A legendary 85-year-old comedian continues to inspire generations with her iconic television show, as a memorable scene featuring a slow-motion fall still brings laughter to audiences today.
Carol Burnett is a true legend in the industry, she starred in one of the most iconic television programs, The Carol Burnett Show, and has been involved in countless other shows throughout her career. She has even mentored the next generation of talent and continues to inspire people to create good television that can entertain Americans and lead to a better quality of life.
She is still as fresh and vivacious at 85 as she was when her popular show was on CBS. Although her program had a huge following when it was at its peak, many of its humorous moments have now been forgotten. But today, I’d want to bring up one of the show’s funniest scenes.
The Carol Burnett Show was a sketch comedy program that continues to make people laugh. It featured other talented actors like Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Tim Conway. And it was Conway who stole the show in what has become the most iconic fall in television history.
In the clip, Conway is playing Carol’s grandfather, and he has makeup and prosthetics to look the part. As he steps down the stairs into the scene, he starts falling in slow motion. And as you watch, you can’t help but burst into laughter.
The scene is so funny that even Carol and Harvey Korman can’t hold back their laughter. They have to look away from the camera to avoid breaking characters too much.
But Carol’s impact on television goes beyond just her show. In 2019, she received the first annual Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes. In her acceptance speech, she talked about how the television industry has changed over the years.
“Sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about being young again and doing it all over,” said Burnett, “then I bring myself up short” realizing that “what we did then couldn’t be done today.”
Back in her time, television studios hired a full orchestra, dancers, many costumes, co-stars, and guest stars. And she created her show every week. But nowadays, networks are cheap, and they wouldn’t spend the money to create a show like hers.
“Sad to say today’s audiences might never know what they’re missing, so here’s to reruns and YouTube,” she told the Globes audience.
If you want to see what Burnett was talking about, you can watch the clip of Conway falling down the stairs. It’s a timeless piece of television history that will make you laugh no matter how many times you watch it. And it’s a testament to the talent and creativity of Carol Burnett and her team.
WATCH the video below for more details:
Sources: AWM, Yahoo, Business-standard
Thomas Cooper