Abby Connolly
She eventually landed a role on the comedic television show, The Winchell-Mahoney Show, playing the girlfriend of a ventriloquist’s dummy.
From 1956-1957, Carol played a role on the television sitcom Stanley but had trouble finding work afterward.
However, she eventually found success in NYC’s cabaret and nightclub scene, performing parody songs like “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles,” which caught the attention of late-night show scouts.
Carol was cast in the original Broadway cast of the musical Once Upon A Mattress in 1959 and was nominated for a Tony Award. After making more small television appearances and gaining more attention, Carol was cast in The Garry Moore Show that same year.
She became an instant hit with her slapstick comedy and hilarious characters. She won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show in 1962.
Carol started grabbing attention all over the film and television industry and made friends with other icons like Julie Andrews, who she performed with at Carnegie Hall in 1962, and Lucille Ball.
Then, Carol was finally given her own variety show, The Carol Burnett Show, which debuted on CBS in 1967, historically making her the first woman to host a variety show on American television.
Along with fabulous costars like Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Lyle Waggoner, the cast of The Carol Burnett Show had audiences all over America laughing weekly.
Each show would open with Carol having a Q&A with her studio audience before the cast performed some of their iconic sketches and parodies.
When you watch her famous Gone With The Wind parody sketch, “Went With The Wind,” you won’t be able to stop laughing.
The Carol Burnett Show featured many special guests like Julie Andrews, Lucille Ball, Ella Fitzgerald, Burt Reynolds, The Jackson 5, etc. The variety show won 23 Emmy Awards and ran from 1967 to 1978.
