''Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin'' (also billed as ''A Carol Burnett Special...Carol, Carl, Whoopi, and Robin'') is a

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

which aired on February 10, 1987 on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. It starred

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

and

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

. Burnett served as the host of the one hour long spinoff special from her variety series ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey ...

'' featuring the guest stars, Reiner, Goldberg, and Williams. The special received positive reviews praising the performances of the comedians, and received a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program for Robin Williams' performance in the special.

Summary

The hour-long special hosted by

features musical and comedy routines with Carol and guest performers,

, and

. The four comedians, Burnett, Reiner, Goldberg and Williams introduce the show from lecterns in a mock-academic recitative number, called "Laughter," in which they examine laughter's "primary root and cause." According to the

Paley Center for Media The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City, New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, ...

, the sketches include the following: "Carol plays a grieving widow who is accosted at her husband's funeral by an obnoxious, loudly dressed man (Williams) who, among other things, asks inappropriate questions about the details of her spouse's death and insists that Carol keen with him; Burnett and Williams repeat the same sketch — but this time Williams unleashes his formidable ad lib gifts; Reiner and Williams have a backstage talk, which leads to a parody of Shakespeare, with Reiner performing as Laurence Olivier performing Shakespeare and Williams riffing on the Bard's characters and speeches; Carol coaxes a self-conscious Goldberg into singing a duet, called "That's a Friend"; Williams portrays an uptight businessman sitting on a park bench who is joined by hipster Goldberg, whose bongo playing brings out his wilder side; Burnett and Goldberg portray mother and daughter in a comic-poignant piece that presents the evolution of their relationship from the daughter's infancy to the mother's old age."

Cast

Production

The special was directed by

Roger Beatty Roger Beatty (January 24, 1933 – April 6, 2020) was an American director, screenwriter and stage manager. Beatty began his career in 1966, as a stage manager for the television series ''The Danny Kaye Show''. He later stage-managed for ''The ...

and

Harvey Korman Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS' ''The Danny Kaye Show'', but he is best remembered f ...

Reception

John O'Connor, television critic for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the special describing it as "For this occasion, the star shares most of the show with her guests. Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams join her for the curtain raiser, a clever musical lecture on laughing, on titters and cackles, on chuckles and chortles, and especially on guffaws." He also added that the special "adds up to an affecting reminder of how one departed television format used to be surprisingly entertaining." ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' critic Lee Margulies gave the special a mixed review often comparing it to ''

'' writing, "Burnett says at the outset that the show is being taped with the same crew and in the same studio where she starred in “The Carol Burnett Show” from 1967 to 1978. With one of the same scripts, too, it seems."

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{EmmyAward MainTitleDesign 1987 television specials 1980s American television specials Emmy Award-winning programs Robin Williams American Broadcasting Company television specials 1980s English-language films Films directed by Roger Beatty