The Best of Carol Burnett

"If you just happen to be getting started with Burnett's work, allow me to recommend a few favorite sketches from over the years. There is, of course, her infamous " Went with the Wind" sketch, in which she descends a staircase wearing a window curtain as a dress. (The costume, by Bob Mackie, remains one of the great television sight gags of all time.)"

"There is her kooky character, Nora Desmond, a takeoff of Gloria Swanson's delusional former film actress Norma Desmond from "Sunset Boulevard." (Burnett's version is particularly deranged, wearing smeared makeup and pendulous bosoms made out of pantyhose stuffed with birdseed.) There are her beloved recurring characters, such as the befuddled crone Stella Toddler, the ditzy secretary Mrs. Wiggins, and the always whining Eunice."

"But, if you want a deep cut, I recommend this sketch from a 1973 episode, in which Burnett plays a suburban woman who is leaving her husband. She goes out to the garage and starts singing the wistful torch song "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," only to find that her car won't start. She keeps singing, unfazed, finally abandoning the car to ride a child's tricycle off into the sunset. It's absurd, over the top, and surprisingly poignant: pure Burnett."

Carol Burnett's comedy blends outrageous visual sight gags, character-driven absurdity, and emotional undercurrents. Signature moments include the window-curtain dress descent in "Went with the Wind," showcasing memorable costuming by Bob Mackie and pure physical comedy. Character work spans the deranged Nora Desmond with smeared makeup and pantyhose prosthetics to recurring figures like Stella Toddler, Mrs. Wiggins, and Eunice. A 1973 sketch captures the blend of humor and pathos as a woman sings a torch song, abandons a stalled car, and pedals away on a child's tricycle, illustrating simultaneous absurdity and surprising poignancy.

Read at The New Yorker