Carol Burnett - This Time Together. Laughter and Reflection [2010][A]

Book Description
Publication Date: April 6, 2010
A touching and hilarious memoir by the author of Carrie and Me: A Mother Daughter Love Story, 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.

Editorial Review
From Booklist
In her second book, comedy legend Burnett looks back fondly on her long and successful career in short, easily digestible chapters that part the curtain on her private life. Told in a chatty, intimate way, the stories encompass the star’s childhood; early days as an actress doing bit parts in New York City, appearing on game shows and various variety shows; her 11 years hosting The Carol Burnett Show; and life after the show ended its run. Readers will enjoy the comical reminiscences included, such as how she once used her famous Tarzan yell to disarm a mugger, funny interactions with fans who recognize her on the street, and the origin of famous scenes from the show, such as Scarlett O’Hara in a curtain-rod dress. Burnett doesn’t shy away from sad subjects and occasionally touches on personal losses. She also dishes about her famous costars and friends, including Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, Julie Andrews, and, of course, Carol Burnett Show regulars Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. Fans of both the show and the actress will enjoy this mostly lighthearted though sometimes poignant look back at Burnett’s career. --Kathleen Hughes

Reviews
"These short memories, of the people Burnett met and interviewed over the years, on- and off-camera, bring it back — the golden age of variety shows....Burnett has a writer's eye for the moment, the detail, the slip that reveals character. She's never mean and always grateful."—Los Angeles Times

"Carol was a huge star on television because she was funny, daring, and always genuine. We loved Carol because we felt we knew her. With this book, we do. She trusts us with her personal anecdotes, happy, sad, hilarious and poignant. Thank you Carol. "—Billy Crystal

"I read THIS TIME TOGETHER in one sitting and when I finished I felt like Carol had been sitting beside me telling me these wonderful stories of her life. It's funny, it's endearing and very moving. I cannot recommend it highly enough."—Julie Andrews

"I grew up watching Carol Burnett. She's an amazing actress, talented writer and legendary comedienne. She inspired me to do what I'm doing today. And believe me, if I knew how to read, I would definitely read this book."—Ellen DeGeneres

" I love this book because it's written the way she talks--nothing stilted, nothing distanced. You'll read it in one gulp (I did) and then you'll read it again. She's an excellent writer--so spot-on intelligent and hilarious.—Hal Prince

"Reading Carol Burnett's book, THIS TIME TOGETHER, makes me realize that every American family prays that they can have someone as lovely as Carol as their next door neighbor."—Tony Bennett

About the Author
CAROL BURNETT has been an actor on Broadway, television, and in the movies, and was the star of the long-running The Carol Burnett Show, which won twenty-five Emmy Awards. She has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Kennedy Center Honors.