Retro : Videos Give Carol and Fans More Time Together

Variety shows may be dead on television, but the genre is alive and well on video. CBS Video recently released two musical-variety specials: The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion and Men, Movies & Carol ($15 each).

“The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion” is a must-have for any fan of Burnett’s endearing series. “A Reunion” was a huge ratings success when it aired on CBS two years ago. And for good reason. It’s a delightful trip down memory lane, featuring the camp-it-up redhead and her series sidekicks--Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner and Tim Conway--reminiscing about the old days and introducing hysterically funny clips. Of course, Conway still manages to break up Korman.

“The Carol Burnett Show” aired on CBS from 1967 to 1978 and received 20 Emmy Awards. The reunion special demonstrates why audiences and critics loved the series. Included are segments from its most popular sketches: “Mr. Tudball and Mrs. Wiggins,” in which Burnett played a dumb blond secretary and Conway her long-suffering boss; “Ed & Eunice,” featuring Burnett, Korman and Lawrence as members of a highly dysfunctional family and “As the Stomach Turns,” the series’ long-running spoof of soap operas.

The series also was famous for its outrageous takeoffs; the special offers up some of the funniest, including Burnett & Co. spoofs of “Gone With the Wind,” “Sunset Boulevard” and Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies.

Fans of the “The Carol Burnett Show’s” lavish musical production numbers won’t be disappointed either. There’s an entire segment devoted to them.

Far less enjoyable, however, is “Men, Movies & Carol,” a one-hour special that aired last fall on CBS. Burnett is still in top form here, surrounding herself with the multitalented Barry Bostwick, Michael Jeter, Tony Bennett and Scott Bakula (who is definitely an audience favorite). But stale material defeats them at most every turn. The best sequence is a fun, old-fashioned tribute to MGM musicals.