WE'RE HERE WITH OUR FRIEND CAROL BURNETT.
NOW CAROL.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: I HEARD SO MANY TIMES THE STORY OF WHY YOU
TUGGED YOUR EAR BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER-- I HEARD TWO DIFFERENT
THINGS.
ONE IT WAS FOR YOUR GRANDMOTHER AND ONE FOR YOUR CHILDREN.
WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF PULLING ON YOUR EAR?
>> MY GRANDMOTHER WHEN I GOT MY FIRST JOB IN TELEVISION HERE IN
NEW YORK I CALLED HER COLLECT IN CALIFORNIA AND I SAID, ," NANNY,
I'M GOING TO BE ON TV SATURDAY."
AND SHE SAID, ," SAY HELLO TO ME."
AND I SAID, "I DON'T, THEY'RE GOING TO LET ME SAY 'HEPO
NANNI'."
AND WE WORKED THIS OUT AND MEANT, "HELLO, NANNY, I'M FINE."
AND I KEPT DOING IT AND LATER WHEN I GOT MORE SUCCESSFUL.
IT WAS "HIGH, NANNY.
I LOVE YOU.
I'M FINE.
YOUR CHECK'S ON THE WAY."
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: ANY PERFORMERS SAY THEY COPIED THAT TO SIGNAL THEIR
FAMILY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE I DID.
I USED TO DO THIS TO MY MOM, GIVE HER ONE OF THESE.
DO THAT TO SAY HI AT THE END OF THE SHOW.
>> DID YOUR NOSE GREW?
BECAUSE MY EAR GREW.
>> Stephen: IT GOT LONGER?
>> A MILLIMETER OR TWO LONGER.
>> Stephen: ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'RE MOST FAMOUS FOR IS, OF
COURSE, YOUR TARZAN YELL.
OKAY.
NOW, ARE YOU GUYS FAMILIAR WITH CAROL'S TARZAN YELL?
( APPLAUSE ) WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOU COULD
DO THAT?
>> I WAS ABOUT NINE, NINE OR 10 YEARS OLD.
I HAD A BEAUTIFUL COUSIN WHO-- WE WERE THE SAME AGE.
AND WE WOULD GO TO THE MOVIES, AND WE WOULD-- LIKE NELSON EDDIE
AND JEANETTE McDONALD.
AND WE'D COME HOME AND ACT THEM OUT.
SHE WAS ALWAYS JEANETTE AND I WAS NELSON, BECAUSE SHE WAS THE
REALLY PRETTY ONE.
AND SO--
WE WOULD DO TARZAN AND JANE.
SO GUESS WHO WAS TARZAN?
ME.
>> Stephen: AT LEAST YOU WEREN'T A CHEETAH.
>> OOO-OOO!
SO I TAUGHT MYSELF THE YELL WHEN I WAS ABOUT NINE OR 10 YEARS
OLD.
>> Stephen: DID IT EVER COME IN HANDY OFF STAGE WHEN PEOPLE
WERE SEARCHING FOR YOU IN THE WOODS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
IS THERE A PRACTICAL PURPOSE TO IT?
>> WELL, ONE TIME, I WAS HERE IN NEW YORK, AND I WAS-- I WAS
DOING A SPECIAL, AND I HAD TO RUN ACROSS THE STREET TO BERG
BERGDORPH GOODMAN'S TO GET SOME STOCKING.
THEY OPENED AT 10:00 AND I WAS THERE EARLY IN THE LINGERIE
DEPARTMENT.
AND A LOVELY LADY SAID, "MIS BURNETT, MAY I HELP YOU?"
I SAID, "I NEED SOME STOCKINGS."
AND SHE SAID, "YES."
AND SHE ASKED IF I WOULD SIGN FIVE OR SIX AUTOGRAPH FOR HER
GRANDCHILDREN, AND I DID.
AND I WENT TO PAY FOR THE STOCKINGS AND I SAID I DIDN'T
HAVE THE WRITE CREDIT CARD.
I SAID, "CAN I WRITE YOU A CHECK?"
AND SHE SAID, "I'LL NEED SOME IDENTIFICATION."
( LAUGHTER ) AND I SAID, "BUT, YOU KNOW," SHE
SAID, I KNOW, BUT WE HAVE TO GET YOUR LICENSE NUMBER AND ALL OF
THAT.
I SAID, "PLEASE, CAN'T I?" SHE SAID, "LET ME ASK MISS
CARLTON ACROSS THE WAY."
SHE WAS A FLOOR MANAGER.
"IF SHE'LL OKAY YOUR CHECK."
SHE GOES ACROSS THE WAY, THEY'RE WHISPERING.
"MISS CARLTON WILL OKAY YOUR CHECK IF YOU DO THE TARZAN
YELL."
AND I'M IN BERGBORPH GOODMAN AND I SAID OKAY, I'LL DO IT.
AND IT WAS A DOOZY.
IT WAS A GOOD ONE.
AND BEHIND THE LADY, THERE WAS AN EXIT DOOR, BURST OPEN, AND
THERE WAS A SECURITY GUARD WAY GUN.
( LAUGHTER ) SO I ONLY DO IT UNDER CONTROLLED
CIRCUMSTANCES.
>> Stephen: I HESITATE TO ASK, BUT DO YOU STILL DO THE TARZAN
YELL?
>> I THINK I CAN.
>> Stephen: WOULD YOU BE SO-- WOULD YOU--
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) BE SO KIND?
I KNOW.
>> ALL RIGHT.
>> Stephen: TELL THE GUARDS.
TELL THE GUARDS THIS IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
>> OKAY, I'LL TRY.
AAAAAH-AAAAAH-AAAAH-AAAAAAH!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: OH, I LOVE THAT.
THAT'S MY FAVORITE.
NOW, AS SOMEBODY-- I HOST A TYPE OF VARIETY SHOW, A TALK SHOW IS
A TYPE OF VARIETY SHOW.
ONE OF THE THINGS, WHEN I TOOK OVER THIS JOB, ONE OF THE THINGS
I ASKED DAVE-- BECAUSE HE-- I CAME IN AND HE TALKED TO ME
ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF ABOUT THE SPACE SPACEAND ABOUT DOING A
SHOW LIKE THIS.
I SAID, ," I HAVE A WEIRD QUESTION, WHERE DO YOU HIDE FROM
YOUR PRODUCERS WHEN THEY NEED YOU TO DO SOMETHING AND YOU
DON'T REALLY WANT TO DO IT?
WHEN YOU WANT TO GET AWAY AND JUST THINK."
AND HE GAVE ME A COUPLE OF PLACES THAT I HAVEN'T TOLD
ANYONE WHO WORKS HERE YET BECAUSE I WANT TO HIDE I WANT TO
HIDE.
WHERE WOULD YOU HIDE-- YOU'RE UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE, A STAR
WITH A SHOW WITH YOUR NAME ON IT, PEOPLE ALWAYS WANT TO ASK
YOU THINGS.
>> THE ONLY TIME I KIND OF HID OUT WAS JUST BEFORE ON
WEDNESDAYS WHEN WE WOULD DO A RUN-THROUGH FOR THE CREW AND,
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY COMING IN AFTER WE'D REHEARSED FAIR COUPLE
OF DAYS.
>> Stephen: WHAT DAY WOULD YOU ACTUALLY SHOOT?
>> WE'D SHOOT ON FRIDAY.
BUT WE'D HAVE A RUN-THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
SO ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE RUN-THROUGH, I WOULD GO ACROSS
THE HALL FROM THE REHEARSAL HALL TO THE LADIES' ROOM AND I WOULD
GO INTO ONE OF THE STALLS AND I WOULD SIT DOWN ON THE TOILET
SEAT.
AND I WOULD GO THROUGH THE SHOW IN MY MIND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I
COULD BE ALONE THERE.
AND THIS ONE-- ONE DAY, I WAS GOING TO DO A CHARACTER I HAD
NEVER DONE BEFORE CALLED "STELLA TODDLER," IT WAS THIS OLD, OLD
LADY.
AND I HAD DONE OLD LADIES BEFORE AND I HAD ALWAYS DONE THIS KIND
OF VOICE.
AND I THOUGHT I HAVE TO COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT VOICE.
SO I'M SITTING ON THE TOILET SEAT AND I'M GOING, "WELL, YOU
KNOW, I THINK MAYBE THIS WOULD BE GOOD.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S THE WAY I SHOULD DO IT BECAUSE DOWN LOWER.
WELL, I THINK THIS IS REALLY GOOD.
IT'S-- OH, I'M FEELING GOOD ABOUT THIS."
( LAUGHTER ) I OPEN THE DOOR, AND THERE WERE
TWO WOMEN STANDING--
"I'M FEELING REALLY GOOD ABOUT THIS."
>> Stephen: WELL, CAROL IT'S SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
I CAN'T WAIT TO-- WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO TOGETHER.
"THE CAROL BURNETT 50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL" AIRS SUNDAY
AT 8:00 ON CBS.
CAROL BURNETT, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.