Carol Burnett Is A Real Doll Gone With The Wind

Looking elegant, stunning and as Ellen said "beautiful" in a beautiful dark sweater style dress and lemon jacket with a chic short hairstyle, the legendary Carol Burnett recently appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show.  She was there to chat with Ellen, who obviously adores her, as well as to promote her special appearance on an upcoming Law & Order SVU.

Ellen told Carol "I have so many questions for you, I grew up watching your show every week." and Carol said "youuuuuu were the one".  Ellen laughed, nodded her head and said "yeah". Ellen continued "and I adore you and I thought is there a show..... a favorite show."  She asked the Queen of Comedy "was there a show, your favorite show that you did on The Carol Burnett Show?"

Carol paused and said well "hmmm, I'm trying to think, there were times when I would look forward to doing certain segments" specifically "Mrs. Wiggins and Mr. Tudball" as well as "The Family with Eunice and Ed and Mama." Carol said she also loved "doing the movie takeoffs".

And why did she love the movie takeoff so much?  Carol told Ellen she "grew up with her grandmother going to about five or six times movies a week."  She confessed "I used to go home when I was a little girl and play the movies I'd just seen with my best girlfriend" and when she got her own show she wanted to recreate those movies she loved as a girl.  She said "it was such a fantasy coming true with singers and dancers and costumes and an orchestra and all of that."  Carol said on her show "I could really be Joan Crawford or Betty Grable or this one or that one."

Carol told Ellen it was a "thrill too because later I got to have Betty Grable" she turned to the audience and said "people may not remember Betty but she was a very big movie star" and then she got so excited "and she was a guest of my show and I used to watch her when I was growing up.  Oh wow."

Ellen said "yeah that's amazing, that's how I feel while doing this show I get to meet all these amazing people and then I'm like....." Ellen then brought up how Carol did a re-enactment of Gone With The Wind and "hilarious that was".

The talk show host asked Carol "who came up with that idea?" Carol said "the costume designer Bob Mackie came up with that idea.  It had been written that I would run up the stairs and grab onto the draperies and then come back down with them kind of hanging.  Then I went into costume fitting on Wednesday - we did the show on Friday - and Bob said "I have an idea" and I went into the other room and it was on the floor and he (Bob) picked it up.  It was a curtain rod with the dress (attached) and all.  I fell on the floor (laughing).  It was one of the best sight gags I have ever seen."

Ellen said "I think we have a clip, its hilarious."  Ellen showed the clip where Carol is dressed as Scarlett O'Hara and has on a dress made from drapes with the curtain rod sticking out over her shoulders.  In the clip Carol goes to the bottom of the staircase and is met by Rhett (played by Harvey Korman) who compliments her gown.  Carol, as Scarlett, says, in a straight face "thank you I saw (the gown) in the window and couldn't resits it."

After the Gone With The Window clip had been shown Carol told Ellen "I have a gift for you" and handed the hostess a bag.  Ellen opened it.  It was a Carol Burnett Barbie Doll wearing the outfit from the Gone With The Wind skit Carol did on her show so many years ago.  Ellen looked at the doll and said "oh my god you signed it, that means so much to me."  Carol was obviously pleased that Ellen was pleased.

Carol told Ellen the doll's clothes were designed by Bob Mackie and the Barbie people called and wanted to do it...so "we did."  Ellen said "thank you soooooooo much".  Ellen said to Carol "I'll get you something."

She then asked Carol "now how - I can't tell you how much this (the doll) means to me."  She continued "how did you not crack up in every - like coming down the stairwell - how many times did you rehearse that without laughing?

Carol said "well you know what, when I came down the stairs, I hadn't let anybody see the outfit, except Harvey.  Because he had to see it."  Ellen agreed with Carol about Harvey seeing the outfit.  Carol continued "and we rehearsed it and it was very difficult.  I came down and it was very difficult for me (to keep a straight face), she said she was sucking in her cheeks a lot" (she pointed to demonstrate).

Ellen asked "is that what you did to stop laughing?"  And Carol said "but sometimes we laughed. She explained "when Conway (Tim Conway) got on a roll we (did). There was no way, I kept wishing we'd invested in Depends, it was just, you couldn't help but go, and it was Conway's role in life to destroy our beloved Harvey (Korman), he was after him every time."

Ellen said "yeah, yeah and he got him all the time which was hilarious to watch that happen. The dentist scene, there were just so many moments and when you all lost it and you would start laughing it was even more fun for us to watch you lose it."  Carol said "I know".  Ellen said "it was just such a brilliant, brilliant show, you're just so amazing, you're an amazing person."

The show took a break and then a clip of Carol Burnett on the upcoming Law & Order SVU was played.  Ellen said "oh that was really good, that's Carol Brunette in Law & Order SVU" and Carol said "I scared myself"  Ellen said "yeah, you're so good in this.  I love the show anyway. To be able to watch you go through.  Your character is lots of different notes. It's really good."

Carol said "I haven't seen it."  Ellen said "it's good, you're good in it."  Carol said "thank you, I'm very glad to hear that."  Ellen said "and it kept us guessing.  Portia and I were "who do you think did it?"  We were trying to figure out who it was. And it was good, and the guy who was...."

Carol "oh Matthew Willard, wasn't he wonderful?  He plays my, then she did quote marks, nephew."  Ellen said "exactly, nephew" and then she told the audience "and that was actual footage of The Gary Moore show."  Carol shook her head "yes"  Ellen said "do you watch things occasionally, or was that the first time you'd seen that?"

Carol said "yes I sit there like Norma Desmond every night and I love to see that."  Ellen laughed.  She asked "had you seen that in awhile?" Carol said "no, they found it.  The Law & Order people found it. It was great because it was a clip of the actual me."  Ellen said "it was really good, I loved it, I loved that whole thing." Ellen continued "so you're on tour? Right?"

Carol said "well I go on like mini tours.  I do a one woman thing." Ellen said "well what do you do?"  Carol said "questions and answers." Ellen said "yeah?" Carol explained "and so I show a couple of clips of stuff.  Then I throw it open (to the audience) and I don't know what anybody's gonna ask. It makes it more fun.  So it keeps the old gray matter ticking, she pointed to her head, and so I do it every once in awhile. I'm gonna do a bunch in Canada in June."

Ellen said "and when you get questions, because I know I used to do that after my HBO Specials, like you said, you don't know what they're going to ask.  Have you gotten like really weird questions?"

Carol replied "the weirdest one I think I ever got was a women in Texas.  She was way up in the balcony.  I said "the lady in the pink up there, yes, yes". And the Texas lady asked "if you could be a member of the opposite sex for 24 hours and then be able to pop back in and be yourself, who would you be and what would you do?"

Carol said "I replied I said I would be Osama Bin Laden and I would kill myself."  The audience went crazy with laughter and applause.  Ellen replied "aren't you so excited when you come up with those things on the spot?  Such a brilliant answer."  Carol said "I'm terrified, Higher Power, Dear God, whatever comes out, let me.....and that came out."

Ellen ended the segment with Carol and encouraged everyone to watch the upcoming Law & Order SVU.  she also said Carol would be in PostGrad which is an upcoming movie.  Carol and Ellen also sang in the bathroom as part of Ellen's bathroom singing series.  They sang Carol's famous closing song from The Carol Burnett Show and they both pulled their ears at the end, just as Carol did.  Then they flushed the toilet.  It was definitely funny and another win for Ellen Degeneres.