This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection By Carol Burnett
A touching and hilarious memoir by the author of
Carrie and Me: A Mother Daughter Love Story
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This Time Together is 100 percent Carol Burnett – funny, irreverent, and irresistible.
Carol Burnett is one of the most beloved and revered actresses and performers in America. The Carol Burnett Show was seen each week by millions of adoring fans and won twenty-five Emmys in its remarkable eleven-year run. Now, in This Time Together, Carol really lets her hair down and tells one funny or touching or memorable story after another – reading it feels like sitting down with an old friend who has wonderful tales to tell.
In engaging anecdotes, Carol discusses her remarkable friendships with stars such at Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, and Julie Andrews; the background behind famous scenes, like the moment she swept down the stairs in her curtain-rod dress in the legendary “Went With the Wind” skit; and things that would happen only to Carol – the prank with Julie Andrews that went wrong in front of the First Lady; the famous Tarzan Yell that saved her during a mugging; and the time she faked a wooden leg to get served in a famous ice cream emporium. This poignant look back allows us to cry with the actress during her sorrows, rejoice in her successes, and finally, always, to laugh.
From the Hardcover edition.
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
Those on the hunt for Burnett's autobiography should seek out the title One More Time. This small volume is a series of anecdotes inspired by the popular question-and-answer sessions you may recall her once conducting to open her variety show. In it she shares a wide range of incidents and interactions she found both amusing and surprising. She possesses a terrific sense for this kind of thing, and the skill to carry it off as a literary enterprise.
What most intrigued me here, though, was the subtle introduction of Carol Burnett as a human being. It's easy to imagine we know this woman as the gracious and greatly talented comedienne we've seen on-screen for decades. Her effortless charm. Her welcoming demeanor. Her genuine desire to tickle a smile from every guest in the house. Why it should astonish me that there were people she didn't like, behaviors that irritated her, and efforts she simply didn't wish to make...well, this speaks more of my predilection to toss the talented atop pedestals than it does anything else.
Through the course of her storytelling, Ms. Burnett clambers down from those lofty heights, dusts herself off, takes a seat and settles in to chat - authentically. And I am, I think, in several ways better for it.
Memoir, Narrator I was watching Annie with my little one the other day and within minutes, I was shaking my head. How could any actress even attempt to play Miss Hannigan after Carol Burnett's performance. It wasn't just that it was funny. In fact, it may not be a lot of people's cup of tea because it is so broad, as is her style. It was that Carol Burnett decided that her character was going to play this silly, comedy musical, as if it was a melodrama. She was Joan Crawford at her long-suffering, martyr best!!! It takes a lot not to be upstaged by a cute, curly-haired urchin, an adorable furball, and a bunch of overproduced, Look Ma! I'm actin'ovah heeeyah! sing and dance numbers, but Burnett shone. I, for one, only had eyes for her.
Having said that, people looking for super candid memoirs in This Time Together might be a bit disappointed. This is more a collection of bits, some of them funnier than others (Carol tackles computers! Carol is confronted by a grumpy restaurant hostess!) than a sincere, shared insight into her unconventional upbringing, marriages, or behind the scenes experiences from the set of her TV shows and movies. To be fair, she may have already explored that territory with her first memoirs, which I have not read. Still, overall, this book is at times humorous, surprising, and, when she talks about her daughter, very emotional.
Perhaps the most surprising tidbit I learned from This Time Together concerns one of my favorite comedy moments of all time, and apparently voted the funniest scene on television by some association or other: The Gone with the Wind Parody where Carol, as a Scarlett clone, makes her grand entrance on the staircase wearing the recognizable, green, velvet drape dress, except this one comes complete with the curtain rod still inserted behind her neck and shoulders and tassles on her hat and belt. All this time, I thought it was just another of the brilliant ideas that made Burnett's TV variety show so memorable and unique but lo and behold it was exclusively the brain child of fashion designer Bob Mackie! And here I was thinking he was (in)famous merely for all those Vegas show-girly, outrageous, 1980s, Oscar get-ups that Cher strutted in on the red carpet. He should have gotten an Emmy for the Burnett show!
Memoir, Narrator My life, especially my childhood, was made infinitely better by Carol Burnett.
My dad was an alcoholic and my mom the sweetest, most loving person you could ever hope to meet. Together we waited with great anticipation for the weekly Carol Burnett Show to air. When I learned that she, too, was the child of an alcoholic (in her case, her mom), I loved her even more for it.
It's no surprise, then, that I gave this book 5 stars. I admire Carol, and I'd love to be her friend. I'd like to tell her just how much she has meant to me, and what she meant to my mom too. The night she was on, we'd laugh hysterically at the antics of Carol, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and the guests, and mom would drool over Lyle Waggoner.
Thank you, Carol, from the bottom of my heart. Memoir, Narrator Fluffy Audio Candy 🍭
Lovely little inside look at historic Hollywood, almost like listening to your grandmother tell tales from her youth ... if your grandmother was a Hollywood icon.
I'd never actually watched or seen Carol Burnett in movies or TV until I looked up some old clips after finishing the book. Not something I'd normally gravitate to, this was a bookclub pick and ended up being better than expected.
Warm hearted and pleasant this book is an enjoyable listen as Carol reads it herself. I know 110% I would not have enjoyed this as much reading it, as I wouldn't have gotten to hear her trademark Tarzan yell, or felt the emotion in her voice as she discussed the death of her daughter.
Overall an enjoyable book, but not much point other than to recount random incidents in Carol's life. This felt more like vignettes that weren't included in her (I'm assuming from the synopsis) more autobiographical 1986 book: One More Time: A Memoir.
I appreciated her candor, quick wit, and the tone and cadence of her delivery. Not surprisingly, this book was nominated for a 2011 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
TL; DR — A book about the good old days, not much substance. Memoir, Narrator How many of you reading this recall The Garry Moore Show? I grew up watching it and still recall it for it's humor (as a kid the musical numbers were mostly of lesser interest). Mr. Moore gave a lot of people a start, people whose names you'd recognize but none was funnier than a woman who became a regular on the show. This program was my own introduction to Carol Burnett.
Here we have a memoir that will leave you laughing and wishing for more. If (like me) you recall Garry Moore as well as the Carol Burnett show and maybe even saw Carol in other rolls (for instance Once Upon a Mattress) this book will probably also leave you with a bit of melancholy for times...and humor...gone by.
I once heard Ms. Burnett note that the writers she worked with in a more recent format had trouble writing for her (and Tim Conway and Vicky Lawrence...etc.). Beside that it seems the variety show is a thing of the past. No TV network is going to shell out the bucks it would take to air a quality variety program when people will watch reality TV and amateurs on shows where they hope they will end up being the next star to be famous for 15 minutes.
So, recommended. No matter who you are some of Ms. Burnett's stories will break you up and her insights into showbiz are worth the read.
Highly recommended. Memoir, Narrator
Carol Burnett ↠ 7 Read & Download
Growing up watching The Carol Burnett Show, I was super-keen to read this particular memoir of the renowned comedienne. I wasn't disappointed.
Interspersed with black and white photos, this book is comprised of anecdotes, some hilarious, some heart-wrenching, from childhood to current day (2010), containing memories of family, friends and colleagues. Naturally, my favorite stories featured Tim Conway and Harvey Korman - their comedy sketches are legendary. And of course, I loved the ode to Bob Mackie, Burnett's costume designer who created the fabled Dress for her Scarlett O'Hara character on the parody titled Went With the Wind.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Carol Burnett! Memoir, Narrator
3.5 stars
Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett is probably one of the best known and most popular television personalities. Reruns of her old variety show can still be seen on cable TV.
Carol Burnett had amiable, but alcoholic, parents and was raised in the Hollywood area by her grandmother.
Young Carol Burnett
Early in life Carol realized she wanted to be an entertainer and, with talent and drive, became a very successful comedian, singer, and actor. Along the way Carol acted in stage plays, TV shows, and movies. She was a regular on the Garry Moore TV variety show for years and then had her own TV variety show for 11 seasons.
Carol Burnett with Garry Moore (left) and Durward Kirby
Carol was also married three times, had three daughters, and met entertainers and show business personnel of every kind.
Carol Burnett and her first husband Don Saroyan
Carol Burnett and her second husband Joe Hamilton
Carol Burnett and her third husband Brian Miller
This book contains a variety of anecdotes about all aspects of Carol's life. Some are funny, some are touching, and some are sad. One of my favorites is a story about Carol and four other young, struggling, would-be actresses pooling five dollars each to buy an orange 'community dress' for auditions - bright colors being necessary to catch the director's eye. When Carol lost a part to another gal in an orange dress she switched to yellow.
Carol talks about how thrilled she was to meet Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant and about an hour-long telephone conversation she had with Marlon Brando while she desperately needed to pee. Carol tells tales about doing shows with Julie Andrews and Beverly Sills, and of course the regulars on her TV show - Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. There are lots of anecdotes about actors, and singers, and playwrights, and directors, and so on that Carol knew, but the book never comes across as name-dropping.
The cast of the Carol Burnett Show: Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Carol, Lyle Waggoner, Vicki Lawrence
Carol also talks about her marriages and raising her three children. For a long time Carol was married to Joe Hamilton, the producer of her variety show and father of her three daughters. An array of stories in the book revolve around raising the girls - dealing with their little fibs, their naughty behavior in restaurants, etc. A sad anecdote talks about Carol's daughter Carrie struggling with and dying from lung cancer.
Carol Burnett and her daughters
I thought the book was interesting and entertaining though not as laugh out loud funny as I expected. I'd recommend it to folks interested in celebrity memoirs.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.... Memoir, Narrator At the end of each episode of her eponymous show, Carol Burnett would sing I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together, a short tune written by her then-husband and executive producer Joe Hamilton, and then tug her ear as a reminder to her gran that she was thinking of her. The lyrics are, in part, as follows:
I'm so glad we had this time together,
Just to have a laugh, or sing a song.
Seems we just got started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'
There's a time you put aside for dreamin',
And a time for things you have to do.
The time I love the best is in the evening
I can spend a moment here with you.
When the time comes that I'm feelin lonely,
And I'm feelin' ohooooo - so blue,
I just sit back and think of you, only,
And the happiness still comes through.
Though The Carol Burnett Show was before my time, my mother was is a huge fan of Ms. Burnett so I've been familiar with her since childhood. Of course, it certainly doesn't hurt that she played Miss Hannigan in one of my childhood movie addictions, Annie. I knew of Burnett's humor but I was in the dark about most of her work and her personal life, so when I saw my sister rate This Time Together highly and sing its praises, I moved it higher on my to-read list. I plowed through this audiobook, listening to Burnett tell short anecdotes about her life. The time she was on her favorite soap opera, All My Children, and Elizabeth Taylor dressed up as a cleaning woman for a scene and surprised Burnett, who had no idea and had to play it off. The time she and Julie Andrews pretended to make out in a hotel hallway to surprise their friend, only to have Lady Bird Johnson be the one to catch them. The time she had to do her infamous Tarzan yell to confirm her identity in order to buy stockings at Bergdorf's when she forgot her ID. The otherworldly bond she had with a young girl dying of cancer. I listened to her tell her own stories over the last few days and then I watched some of the corresponding clips from her show and her television specials that I could readily find online. The last one I watched was the final ten minutes or so of The Carol Burnett Show, in which she gets autographs from her costars, talks about why she was bowing out when the show had been renewed for a twelfth season, and then she sings the closing song. Cue the silent tears running down my face. I know how much those years and those people meant to her after spending about five or six hours with her through her audiobook so it made me, an absolute bystander, imagine what she must've been feeling at that moment.
This Time Together isn't a memoir, rather it is a collection of what I imagine must be 2-4 page stories. They generally follow a linear timeline and it often one person will be lifted from a prior story and then an offshoot will occur, creating a natural flow.
Carol Burnett is a class act. She was (is?) somewhat shy and awkward and oh-so starstruck by many celebrities who I'd consider her equals in the fame department. She blubbered and forgot her husband's name when she met John Steinbeck. She stepped in paint and ran away when she was introduced to Jimmy Stewart. It is apparent from her stories (and in her voice) that she has genuine respect for the work people do but probably even moreso, for what they are like as a person. At one point in the book, she tells of meeting a young girl who is dying of cancer and the special bond the two of them formed in a very short period of time, after which Burnett discusses her feelings about the universe. As the book goes forward, passing through time, the stories become less hilariously entertaining and more a reminder that Burnett is a real person in her late seventies. Several times during This Time Together, pivotal life events are glossed over or relegated to a one sentence mention--her two divorces come to mind. However, when it comes to the death of her daughter, an entire story is included. I felt a bit of a disconnect in the flow at that point but it would've been impossible to not include such an earth-shattering experience in a book of reflections. She ponders whether she'd like to be young again and thinks about how great a shake at it she's had. I can't help but agree. On the scales, the happy memories seem to far outweigh the sad ones and that's really all we can ask for.
This book, specifically this audiobook, is for the people who love hearing people tell stories, for those curious about the personalities of many movie and television stars, and especially for people who realize the importance of preserving memories and life experiences for friends, family, and posterity's sake. It was an absolute pleasure to listen to, so for that, I'm giving it 5/5 stars. I can only aspire to be the lovely person Carol Burnett is.
Watch a video I couldn't embed here at The Readventurer. Memoir, Narrator This is a wonderful collection of stories from Carol. Expect no muck-racking or trash talking about other celebrities-Carol is too classy for that. You can expect to learn more about her variety show, all of her guests and co-stars, and a little about her family and her life growing up. There are very few sad moments or stories here, but that was just fine with me.
Highly recommended in audio form for fans of the Carol Burnett show. Memoir, Narrator Will never tire of reading this 😍
Fair warning haha, random thoughts from each time I read this, bottom part is the first one if you want to read in order or something *
Reflecting on some of these stories always puts a smile on my face. I always get a laugh out of people when I tell some of them.
It also has me wishing that I could go back and watch it all happen in front of me. Carol and the gang hit lightning in a bottle with their show and Carol was very blessed as well to have all those specials with amazing people.
She's right when she says that it wouldn't be possible today to do what she did the way it all was done. Most likely it would all be about making a pile of money in the shortest amount of time.:(
I was telling mom that if she does another Q&A story type evening and one is close by, we should definitely go. Imagine how fun that would be!
I wish you happy reading with this and hope you enjoy it as much as I have:).
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Listened to this with Mom and Dad on the way to Dad's surgery (he's doing really good now).. I am the only bookworm of the three of us but we all love Carol so they didn't mind when I put this on instead of music.
Comfort read for mom and me.. Dad didn't say much but I caught him smiling a few times.
Good Medicine this one is:).
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*upping my rating :)*
*Minor edits to original review*
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Original read: March 6th-15th 2015
Re-read: April 22nd-30th 2016 (need comfort reads)
Third Re-read: January 2017
4th re-read: June 2018
Can I adopt Carol into my family?:) Would still highly recommend, got myself the physical version of this as well.
This book still lifts my spirits... started it again when I was having a black mood and fell right back into listening to Carol relate her stories :)
Some are still my favorites and some still have me tearing up... the ones about Carrie as well, especially after reading Carol's other book. One person I would have loved to know.
Carol is right about one thing... if she had been trying to make it today as a young woman, those same incredible opportunities would not have happened today, like it did back then... sad really :( The modern world is so impatient in some things anymore.
Hope Mom and I get to meet Carol one day :)
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Original review :
A lovely collection of reminisces from Carol's life. She's had, as Carol as said herself, quite the run. All the things she has accomplished are amazing and impressive.
Some of her stories were so funny, I found myself thinking about them while at work and home. I purposefully dragged this one out because I didn't want it to end...it was such a wonderful time:).
Hearing Carol narrated it upped the enjoyment. Like with John Barrowman, I felt as if I was sitting on the couch listening to Carol tell her stories.
A couple favorites:
Carol's stories about Lucille Ball
When she scared off a mugger when she was walking home alone.
The time she caught Carrie in a fib
Tim Conway and the mummy picture on his license
Her Grandma in the cab ride to Carol's home at the time.. that poor cab driver HAHA.
And a beautiful/sad story about Carol bonding with a young fan... I won't say more as not to spoil ya...
I'm not crying, your crying
The ending of the memoir also got to me.. poignant and wonderful but sad also, have your tissues ready. I wanted to reach out and hug that lady.
Would recommend, a lovely journey:) Memoir, Narrator