Carol Burnett had been a great guest star and cast member on TV for quite a while before she became a huge TV star with The Carol Burnett Show. Now the two specials that launched her to leading lady success arrive in Carol + 2. First is her TV special that had her share the screen with Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy) and Zero Mostel (The Producers). Also on the DVD is a televised version of her stage smash Once Upon A Mattress. The DVD comes out May 17. Here’s the press release from Time Life:
THIS MAY, MAKE WAY FOR TWO
ALL-TIME COMEDY LEGENDS IN ONE
NEVER-BEFORE-AVAILABLE TV SPECIAL!
CAROL +2: THE ORIGINAL QUEENS OF COMEDY
May 17, 2016
Icons Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball Deliver
the Comedic Goods in a Rare 1966 Special
Which Preceded The Carol Burnett Show
Bonuses Include the 1972 CBS-TV Movie “Once Upon
a Mattress” and the First “Charwoman” Sketch
Carol Burnett was born ready for prime time, but the last major step before The Carol Burnett Show began its incredible run in 1967 occurred a year earlier. CBS had promised Burnett her own special provided she could deliver a major star, so she hesitantly phoned Lucille Ball, who was one of her greatest influences on and off the stage. Lucy replied “when do you need me there?,” and the rest is history.
Airing on March 22, 1966, Carol +2 united two zany redheads with the always unpredictable Broadway dynamo Zero Mostel, for an hour of comedy and song. From Carol’s familiar earlobe-tug gesture, to comic sketches and musical numbers and a rousing finale, home audiences will get an early window into things to come for Burnett. Carol’s wedding anniversary sketch with Mostel points to future moments with Harvey Korman. She offers a variation of her beloved Charwoman character when she and Lucy clean up at the William Morris Agency as imaginary “charwomen of the board” of showbiz central, finishing with a duet on the spirited Chutzpah. This was the second televised appearance of the Charwoman, who became a staple of the series and icon of its animated opening. The first, included here in a bonus sketch, was on Carol’s 1963 special, Carol & Company.
Also on the jam-packed DVD single, CAROL +2: THE ORIGINAL QUEENS OF COMEDY, is the 1972 CBS color television movie version of Once Upon a Mattress, a hilarious twist on the classic “Princess and the Pea” tale in which Carol reprises her 1959 Tony-nominated Broadway debut role as Princess Winifred the Woebegone. Joining her are Ken Berry (Prince Dauntless), Bernadette Peters (Lady Larken) and Jack Gilford (reprising his stage role as King Sextimus), all of whom (in addition to Lucille Ball) would guest star on The Carol Burnett Show multiple times over its eleven seasons.
Carol Burnett’s iconic legacy represents a vital part of broadcast history, and the special performances seen on the never-before-available CAROL +2 illustrate why she remains one of the all-time great comedy legends.
CAROL +2: THE ORIGINAL QUEENS OF COMEDY
Street Date: May 17, 2016
DVD SRP: $12.95
Format: DVD/Single
Running Time: 277 mins.
Genre: TV/Comedy
Aspect Ratio: 4×3
Audio: Stereo
