CAROL BURNETT & COMPANY {SALLY FIELD} {SERIES FINALE} (TV)
Summary
One in this short-lived comedy series reprising some of the players and sketches from "The Carol Burnett Show." This program features special guest star Sally Field. Burnett greets the audience onstage, and the first sketch is an installment of "The Family," in which Thelma and Eunice Harper visit the late Carl's gravesite. Thelma has a hard time finding the headstone, which is not as elaborate as other ones nearby, and then begins to lament that her husband died immediately after an argument between the two of them. She then berates Eunice for bringing cheap flowers and begins to wax maudlin about her own impending death, which bothers Eunice. Thelma urges Eunice to "greet" her father and sing a childish song called "Hiawatha," but she struggles to remember the words. Eunice admits she had plans to go see a Barbra Streisand movie later that day, and is "aghast" when Thelma insults the star. They descend into their usual argument, with Eunice declaring that Thelma and Carl never had "one kind word" for her during her childhood and that the cemetery gives her "the willies." Thelma threatens to stay behind in the graveyard, but Eunice finally relents and agrees to take her to the movies, and they leave.
Burnett then introduces Field, who portrays a woman exasperated with her slacker boyfriend, and informs him in song that "You're Moving Out Today." Next, Field takes on the persona of Miss Cummings, a fabulously glamorous celebrity trying to enjoy a "quiet" night out. When she refuses to sign autographs for the other restaurant patrons, they begin to follow through on their hyperbolic promises to "go crazy" without her attention, and the place soon falls into chaos. In the following sketch, Tim Conway portrays Reverend Tucker, who gives a sermon about "the devil's brew" and encouraging all of his followers to imbibe as much as possible to make life exciting and turn a boring day into "a yahoo afternoon." Next, in another installment of "As the Stomach Turns," Marion finally hangs up after spending two and a half years on the phone with Helen and is surprised by a visit from Pamela, last year's "Miss American" pageant winner, who announces that she is "on the lam" because she wants to hold the title forever and refuses to give up her crown. She delivers her exceptionally short "farewell speech" to Marion and quickly hides when Esther, her formidable chaperone, arrives looking for her. They are then joined by Michelle, last year's Miss Congeniality, who is now Michael. Pamela is thrilled to see him, but is surprised when he proposes to her. George, Michelle's former fiancé, arrives determined to win back his "girlfriend," deciding to visit the same doctor to be more accommodating. Pamela considers Michael's proposal and Marion tries on a tiara of her own, but the pageant's M.C. arrives as well and mistakes her for the true Miss American. Esther tells him that he has the wrong woman, but George then returns, having "become" a woman, and Pamela and Michael reemerge with a mysterious baby. The episode concludes with its usual storm of "meaningless questions."
In the final sketch, Burnett portrays a humble cleaning woman backstage at a follies show who decides to do a little entertaining of her own, first performing an elaborate dance number and then singing "Meantime." Burnett then closes the show by singing her signature good-night song and adding Field's autographs to her guest book. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 8, 1979 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:50:07
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:46702
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy/Variety
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1979
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Promos - "Happy Days"
- TV - Promos - "Out of the Blue"
- TV - Promos - "Taxi"
- TV - Promos - "The Lazarus Syndrome"
- TV - Promos - "The Love Boat"
- TV - Promos - "Three's Company"
CREDITS
- Joe Hamilton … Producer
- Robert Wright … Associate Producer
- Ann Elder … Writer
- Kenny Solms … Writer
- Bob Arnott … Writer
- Tim Conway … Writer
- Dick Clair … Writer
- Jenna McMahon … Writer
- Roger Beatty … Writer, Director
- Don Crichton … Choreographer
- Carol Burnett … Host, Cast
- Sally Field … Guest
- Tim Conway … Cast
- Vicki Lawrence … Cast
- Kenneth Mars … Cast
- Craig Richard Nelson … Cast