Carol Burnett Named Grand Marshal for Rose Parade

As Carol Burnett took the stage to accept her appointment as grand marshal of the 109th Tournament of Roses Parade on Tuesday, she quickly brought out the mischievous side of the otherwise staid crowd gathered on the lawn of the tournament’s Pasadena mansion.

“You gonna do that Tarzan call?” someone called out.

“I don’t know how well it’ll come across, I shaved my chest this morning,” Burnett shot back without missing a beat. Then she let out a piercing, undulating wail that would have sent Johnny Weismuller scampering up a tree.

Dressed in a bright red blazer and white Tournament of Roses baseball cap, Burnett was ebullient as she told the crowd her selection had her “tickled.”

“This is the greatest honor, I’ve already started to practice my wave,” she said.

Burnett, who hosted the longest-running comedy variety show on American television, was a perfect match for the parade’s theme, “Hav’n Fun,” said Tournament of Roses President Gareth A. Dorn. The parade is watched on television by about 550 million people in 100 countries.

“She’s fun, light and uplifting,” said Dorn, who selected Burnett and the theme for the New Year’s Day parade.

Burnett joins a group of past grand marshals that includes Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Kermit the Frog. Richard Nixon marshaled the parade in 1953, when he was vice president, and in 1960.

Seven women have previously served as grand marshals, including Mary Pickford, Dale Evans and Shirley Temple Black.

Before becoming a television superstar, Burnett was a successful stage actress on Broadway.

Though best known for her comic antics, Burnett has also distinguished herself in more somber areas.

In 1981, after a five-year court battle, Burnett won an $800,000 judgment against the National Enquirer for publishing a false story. She later funded scholarships at the University of Hawaii for ethics in journalism.

Burnett has written and lectured about her parents’ alcoholism and her daughter’s struggles with drug addiction. Her best-selling 1986 memoir, “One More Time,” was praised for its examination, without self-pity, of her childhood struggles with poverty and her parents’ drinking problems.

Burnett said her appearance at the Rose Parade will be especially meaningful because it will be the first time she has attended the event. Although she moved from Texas to Hollywood as a child, she confided that she never made it to the parade as a youngster because her family did not have a car.