8 of the best questions, answers and interactions from the Q+A sessions on The Carol Burnett Show
The countless interactions between comedy standout Carol Burnett and her live studio audience became a staple of The Carol Burnett Show.
Before the skits and scripted humor, these Q+A sessions between the star and her fans offered up some interesting questions and at times, priceless answers from Burnett.
Whether it was Burnett's response, a good story, or simply the question all by itself, here are eight of the best interactions between Carol Burnett and her fans, during the Q+A portion of The Carol Burnett Show.
"What do you think of the public transit?"
Traffic in Los Angeles has always been on the heavy side. The City of Angels is known more for traffic than its public transportation system, whereas a place like New York City is known for having a lot of traffic, but a great public transportation system. When asked her thoughts on public transit in LA, Burnett responded, "They ought to run it more than every two days," paired with a hilarious eye-roll.
"Do you have a secret for all the energy you have?"
"Yes, I do have a secret for all the energy I have, I just store it up now and then I go home and sleep for six days."
"Is your show coming back next season?"
"We'll be coming back for our tenth year, isn't that wild? And, it's funny. We started ten years ago and I'm only three years older."
"If you could be any age, what would it be?"
"If I could be any age I wanted to choose... Hmm. I think 33, maybe I'll change my mind when I get there." This response was during season nine of The Carol Burnett Show, and we believe she was older than 33 at the time, though we would never accuse Burnett of lying about her age!
"How come you don't show your belly button?"
This is classic Carol Burnett. When a child points out that the man who designed her dresses for the show, Bob Mackie, also designed clothing for Cher, he asks, "How come you don't show your belly button?"
Burnett responds quickly, "How come I don't show my belly button? I don't have one, I'm from Mars."
"Have you ever had your kids on the show?"
This is a question Burnett was asked frequently. She responds with, "No, I won't put them on the show, even if they would want to go on which I don't think they do." That's a fairly straightforward and understandable answer from a famous mother. Of course, she had to add in a funny line.
"Well, let me tell you, my old lady didn't have a television show of her own, so let them get theirs."
"How did you overcome stage fright?"
"Oh my lord, that's a tough one." Well, luckily for Burnett, a friend had given her some sound advice. "When I first went to New York and I had my first audition, I walked out... bare stage and I kind of looked out and there were the producers and the director... I was scared to death. A friend of mine had told me, 'just imagine the people out there [are] sitting on the John.'" The studio audience erupted with laughter. Burnett closed this piece of advice by saying, "I felt a little better, because they were kind of in a vulnerable position and they weren't quite as frightening. So maybe think about that."
"How do you get to the ladies room?"
Yes, you read that right. During one episode of The Carol Burnett Show, a woman sitting near the front of the stage asked Burnett "How do you get to the ladies room." Naturally, Burnett said, in front of everyone, "You have to go?" The crowd laughed, but Burnett was one of a kind. She directed the woman onto the stage, then backstage, and pointed her in the right direction. Burnett helping this woman find the restroom delighted the audience, who laughed for about a minute straight. Carol Burnett can help with anything!