[amazon_link asins=’B07FDVCMBL’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’moviegazett03-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6efd199d-c595-11e8-a19e-8711f96c32e3′]Fifty years after The Carol Burnett Show debuted on CBS and nearly forty years after the cameras stopped rolling, Carol Burnett remains a beloved figured and the show continues in syndication. Last December, CBS aired The Carol Burnett Show 50th Anniversary Special, featuring Burnett, cast members, and a slew of celebrity guests sharing their memories of their memories of the show. The special was filmed on the show’s original soundstage, Stage 33 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles.

Carol recreates the Q&A session that used to begin every show (there are some special guests in the audience), and it’s clear she still enjoys that interaction. It’s wonderful to hear her, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner and costumer designer Bob Mackie relate tales from behind the scenes.  Cast member Harvey Korman died in 2008 and Tim Conway was ill, and unable to participate. Nonetheless, their part in the success of the show isn’t forgotten.

Guest stars Stephen Colbert, Harry Connick Jr., Bill Hader, Jay Leno, Jane Lynch, Bernadette Peters, Maya Rudolph, and Martin Short drop by to discuss Burnett’s influence on them, and in some cases, recreate a famous character. Jim Carrey relates how, as a ten-year-old, he wrote a letter expressing his desire to be a cast member. Kristen Chenoweth provides a musical number.

Carol Burnett was a pioneer of sketch comedy and continues to have influence on the performers of today. It’s reasonable to assume that Saturday Night Live might not exist if The Carol Burnett Show hadn’t set the stage. Time-Life has now made The Carol Burnett Show: 50th Anniversary Special available on DVD to own.

Presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, this is a standard definition transfer. The clips from The Carol Burnett Show are slightly more washed out than the material filmed in 2017, but that’s to be expected.

The Dolby 2.0 audio provides clean, clear and concise dialogue throughout.

The following extras are available:

  • Red Carpet Footage
  • Tribute Booklet
  • Interviews