Carol Burnett in her television show made
outrageous fun of American types and celebrities in a timeless way. At the end she’d walk out as herself, in a gown by Bob Mackie (known for
dressing Cher; Carol wore “a thousand” of his gowns and costumes). She would
then take questions from the studio audience. This is recreated in the current
show of remembrances that Burnett is taking around the world, with a
new memoir, In Such Good Company.
Her New York City audience gave a standing ovation the
moment she stepped out on stage, and their reactions were extravagant and out
of control from then on. Carol Burnett at age 80-something delivers a
Tarzan yell and an uncanny imitation of the voice of Jimmy Stewart, her girlhood heartthrob.
Questions from the vast Beacon Theatre audience on a night of
the full moon included a person in the upper tier who uncomfortably asked whether, knowing what she knows now, she would have done something different as a mother. There was a sharp intake of breath
from the audience—we knew her late daughter Carrie was afflicted with drug and
alcohol dependence. Carol’s response, “No, nothing,” cut through the tension.
She said that her TV show (1967-1978) almost did not get off
the ground because producers had cold feet, until the last minute. This major feminist
point was probably lost on our younger critic, Arden Wheeler Wolfe. Instead, Arden was
riveted by the costumes. Carol Burnett indeed has always been as svelte and
upright as a haute couture model, the better to wear a thousand Bob Mackie
gowns, with (we’re guessing) Joan Rivers’ stamp of approval on every one. “She
looks like a sixty-year-old,” judged Arden, Jensen's ten-year-old.
Burnett reminisces with patched-in video of sketches and guest stars (Gloria Swanson! Maggie Smith! Madeline Kahn! Steve
Martin! Betty White!). Asked if there is a film or TV program she would parody today, Carol
answered, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Her fans know that she would
nail reality TV in her subversive, joyously scabrous way. She makes parodists
today (apart from Tracey Ullman, perhaps) look too safe.
Carol acknowledges a debt to the other comic geniuses on her team: Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway, and Harvey Korman. At the end she sings “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together,” sign-off of The Carol Burnett Show, and she pulled her ear lobe, the secret greeting she made at the end of every show to her grandmother, who brought her up. (Anyone who has read the account of her poverty-stricken Dickensian childhood never forgets it.)
Carol acknowledges a debt to the other comic geniuses on her team: Vicki Lawrence, Tim Conway, and Harvey Korman. At the end she sings “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together,” sign-off of The Carol Burnett Show, and she pulled her ear lobe, the secret greeting she made at the end of every show to her grandmother, who brought her up. (Anyone who has read the account of her poverty-stricken Dickensian childhood never forgets it.)
Grateful to have been in the generous presence of Carol
Burnett, we’re so glad we had this time together—actually, it felt magic.
Get tickets if she’s coming to your town.
Like the
country of Luxembourg, Cafe Luxembourg is tiny and pretty. It gets a
pre-concert crowd and is always packed. The food is very good and priced
accordingly. You’ll be happy if, price-consciously, you stick to the yellowfin
tuna burger (with wasabi dressing, served with frites or salad), or the
Luxemburger, served all day, or the roasted chicken in Dijon sauce (left) that is
served with the beautiful frites, a bargain on the evening menu. The grilled
octopus with Moroccan salad was extraordinary. Wish we had room for the pan-roasted lamb chops with
zucchini blossoms or any of the classic French desserts. Cyndi Lauper was eating there on a recent night, in white tasseled
earrings, looking so fab. (Yes, Cyndi, girls just want to have fun, you were so right about that!)
Café
Luxembourg opened in 1983 and restaged a Brassai photograph of three
fleshy women wearing only their shoes, standing at the bar with their backs to
the camera. Clever marketing, and when you get your tab at the end of the meal
at Café Luxembourg, you receive chocolates wrapped with the famous photo.
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