's go climb the sign. So we'd all.

[Rachel Dratch]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

And it was just. And it was kind of rickety then. They'd fixed it up now, and there were splinters. And I would climb up, I'd get splinters, and it's a wonder we didn't break our neck. And then the O's were my favorite. And I would just hang over the O's and say, hello, Hollywood, hello. And we'd do the Tarzan Yell and all of that. And also, growing up like that, we played. Yeah. We went out and played until it was time to go in for supper.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

Today.

[Amy Poehler]

And no one knew where you were.

[Carol Burnett]

I'd hear my grandma say, carol, come on. You know. And we'd come in and. But I'd say, I'm going out and play now after school.

[Amy Poehler]

And then you spoke about your grandmother, who was instrumental in your life, and how you would go to the movies together. So take us to that. What were you watching? Who were you seeing on the screen?

[Carol Burnett]

Well, we would go to the second runs because they were cheaper than going.

[Rachel Dratch]

If we.

[Carol Burnett]

If you went to a first run, it was a lot more money, like a quarter, you know. And so the second runs and there would be double features. So we would see. We would go one, two, three, four, maybe six movies a week.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Carol Burnett]

We would see. And that was in the 40s, and Betty Grable and Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland and Tyrone Power and all of those. Which maybe none of the people listening know those people anyway. They were my favorites. Yeah. And Linda Darnell was a beautiful woman that she's not as well known today as you Know what?

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know. Linda Darnell, I have to tell you,

[Carol Burnett]

my grandmother and I, you know, we would go and hang over the ropes when there would be a premiere on Hollywood Boulevard. And we did. And to watch the movie stars come in, Right. So I'm. I'm nine years old, and nanny is standing there now, and the ropes are holding all of us back. And coming. Walking up by us was Linda Darnell.

[Amy Poehler]

I gotta look her up while you talk about her, okay?

[Carol Burnett]

And so my grandmother grabbed her by the. Linda, Linda, give this little girl your autograph. She just loves you. She did nothing. And Linda Darnell was so sweet. And I'm looking at her, and she said, okay, dear. And I gave her my book, and I was shaking. And she said, what's your name? And I told her, and I'm looking at this gorgeous. And I realized her nostrils didn't match.

[Amy Poehler]

Why? What happened?

[Carol Burnett]

It was just like a millimeter off.

[Amy Poehler]

And suddenly. Suddenly you realize nothing is what it is.

[Carol Burnett]

Our faces are different when you put. They're different.

[Amy Poehler]

Symmetry is not my strong. Well, my strong point.

[Carol Burnett]

I don't think it is for anybody,

[Ross]

but

[Carol Burnett]

I remember that.

[Amy Poehler]

You remember that so clearly.

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, my gosh.

[Amy Poehler]

Who else did you have in that autograph book?

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, gosh. I had Betty Grable.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, wow.

[Rachel Dratch]

Oh, wow.

[Amy Poehler]

Linda is so pretty. I'm looking her up right now. She proves my theory that the more far apart your eyes are. Oh, her eyes are very far apart. Yeah. She proves my theory that if your eyes are far apart, you're very beautiful.

[Carol Burnett]

And especially if they don't cross. And I remember going. We would go to the Grumman's Chinese where they have the courtyard with everybody's handprints and footprints and so forth. And I remember putting my handprints into Betty Grable's handprints. And just a few months ago, I got my handprints after all these years after. And I remember putting my hand. And I'm wondering, will somebody someday put their handprints on mine? You know, wouldn't that be kind of wild? Yeah, But I. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

So cool.

[Carol Burnett]

And also, I mean, I feel I did have a fairy godmother. Clarence. Betty Grable was one of my first guests on my show.

[Amy Poehler]

Whoa. Did you tell her the story?

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

What was she like?

[Carol Burnett]

Adorable. Very funny. Yeah. Betty was on the show as a guest, and so was Martha Ray, who was one of the funniest women ever. She was very bawdy and loud, and she and Betty had worked together, and they were good friends. So it was for me. My God, I'd grown up watching Betty Graham, watching Martha Ray. I was all through. So now we're rehearsing now. Betty had a thing about Coca Cola. She had to drink Coca Cola all the time. So what would happen? She would be going constantly. I mean, really, really loud. She just loved Coca Cola. So we're in the wings, ready, and we're doing the show, and Betty and Martha and I are ready for our cue to go out. And Betty took one and did again. Martha Ray said, oh, for God's sakes, Betty, why don't you just fart and save your teeth? I thought I was gonna die. And then we had to go out and do the finale. I was just hysterical.

[Amy Poehler]

And, I mean, you talk a lot. I want to talk to you about. Because you talk a lot about people coming through your show, the Carol Burnett Show. I mean, when you host a show. I know that from SNL and in some ways from Parks, when you host a show and people come through, you're the host. You have to. You're hosting, but you're also hosting the guests, and you're watching all the different ways that people work.

[Carol Burnett]

But, I mean, it was a joy.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

In fact, in 11 years, we didn't have one broadened person that we dealt with at all. Everybody was happy to be on. And another thing that I always loved doing was giving. Like, if we had Chita Rivera or Juliet Prowse or dancers and singers on the show, we also would try to put them in a sketch. Yeah. So that they. Because if they went on another show, other shows, they would just do their bit and that would be it. Or they may be in a finale also. But we would put Gwen Verdon in a sketch. I even did a sketch with Ray Charles. Wow.

[Amy Poehler]

What was the sketch?

[Carol Burnett]

It was a piano bar, and I was a lady who was a little bit in her cuffs, very sad about herself because it was her birthday and nobody cared, you know, And I was. And so now I'm talking to Ray, who is at the piano, and we have this lovely little scene about the fact that I'm so sad and nobody. And he then talks, is very sweet, encourages me. And he says, come on over here and sit down. And then we sang together, you know, and he said, I just love it. He said, nobody has ever asked me to do lines before.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow.

[Carol Burnett]

So he really. He loved it.

[Amy Poehler]

Wow. Okay. When you. When you were in your 20s, New York.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

First of all, what was it like being in New York in the. In the. Was it Late. It was the 50s.

[Carol Burnett]

50s.

[Amy Poehler]

Did Mad Men get it right? Like was.

[Carol Burnett]

Was.

[Amy Poehler]

That was.

[Carol Burnett]

I lived at the Rehearsal Club.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Talk about the Rehearsal Club.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, I got. I got a chance to go to New York. A benefactor lent me the money to go. I had never been any further east in Texas or California. And I remember my grandmother saying, you can't go to Europe. She said, your blood's too thin. You'll be dead in a week. So much for that, you know. Good. Thank you. Yeah. Anyway, I. I said, I'm going to New York. I have this money. I'm going. And I was so stupid and naive. How old were you? 21.

[Amy Poehler]

21, yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

I didn't know where I was going to stay. Right.

[Amy Poehler]

You just showed up and said, we'll figure it out.

[Carol Burnett]

It's like the movies, you know, with him and Kate there. And now I'm in a Broadway show. So I'm on the airplane and I see an ad for the Algonquin Hotel. I said, well, I think I'll go there. And I had something like 300 some odd dollars left. And so it was raining. I had a cardboard suitcase and got up to the Algonquin, and I checked in. And he said, that'll be $9, you know. And I said, for the week? He said, no, for the night, $9 for. But, okay. So I gave the $9, and I went up to this room and I'm there, and I called Nanny, my grandmother, and she said, come home. I said, I just got here, you know. And she. Anyway, I hung up and I thought, what am I going to do? I'm in New York. And the next morning, I had one phone number that I could call. And it was a girl who had gone to UCLA and was ahead of me. And she went to. Came to New York, and she left her phone number with a bunch of us in case we ever got to New York to give her a call. So that was the one number I had. And I called her. Her name was Eleanor Eby. And the phone rang, and I said, hello? I said, is Eleanor Eby there? And they said, wait a minute, Ellie. And I'm hearing all this noise going on, people singing and stuff. And she gets on the phone. Hello? I said, ellie, is Carol. You're here? Where are you? I said, the Algonquin Quinn. She said, get out. Are you crazy? She said, come up here. Gave me the address. I left. I got Bing Bong. It's a brownstone, four stories. And I had no idea. But I rang the doorbell some. Some Gal opened the door. She said, well, I said, I'm here to see Eleanor EB Ho. Ellie and I go in and there's a parlor and a bunch of stairs going up to the various floors. And people are dancing and singing and playing the piano.

[Amy Poehler]

And all women.

[Carol Burnett]

All women. And it was called the Rehearsal Club. And maybe about 25 women lived there. And Ellie said, maybe we can get you a way to stay here. And she said, I'll introduce you to the house mother, Ms. Carlton. And Ms. Carlton came. She said, well, you're in luck. We have one cot available. And it was $18 a week, room and board. It was sponsored by a lot of rich New York ladies, which made it possible for that to be so inexpensive.

[Amy Poehler]

How cool.

[Carol Burnett]

And she said, this is a transit room. So it's the biggest and it's where we put new people. And you'll have four roommates, there'll be five of you. And she said, there are rules. No men beyond the parlor. And they can't stay past 10 o' clock or, or midnight on weekends. You cannot spend the night you have to be in. Yeah, it was very, very strict. And you have to be pursuing a career in the theater. You are allowed to take a part time job to help pay for the rent. Wow. But you must, like go on auditions and so forth and so on. So it was very.

[Amy Poehler]

It's making me think of the Lucille Ball Stage Door.

[Carol Burnett]

That's what it was written about.

[Amy Poehler]

Stage Door was about the Rehearsal Club.

[Carol Burnett]

That was it. I was just gonna. Yeah, absolutely.

[Amy Poehler]

How funny.

[Carol Burnett]

That was it also, it's the first time I had a bed. I slept on the couch for 21 years. My grandmother slept on the Murphy beds. I have a bed, Carol, you know,

[Amy Poehler]

it makes me ask, want to ask you, was there ever a job that made you feel secure, financially secure?

[Carol Burnett]

Only when I got on the Garry Moore show and Once Upon a Mattress.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. Because Once Upon a Mattress felt like a secure. Like, okay, I've got a gig every week and I'm going to be okay and I'm going to be able to take care of my family. And were you taking care of your family then?

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

So Once Upon a Mattress is a Broadway show that you open. You opened that show. You were the original Winifred, right? Yeah. Okay. So we've talked about it on this podcast, that particular show. And I know I've shared this with you because I got to be Winifred in my high school production of Once Upon a Mattress and listen to your cast. Recording to try to learn the part. And Rachel Dratch, the great Rachel Dratch from SNL, also was in Once Upon a Mattress. She Jo. She was the boring part, the Lady Larkin part. And I spoke to her earlier today about you give her my. I will. And we talked about how influential you were to us. But when you were doing Once Upon a Mattress, you were getting, like, finally getting paid to be an actor.

[Carol Burnett]

$80 a week. Well, what happened? Actually, again, Clarence, I had been auditioning before I got mattress. When I left UCLA to go to New York, my friends said, what are you going to do? I said, I'm going to go to New York and I'm going to be in a show directed by George Abbott. Now, George Abbott was Mr. Broadway. He directed Pajama Game, Damn Yankees. He was the musical director of all time. And I said that I'm going to be an idiot. Okay?

[Amy Poehler]

But that's what I'm talking about. That's not Clarence. That's Carol.

[Carol Burnett]

Hold on, though. Wait.

[Amy Poehler]

This is weird, but that's manifesting, right?

[Carol Burnett]

You put it out there in the universe.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right.

[Carol Burnett]

So what happened was I was in New York for a while, and then I got a chance to audition for a re. They were going to reissue. Not reissue, redo. A show called Babes in Arms that Rogers and Hammerstein or Hart wrote, and they were going to open it in Florida and bring it to Broadway. I auditioned, and it looked like I was going to get the part of the girl who sings Johnny One note. I was so excited and everything. And then. And the director wanted me, but then they said, you know, Carol, we're going to go for someone who's got a name. Oh. So I hung up the phone. Swear to God. Hung up the phone. Two minutes later, the phone rang, and it was Jean Eckhart, who was producing a show called Once Upon a Mattress. And she said, can you come down now to the Phoenix Theater and audition for George Abbott? Wow.

[Amy Poehler]

Rejection is God's protection, Carol.

[Carol Burnett]

I took the subway down. I sang what I had to do.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you remember what you sang? Do you remember your audition song?

[Carol Burnett]

I sang Everybody Loves to Take a Bow was a. It's from a show called Hazel Flagg. I got back, the phone was ringing. They said, you got the part. And had I gotten Babes in Arms, which never left Florida, I wouldn't have had mattress.

[Amy Poehler]

Isn't it weird how when you look at life and you think if just the slightest thing moved here and the slightest thing moved there, some of the

[Carol Burnett]

best Things happen when you're disappointed at first.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right.

[Carol Burnett]

You look back and say, you know, if that hadn't happened, this would.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right.

[Ross]

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company. No matter how you do game day on the couch, in the crowd or manning the snack table, Athletic Brewing fits right in with a full lineup of non alcoholic beer styles you can enjoy. Bold flavors all game long. No hangovers, no buzz, no subbing out for water in the second half. Stock the fridge for tip off with a variety of non alcoholic craft styles. Available at your local grocery store or online at athleticbrewing.com near Beer Fit for all times.

[Amy Poehler]

Spring just slid into your DMs. Grab that boho look for that rooftop dinner. Those sandals that can keep up with you. And hang some string lights to give your patio a glow up. Spring's calling. Ross, work your magic. When you were doing Once Upon a Mattress, we spoke, we mentioned Lucy Lucille Ball. But can you tell everyone that story? I know you've told it before, but to me you were very kind to talk and always talk about Lucy whenever you get a chance to. But you were very kind to talk about her in a documentary that I did. And you told this story, which I think is not only so indicative of how wonderful a and supportive person she was, but how she saw in you something very, very special that we all eventually came to know.

[Carol Burnett]

I remember we opened in May of 1959 and got great reviews. That was like, wow. I was thrilled. And the second night there was a buzz backstage and everything and I said, what is it? Lucy's in the audience. I thought I was more frightened.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

That she was. Than I was opening night.

[Rachel Dratch]

Oh, I would.

[Amy Poehler]

What year was this?

[Carol Burnett]

1959. So I remember I was stupid. I peeked through and I saw this orange hair in the second row. And I. Oh, my God. Anyway, I got through the show and she wanted to come backstage and it was off Broadway theater and it was really funky. You know, I had. I had a couch where the coil was sticking up and it was kind of anyway, you know, and it was Lucille Ball come in, you know, and she headed for the couch and I said, oh, look. She said, no, I see it. You know. So she sat on the right end of the couch and, well, God, 20, 25 minutes. And she called me kid because she was 22 years older. And she, as she was leaving, she said, kid, if you ever need me for anything, you give me a call. Wow. You know, so actually for about four years later, I was Working and doing stuff. And CBS wanted me to do an hour long special, variety special, if I could get a major guest star. So the producer said, you got to call Lucy. I said, I don't want to bother her. All she can do is say, I'd love to, kid, but I'm busy, you know. So I got up the nerve and I called her, hey, kid, you're doing great. What's happening? I went, I'm doing a. And I know you're big. I was at. And she said, hold up. When do you want me?

[Amy Poehler]

She's such a badass.

[Carol Burnett]

So she did the show and we did it together.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I mean, I think about Lucy a lot when, when she, she was very ahead of her time. And also we talked about this when we were, when we talked about her together. She, you know, she was producing and running shows even though she wasn't getting the credit. Just like you were producing your show. She was so ahead of her time.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, there's a story. She, when she did my show, you know, we were, we had a lot of fun together. And we were. Had a dinner break. So we went across the way to the farmer's market, you know, and she's knocking back a couple of whiskey sours. And she says, you know, kid, because my husband at the time, Joe, was producing our show.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

You know, and I, she just did it. And she said, you're. You're very. For. You got Joe to do it for you. She said, because when I was married to the Cuban, she said, Desi did everything. Yeah, he invented the three camera system.

[Amy Poehler]

A lot of people don't know.

[Carol Burnett]

She said, he took care of the scripts, he took care of the costumes, he took care of the lighting. All I had to do was come in and be silly Lucy on Monday and do the show. Then we got a divorce. She said, now I know I have to be like Desi. I got, you know. And she said, I, I didn't know what. So they had a script reading of the new Lucy show, and she said, and it was terrible. It was terrible. And I thought Desi wasn't here to fix it, you know, she says, I called lunch, she said, and I went back and I figured I have to be strong, I have to be confronted, but still not afraid, you know. So she went back and she said, and I told them in no uncertain terms of. Right. What they had to do, how to fix it. I was, I was just really tough. And then she took another little drink, she said, and kid, that's when they put the S on the end of my last name. Yeah. And so we. Every birthday, on my birthday, she would send me flowers. Happy birthday, kid. Yeah. And this one morning, I got up, it was my birthday, and she had died that day on my birthday. And I got the flowers that afternoon. Happy birthday, kid.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you believe in. In ghosts or spirits?

[Carol Burnett]

I don't not believe in them. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, do you feel like you've ever been visited by.

[Rachel Dratch]

Yeah, by Lucy.

[Amy Poehler]

Don't you feel like she'd be a funny ghost?

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, hello. Yeah. You know, Lucy, if you're here, Lucy,

[Amy Poehler]

if you're here, we'd get our Ouija board out. But, yeah, I mean, and she. And. And Carol, you're like that for so many people. I mean, I feel like you're a mentor to so many women. And you, like you said, you got things handed to you and you hand it down, you pass it on. The spirit of that felt like it was embedded in the Carol Burnett show because. So you were skipping a lot, but obviously you go to New York, you're in Broadway, Garry Moore. And do you feel like, I mean, you were physical in a way back then and way back in a way now? I mean, first of all, you look terrific.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

You're 92.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, you're just.

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, physically, your body has been so good to you. You have a command of your body and always have. And it's like. And I guess one of the questions that Rachel Dratch and I. Rachel had that we were talking about is this idea of physical comedy, which was.

[Carol Burnett]

I love doing it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. When you would do the show, would you do warmups? Like, physical warmups? Like, would you stretch? Like, before the show was about to

[Carol Burnett]

stretch, I was very ath. I would roller skate. I would do all kinds of climb the sign.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah. And so I was quite. And I could run like the wind.

[Amy Poehler]

But you have those legs, Carol.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, they're the last things to go.

[Amy Poehler]

Babe, you got. I mean, what I would give for long legs. You have the best legs.

[Carol Burnett]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

You probably could have been a long distance runner.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, when I was in junior high school, my physical aid teacher, because I could run, she sent a letter home to my grandmother saying, could Carol stay after school and I could be coaching her? And my grandmother said, no, running is bad for the heart. Whatever that meant.

[Rachel Dratch]

That was.

[Amy Poehler]

That was definitely back then when every. Everyone was a little scared of everything.

[Carol Burnett]

Everything.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Running is bad for the heart.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah. Like she said, when I went to New York, you know, yeah, you'll be dead in a week. Her blood's too thin. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

So you. Yeah. So physically also, Carol, do you feel like you have a thing that happens because you've done a lot of live stuff where when there's something that's a little wrong, you know, when something's going a little wrong, there's like a little fun electricity where you get. Where you get excited.

[Carol Burnett]

Okay, now what am I gonna do? Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

You've always had that.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

Like we were accused a lot of breaking up and out of.

[Amy Poehler]

So on your show there would be people, you guys would laugh.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, yeah. And. But, but out of 270 some odd shows, I can't. There was. I, in fact, I kind of looked at stuff because it was usually Conway who was after Harvey to break him up. I don't think we. More than 15 times out of 200. But people remember that. Oh yeah, because it was so delicious.

[Amy Poehler]

It was.

[Carol Burnett]

But then people say, well, they shouldn't have done that.

[Amy Poehler]

That kind of fun goof around thing. I mean, that's. That just goes to show, I think what I felt watching even from, you

[Carol Burnett]

know, it was a family.

[Amy Poehler]

It was a family.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

It was 10 years that you made that show together.

[Carol Burnett]

11.

[Amy Poehler]

11.

[Carol Burnett]

I decided I wanted to quit after 11.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you remember the last moment of the last show?

[Carol Burnett]

Well, yeah, it was when I sat on the bucket as the charwoman. And then I just talked about how we were gonna not come back, you know, and yeah, I cried. It was bittersweet.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

But it was time. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And when in the last thing I'll say about how important that show was to me is you. And I know you've spoken about how it was a section that at first you thought, I'm not sure why I'm doing this, but do you watch your old stuff? Do you watch clips of these?

[Carol Burnett]

I like Norma Desmond. Do you not.

[Amy Poehler]

You're not in your bedroom all day watching old clips of yourself.

[Carol Burnett]

We had faces then.

[Amy Poehler]

But you must every once in a while stumble across something that comes. Your phone must know who you are.

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, actually when I wrote my last book was about doing the show, so I had to watch a lot to. Yeah, yeah. You know. Yeah. I went fast through some of the. And some of the sketches. I. Oh, God, they were terrible. Yeah, some were wonderful, you know, but I hadn't remembered a lot, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you. And do you watch. Watch comedy now? Like. Well, I asked my guests not really. Yeah. Do you watch anything now that you're liking or.

[Carol Burnett]

I watch tcm. Turner Classic, Visit all the people that I loved when I was growing up.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, who did you comedically? Who did you love growing up?

[Carol Burnett]

Who made you love growing up comedically?

[Amy Poehler]

Who would you visit right now if you could on tcm?

[Carol Burnett]

Carol Lombard. Yeah, she was. That's who my mother named me after, actually. She was a beautiful comedic actress and could really, you know, with a turn of it, this, and that's the movies, you know, comedically. I kind of fashioned my show not only after Gary, but after Sid Caesar

[Amy Poehler]

and Sonny and Cher were in the same studio as you. Right.

[Carol Burnett]

They were next door.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you and Cher hang out?

[Carol Burnett]

No.

[Amy Poehler]

Did you guys ever hang out?

[Carol Burnett]

Not really.

[Amy Poehler]

Did you watch?

[Carol Burnett]

We know each other. We're friends. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Did you watch their show when it was.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah. Our studios were joined by the ladies room and men's room. So if there was a break or I had. I'd go through the ladies room and watch them rehearse something. And sometimes, like, she and Sunny, and even separately sometimes just walk on while I was doing questions and answers, and we'd get around, you know, it's great fun.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, that's so fun.

[Carol Burnett]

She's lovely.

[Amy Poehler]

She is lovely. I mean, I don't know her.

[Carol Burnett]

We just don't run around in the same circle.

[Amy Poehler]

She just seems cool.

[Carol Burnett]

She's cool.

[Amy Poehler]

Cher, if you're listening, we love you.

[Carol Burnett]

She should come on this show.

[Amy Poehler]

You heard it here first, Cher.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Carol says.

[Carol Burnett]

Oh, she'd be a great guest.

[Amy Poehler]

Love to have her on. What's your sign? Carol, what's your sign?

[Carol Burnett]

A Taurus, of course.

[Amy Poehler]

Earth sign.

[Carol Burnett]

What does that mean? I'm lying on a bull.

[Amy Poehler]

You're bull, but you're an Earth sign. I'm a Virgo. Tina's a Taurus. You know, somebody's gotta get this stuff done. Somebody's gotta get stuff done. Taurens. And again, I know nothing about astrology.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah, well, you know who else is taurus is Shirley MacLaine and Barbra Streisand. They have the same birthday. They.

[Amy Poehler]

And you heard it here. Carol thinks you guys should come on this podcast, too, I think.

[Carol Burnett]

So.

[Amy Poehler]

One of the most special moments of doing your wonderful special that you and Brian produced for your birthday a couple years ago, number one, it was like the first time I had been out since COVID I was like, yay. But also, you and Julie Andrews were together, and you held hands during a lot of that and sat next to each Other.

[Carol Burnett]

My chum.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Tell us when you first met Julie and how important a friend she is to you.

[Carol Burnett]

I was doing Mattress and she was in Camelot, so she was a queen and I was a princess. And some friends, mutual friends, said you two ought to get meet because there's a similarity there. And you'd be. And later on, Julie and I even tried. Oh, come on. It's like saying a blind date, you ought to be to see him. Anyway, she had Sunday night off from Camelot, and we worked on Sunday night. So she came with her friend, and I had my friend there. The two gentlemen, just friends. And she watched Mattress, and we went out to a Chinese restaurant afterwards, and we never stopped talking to each other. The poor guys who were with us just sat there and listened. It was as if we were joined at the hip from the beginning and always. And she. She taught me some dirty words. You would think because you're not a big.

[Amy Poehler]

Swear. You know, you don't love to swear. You know, you don't.

[Carol Burnett]

Like. Occasionally. Yeah. You know, occasionally, if I stub my toe, you know what comes out.

[Amy Poehler]

And what kind of friend is Julie, my chum?

[Carol Burnett]

We love each other. We are like. We're sisters. She. Unfortunately, I'm not unfortunate, but for me. And, you know, she lives on the East Coast.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. So you guys.

[Carol Burnett]

So, yeah, we. And it was so sweet of her to come to the 90th to be with me.

[Amy Poehler]

Where were you when the Sound of Music came out? Did you go to the premiere? Do you remember the movie? Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

No, I didn't go to the premiere, but I remember she used to send me dirty limericks when she was filming. She did. I wish I could remember it or even tell it. I think about. She did a whole parody on. These are a Few of My Favorite Things. I mean, brilliant. So funny. So good.

[Amy Poehler]

So good. Okay. And then you worked with some. You've worked with amazing people. You have had an amazing life where you've gotten to play around with people who are kind of at the beginning of their careers, at the end of their careers. Was there anyone that you met as a young actor? I love to ask people this. Like a young. You met them and it was maybe their first job, and you saw something and you said, oh, they're gonna be very successful in fav.

[Carol Burnett]

Vicki.

[Amy Poehler]

Vicki Lawrence.

[Carol Burnett]

She wrote me a fan letter, and we were going to do the show, and we knew we were going to do something with Harvey and me where I'd be raising my kid's sister and we'd be A married couple. And so I'm reading my fan mail this one night and this was in December of 66 and we were going to go on in the fall of 67. And I'm opening up this letter and it's from this 17 year old girl, Vicki Lawrence, who's very nice letter saying people say that I remind them of you, a young you. And then she enclosed a newspaper article that had her picture in it. She looked so much like me when I was 17, I thought, well that's interesting. And then in the article they said she was going to be in a contest called Miss Fireball of Inglewood was eight other girls. And so the local paper was doing a bit on each one of those girls that this was her article. And I look at, and then I look at the date. The contest is tonight. The letter had been sent three weeks ago and it got to me from cbs. It's tonight. So my husband's coming downstairs and I said, don't get too comfortable, we're going to the Miss Fireball contest tonight. He said, what? And I showed him the article. I said, but should you. Yeah, okay, but shouldn't you try to tell her, you know, don't make her nervous? I said, you're right. So her father's name was listed in the article, Howard Lawrence. So I called the operator and I said, got the phone number. And so it rings and this lady asks, hello? I said, hi. I said, is Vicki Lawrence here? And she said this is her mother. Who's calling? And I said, it's Carol Burnett.

[Rachel Dratch]

Vicki.

[Carol Burnett]

Vicki comes, I hear footsteps. Vicki, come up to. Yeah, hi Marcia. I said, it's not Marsha, it's Carol. I got to. Would you be okay if we come to the. Okay. So we went, wow. She did the guitar, she played the gazoo, she did a couple of jokes and she sang and she won the contest.

[Amy Poehler]

And she was like you in peeking out and seeing. Just like you saw Lucy, she's peeking out, seeing Carol.

[Carol Burnett]

Exactly. And so I was in touch with, I said, we're going to be doing a little. Well, I'll be in touch with her.

[Amy Poehler]

We're going to be doing a little very famous show that's going to change comedy. But.

[Carol Burnett]

And so we called her that summer and she came and read and there was another girl who'd had a lot of experience. Vicki was raw but saw something, you saw something. And today no network would let us do that. Hire an 18 year old girl with no experience.

[Amy Poehler]

That's right.

[Carol Burnett]

They wouldn't allow.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean Carol, we could talk forever about the biz because the biz has changed so much.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah, I know, I, you know, you can't be happy being 92, but I'm glad I'm 92 because none of this would have happened today for me. Something might have happened, but it wouldn't be. There's no way we could do what we did before. 28 piece orchestra, 65 to 70 costumes a week, two guest stars, a major rep company, you know, and also CBS left us alone.

[Amy Poehler]

Right. I remember you telling me that they really didn't give you any notes. They just.

[Carol Burnett]

There was one note in 11 years.

[Rachel Dratch]

Sorry, I'm laughing.

[Carol Burnett]

The guy was. We were doing. I was doing a sketch where I was a nudist and I'm behind a fence that says keep out. And so I'm hanging over the fence, you know, bare shouldered. And then my legs are bare with high top tennis shoes and Harvey's voiceover and it's just, he's interviewing me and it's a bunch of jokes about a nudist colony. I mean, it's no big deal, right? So one of the lines was, so what do you nudists do for entertainment? You know, I said, well, we have dances every Saturday night. And he said, oh, how do you nudist dance? And I said very carefully. Well, just this, the network. That was too blue. You have to change that line.

[Amy Poehler]

Sometimes the change is even dirtier.

[Carol Burnett]

Hello. So what do you do? Well, we have dances every Saturday night. Well, how do you do? How do you dance? Cheek to cheek.

[Amy Poehler]

Incredible. So much better. And they left and they were like, that's it. That's better.

[Carol Burnett]

That's good.

[Amy Poehler]

Also, I don't have really any questions other than Annie. That's all Carol. Just Annie was so important. Annie remains so important, but was very important to Gen X women.

[Carol Burnett]

Wow.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, I've talked about it with Rachel Dratch and a bunch of people in this, like how big Annie was as a musical. It was all parts for we were that age. And then when the movie came out, we thought, okay, here comes the movie. And when you were Ms. Hannigan, it was like I saw that character for the first time. I really understood her.

[Carol Burnett]

Well, I went to John Eusten at the beginning and I said, I think she should drink. It wasn't in the original that she should have a little bit because it would only make sense that this woman, you know. And so he. That's a good idea there. That's the way he talked. Now, this is my favorite story. About Annie, Tim Curry, Bernadette and I, you know, the villains.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Carol Burnett]

Easy street was going to be this big number. So being a Hollywood movie, they decided to change it from the original, where it's just the three in the orphanage, to this big, huge thing where they had this street open up. They had 400 dancers, singers, this people hanging out. Even had a monkey grinder with a monkey. And Tim and Bernadette, this takes away from the number, they're just big Hollywood production. Huge. And, you know, took a week to film and at that time, a million dollars or so. And, you know, okay. All right. So we wrapped. I flew back. I was, at the time living in Honolulu. Burnett flew back to New York. Tim London. And I had always wanted more of a chin. I had a weak, weak chin. Now there was an orthopedic surgeon. Orthopedic? No, Oral surgeon in Honolulu, who said, oh, well, you know, I can just give it a little more. I said, I don't want to be Kirk Douglas. Right. I don't. I want. Although when it rains, I'd kind of like to feel it, you know? And I said, just like 2 or 3 millimeters. That's all. Just so I have a little more of a chin. Yeah. Okay. So no big deal. He fixed it. And a little more chin. Okay. So about a month later, I get a call, and it's Ray Stark, who's a producer. He said, we're going to reshoot the Easy Street Denver with just the three of you. I said, thank goodness. That's great. So now Tim and Bernadette and I are in her office, Hannah Gozavi. And Mr. Houston says, well, what I think we'll do is we'll do it well. From when Carol ran into the closet to find Annie's locket. We'll pick it up when she comes out with the locke. I went. Mr. Houston called me John, Dear John. Two months ago, when I ran into the closet, I didn't have a chin, and now I'm coming out of the closet with the chin. He thought for a minute. Well, dear, just come out looking determined.

[Amy Poehler]

Great direction.

[Carol Burnett]

That's my favorite story.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, I guess want to end Carol by asking you, what is the best part about being in your 90s?

[Carol Burnett]

That you're not 105.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, that's yet to go, kid.

[Rachel Dratch]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you feel like a kid?

[Carol Burnett]

A few years ago, a bunch of us were sitting around a table, said, how do you really feel inside? I said, 11. And I remember, maybe that's because that's when I Would climb the sign when I would roller skate, when I would put my handprints with Betty Grable. I don't know, but something about being 11. Go figure.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I loved you when I was 11, so when I'm with you, I feel 11 too. So it's really nice. And, you know, you. I knew I was gonna cry. I knew I was gonna cry. And Janice said when I cried that she would start saying, cry, cry, cry. So.

[Rachel Dratch]

But I knew I would cry.

[Amy Poehler]

But, Carol, that is that sense of play. That sense of play.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, you know, you. Especially young girls, like, when they're kind of really magical at 11, they haven't quite become self conscious.

[Carol Burnett]

Maybe that's it. Yeah, they're not too smart alecki yet. That's why when I talked about teenagers. Good luck.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. 11 is still very sweet.

[Carol Burnett]

Yeah. When they're teenagers. You are so stupid.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, right.

[Carol Burnett]

You have no idea what life is about because you're too old.

[Amy Poehler]

Totally. But there's that, like, tender moment before you become self conscious when you can still kind of, like, do your thing and not really worry about it.

[Carol Burnett]

I remember when my daughter Carrie, who we lost a few years ago when she was five years old, we caught her in a fib. And I said, that's not good. So you have your dinner and you go up to bed, and, you know, you can't stay up. You just go. And then I went in afterwards and I. She was upset, and I sat on her bed and I'm looking at her and I said, sweetheart, you know we love you very much, but, you know, if you tell a little fib, then later on it might become bigger and people don't want to be a liar. And she is looking at me like, you know, I said. And I'm thinking, I'm going to get a medal as a mother of the year. I am so. I could hear violins. I was so perfect. And she's looking at me. And finally I stopped and I said, are you okay, sweetheart? You want to say anything? She said, what, darling? She said, how many teeth do you have? Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Perfect, Carol. Perfect.

[Carol Burnett]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

May we all get. When we all get back to that innocent time. Thank you so much for doing this. It means so much that you're here. I love you, Carol.

[Carol Burnett]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for coming. And thank you so much for coming. Well, thank you so much, Carol Burnett. I cried and. Look, I don't want to. I don't want this to become a thing. Okay? I don't love crying. And I'm. I'm. You know, but if anyone's going to get me there, it's Carol Burnett. I'm now technically using the good Hank tissues that I have mocked other people for using, and now, well, it got me. So karma's a bitch. But for this polar plunge, I guess just thank you, Carol. You are a legend and you mean so much to me. Thank you for doing the show. And it just also makes me think about all the women that we talked about in this interview. Lucille Ball, Betty Grable, Linda Darnell, Phyllis Diller, Elaine May. You know all these different actresses, do yourself a favor and check them out. Type them in your phone or ask your computer. Ask your computer to bring up a picture of them. Or whisper into your robot's ear that you want to see some of their highlights, because it's just a reminder of all the good performances. And also watch that great film Stage Door, which is a great film about what Carol was talking about, about women living in a house trying to be actresses. Anyway, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm crying. I've cried. It's. I've lost all credibility. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you soon.

[Rachel Dratch]

Bye.

[Amy Poehler]

You've been listening to good hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by the Ringer and Paper Kite for the Ringer production by Jack Wilson, cat Spillane, Kaia McMullen, and Alaya Zaneris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell and Jenna Weiss Berman. Original music by Amy Miles. Close your eyes. Exhale. Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts.

[Rachel Dratch]

Oh, my gosh, they're so fast.

[Amy Poehler]

And breathe. Sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order.

[Rachel Dratch]

Oh, sorry. Namaste.

[Amy Poehler]

Visit 1-800contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts.