Was there ever a better sketch comedy hour than this one. For eleven years, Burnett and fabulous company made each week a laugh fest. Only seldom did a sketch fall flat. Thus, success is also due the writers who had a firm grasp of cast and material. And what a cast— the infinitely versatile Carol, the perfect counterpart Korman, the inimitable Vicki Lawrence, and the goofy Tim Conway. Together, their chemistry year after year was darn near perfect. I did feel sorry for handsome Lyle Waggoner who never appeared to have a defined role to play. I'm glad he settled in with the Wonder Woman series. The icing on the cake, however, was when Conway replaced him, and the laughs really gelled.
My favorites among the sketches—anything where a loony Carol descends stairs with a coat hanger for shoulders; the hilarious take-off on dysfunctional families with Eunice and Ed and snap-dragon Mama; and anything where Carol gets to do an eye- bulging impersonation. Guest stars also shone at times—Steve Lawrence was particularly good at tough talking thugs, while Jim Nabors did his slow-witted hick to perfection.
I suspect one reason for the show's longevity was Carol's obvious rapport with ordinary folks, like her audiences. None of the Hollywood celebrity about her, and somehow I expected to find her in my supermarket checkout line. Thanks Carol and Company. You guys shone like a rare evening constellation, but never one above our heads.
