Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Soap suds: As The Stomach Turns (The Carol Burnett Show, 1968)

 Ah, the days when variety shows were plentiful, and nothing was safe from satire & parody. Today's audience has Saturday Night Live, which picks the best of each week to repurpose the following week in primetime, and that's it.

As The Stomach Turns was a recurring feature on The Carol Burnett Show, with the first skit airing in the spring of 1968, at the back end of season 1. In addition to playing various characters, series regulars Lyle Waggoner (until he left for Wonder Woman) and Harvey Korman alternated as announcers. Korman brought the high energy hype of a radio announcer. Waggoner went in the other direction, and emulated the style of veteran Ken Roberts (Love of Life).

It's a laugh a minute in the season 3 opener, as Tim Conway, not yet a regular, offers a prototype of his "Oldest Man" character in this chapter with guest Ken Berry (Mayberry RFD):


Korman would also dress in drag occasionally, including in a memorable bit with Paul Lynde. Not many chapters are available on YouTube, and those that are are mostly on a Burnett fan channel.

Rating: A.

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