Clown Project

The Incomparable Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett is a very well known comedic American actress who is known as one of the greatest clowns of American television. Mrs. Burnett was born in 1933 in San Antonio, Texas to Jody and Louise Creighton Burnett. She had a rough family life as her parents were alcoholics and separated several times. Because of this, Mrs. Burnett lived mostly with her grandmother. In 1940 Mrs. Burnett and her grandmother moved to Los Angeles, California and stayed in a small apartment across the hall from her parents.

Carol Burnett graduated from Hollywood High School and was accepted to UCLA from English. Within her first year, Mrs. Burnett took an acting class where she fell in love with acting. She claims, “The first time I ever forgot I as homely, was the first time I heard an audience laugh.” She then switched her major to Theatre. In her junior year, she and her boyfriend at the time, Don Saroyan, were invited to perform at a party hosted by a faculty member. There, a wealthy man from San Diego, realized their potential and loaned them $1,000 to move to New York City on the condition that the loan be paid back in five years, the money would only be used to further their careers; and if successful, they need to help other young actors to become successful. The last condition was that his identity never be revealed. Mrs. Burnett fulfilled these conditions and to this day she will not reveal her benefactor.

Mrs. Burnett moved to New York in the summer of 1954. She moved into a boarding house known as “The Rehearsal Club” . Over the next few years she would make small appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, “Omnibus”, and the “Dinah Shore Show”. Eventually, in 1959, Mrs. Burnett fulfilled a life long dream and was cast as a lead in the original broadway production of “Once Upon a Mattress”. Her career gained speed after this and she started making regular performances on the “Garry Moore Show” in November of 1959 while she was still working on “Once Upon a Mattress”.

After a few more years, Mrs. Burnett began the show she is best known for; “The Carol Burnett Show”. The first episode aired on September 11, 1967 and ran through til March 29, 1978. This is when she really showed her Character Clown. “The Carol Burnett Show” was a variety show that was mostly skits that she, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and sometimes Dick Van Dyke, performed. Carol played many different characters, but her Charwomen is the most famous. A cartoon of her as the Charwoman was created for the opening credits. She also portrayed this character in many many skits.

The Charwomen has heavy feet and tends to drag them a lot. She wears a puffy red and orange patterned hat. She has on a red blouse with dots gold flowers all over it. She has on a yellow apron that covers her front. She has on a purple plaid skirt goes only to her knees so her calves are exposed. She wears heavy brown shoes with white socks. She will clean times with a handkerchief under her open vest. In the skit, “Charwoman Goes Backstage”, she enters the dressing room of what looks like burlesque dancers. She dusts the table, wipes some ashtrays and then tries on one of the performers hula skirts. She plays around for a while but hurts herself with the pineapple bra. Her movements are very precise and polished. She also plays with a balloon at one point. You see as she gets an idea and begins to dance with drums following her beat. But the skit really takes off when she puts on a boa and begins to sing selections from “Sweet Charity”. This Charwoman character is a big dreamer with exaggerated movement. Shes not a huge buffoon, but does put herself in weird situations. Shes always cleaning in the most exotic locations and then begins messing and playing with things that she should not touch.

My favorite skit with the Charwoman was when she was a the circus. She messes with some of the items on stage but is interrupted by a sad eyed tramp clown. They interact as he tries to show her some tricks but inadvertently makes her sneeze of trip. He gives her a handful of light that he sweeps up and then it ends with a song about looking at the silver lining. This one was particularly special because two clowns interact and perform outrageous stunts.

The Charwoman her most memorable character but she did play many while airing the show. She played a wife who was having a non-verbal argument with her husband. She uses her eyes and face to portray what she wants to say. It is very clear throughout the entire skit what she is thinking and how she is feeling. There is also Stella Toddler who is a clumsy older woman who falls in such things as a red carpet and is then lifter out of it showing her underwear.

Carol Burnett is a very wonderfully talented and has given the world great entertainment. I grew up with watching Carol Burnett and she is one of my heroes. She worked hard to get where she is today and is considered one of the most respectable women in comedy.

Works Cited

• Adir, Karin. Clowns of American Television. Text. 2002
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x0Et9calE8. Charwoman at the Circus
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoCIeBkkW0k. Charwoman Goes Backstage
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drFVukcUaD0. Carol Burnett – Harvey Korman – The Non-Verbal Argument
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuzWH9rJjDw. Stella at Grauman's Chinese Theatre