Eunice

Carol Burnett was at her best in playing Eunice Harper Higgins on her variety show. The Family were always a favorite sketches except in spoofing movies or television. When her variety ended, Eunice never really was finished by Carol Burnett. She had such affection for Eunice. This eighty minute movie is available on the second season of Mama's Family on DVD. Carol returns with Harvey Korman as Ed Higgins. Ken Berry played Phillip (not Vinton) and Betty White as Ellen, her snobby sister. Vicki Lawrence returns as Mama. The movie is like a taped play with the same set starting in 1955 and ending in 1978. Eunice isn't some caricature but played like a human being. Carol played her perfectly. The entire cast was first rate.

This 1981 teleplay is the absolute end-all for the Eunice character portrayed by Carol Burnett for several years during her reign as television's finest comedian, and with her own variety show to boot... I recall Burnett once saying in an interview that she was glad to put an end to the Eunice character with this special. It was certainly the last word for Eunice, but not for the rest of the cast, who continued the saga of "Mama's Family". The bittersweet ending of "Eunice" is a great finale for the title character and her family story. With the excellent supporting cast, it created one of the all time best TV "specials". Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry, Harvey Korman and Betty White kept this simple minded family alive for years afterward, and with great success. This should be on DVD for all generations to appreciate. It's television at its best!

Like another poster here, I caught up with this on YouTube and I am very glad I did.

I loved these characters on the Carol Burnett Show. Here they are presented warts and all from the very beginning to the haunting end, and it may be too much for some viewers.

Eunice is the quintessential perfect teleplay.

Not enough can be said about this brilliant cast. Burnett is heart-breaking, Lawrence at times rivals the most fearsome of movie monsters, Korman and Berry have never been better, and the peerless Betty White will chill you to the bone. If you thought Sue Ann Nivens was acidic, wait till you see Betty devour her last scene with vampiric relish.

True, some of the one liners in this you may recall from the classic Family sketches, but this is not a distraction and actually benefits the project, filling in blanks a 20-minute sketch could never achieve.

All of the cast deserved Emmy recognition, but only Lawrence got one (and it is well deserved). It's kind of amazing to me that Burnett was overlooked for this. It is a career-best performance.

Eunice is unique. It definitely is funny, but tha last half hour is often chilling.

Recommended, highly.

Sad but sweet little teleplay featuring the "Family" from the Carol Burnett Show. Act 1 tells about Eunice and Ed, Act 2 takes place after Ed has left and Eunice is stuck alone with Momma, and Act 3 deals with Eunice trying to deal with Momma's passing away. Very funny, but also very sad. I have only seen this once, on it's live broadcast in 1981. I hope that it finds it's way to video someday.

When this was shown in 1981 I taped it and watched it over and over again. (Too bad I used BETA tape!) It is such a poignant story of broken dreams. Eunice wanted to do so much, but life got in the way, then she looks back on all her missed opportunities.

It is sad, but could also be inspiring to others who have dreams they want to accomplish in life - to go for them before it's too late.