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Carol Burnett turns 90 today, but shes got the career of a performer in her prime.
It was one wonderful segment after another with so many lovely people, she says.
It was just so touching.
Im just sorry I never met him.
In fact, with this special, theres a whole segment about my singing that song about him.
It was quite a break for me.
That was way back in 1957.
Can you believe it?
How did it happen?I sang it on the Jack PaarTonightshow on a Tuesday.
People hated it or they loved it.
And one of the phone calls was from Mr. Dulless television adviser, David Waters.
He said, Mr. Dulles didnt see it.
Could you go back on the Paar show and do it?
Jack said, Absolutely.
So on Thursday I did it on the Paar show again.
And then Ed Sullivan called, and I did it the following Sunday onThe Ed Sullivan Show.
I sang that song three times in one week.
And then the following Sunday, Mr. Dulles was onMeet the Press.
Im watching it, and its all very serious about whats going on in the world.
Im sitting there gobsmacked!
He had a sense of humor, and I thought that was so sweet.
It was a novelty song, it hit big, and then it kind of petered out.
It took me a long time to get another big break.
And now 65 years later, were celebrating your 90th birthday.
Tell me about the special.Well, its not a birthday party and its not a roast.
Its a variety show.
Theres live entertainment, and theres a 19-piece orchestra, and the people who entertain its just amazing.
It was Kristin Chenoweth, Katy Perry, Darren Criss, Sutton Foster.
Just a lineup of powerhouse performers.
They had a scene fromBetter Call Saul.
It was just a lovely evening.
Im still kind of reeling from it.
But NBC jumped up.
They said, Two hours?
And theyve been terrific.
And he kind of paused, and he looked at me and said, Just cavort, dear.
He said, Thats good.
Well keep that in.
And Ill tell you, Joe, there wasnt a dry eye in the house.
It was just so touching.
So I was doubling, and we had some problems.
I had an accident in a cab where I was rear-ended and my neck was hurt.
There was a lot of angst, and I was out a lot fromThe Entertainers.
So after a while, CBS canceled it.
Ive seen aclip from iton YouTube, but nothing more.
Do you know what happened to the episodes?I have no idea!
If theres any kinescope or anything, I really have no idea.
Youve talked before about the relationship you had with Lucille Ball.
How did you actually first meet her?She came to the second night ofOnce Upon a Mattress.
The producer Bob Banner said, Well, you gotta call Lucy.
And I said, I dont want to bother her!
Give her a call.
I got up the nerve and called her office and she got on the phone right away.
Hey kid, youre doing great.
I was stammering all over the place and said, Well, Im supposed to do this special.
I was just sputtering and she interrupted me and said, When do you want me?
And so she did the special with me.
It was calledCarol + 2, and the other guest was Zero Mostel.
Im sure you have a million interesting Lucy stories.
She told me about doing the reading for the firstHeres Lucyand the script was awful.
Thered been no Desi there to fix it.
So she called a break and went back to her office.
And she told me, I realized I had to be confrontative.
I had to be like Desi.
I had to be strong.
I couldnt be wishy-washy or anything like that.
So she went back into the script reading.
I told them in no uncertain terms what they had to do.
They had to fix it.
I didnt hold back.
In 1983, you agreed to a recurring role onAll My Children.
I know you were a very big fan of the show and soaps in general.
Id say, Oh, I didnt see it today.
Because my lunch hour was built around watchingAll My Children.
I said, Absolutely!
I was on it for two weeks, and I got to know Susan Lucci.
Oh, and Susan is on the 90th!
She flew out and I was thrilled.
I really admire soap-opera actors, how they pull it off.
I also really lovedThe Four Seasons, with Alan Alda.
Alan and I were friends before the movie.
So Alan and I go way back.
Oh, heres a story!
So I lived at Yucca and Wilcox in Hollywood when we moved out here from Texas.
Robert Alda Alan Aldas father was in Hollywood at this time filmingRhapsody in Bluefor Warner Brothers.
But he couldnt because he had polio when he was an infant.
And here we are working together.
I never knew that about Mr. Alda.
Obviously his polio improved.He was cured.
They did a treatment item called theSister Kenny Treatment, which was actually made into a movie.
Then they would stretch them, which had to hurt like hell.
But it cured him.
And today he can kick higher than a Rockette.
Speaking of stretching, you played a pivotal role in the final season ofBetter Call Saul.
It was wild that your character ended up putting Saul Goodman in jail.
Tell me how you ended up with the role.I knew Vince Gilligan.
And that girl was my daughter, Carrie.
I was telling him how much I loveBetter Call Saul.
And he said, I may write something for you.
I said, I dont care if its a sentence Ill be there.
And so they wrote this part for me.
I was there for two months in New Mexico and just loved everybody.
It was a family.
Im having dinner withRhea Seehornand her husband next week, and they were at the 90th.
Ive made all of these new young friends.
Im the luckiest broad around.
When I was preparing for our interview, I discovered something I never knew about your career.
I originally wanted to be like Mary Martin and Ethel Merman be a Broadway baby and do musicals.
And then it started to be sketches and comedy more than music.
But I always sang.
I sang on Garrys show, and I certainly did a lot of singing on my own show.
But it was fun.
Oh, and I did get to do Putting It Together, which wasa tribute to Stephen Sondheims work.
We were on Broadway for quite a while with that.
Youre one of the legends of sketch comedy and yet youve never hostedSaturday Night Live.
I know there have been various social-media campaigns to get you on the show, includingone last year.
Has Lorne Michaels ever offered to have you host?No, hes never asked me.
Would you do it now if he did?No, I dont think I would.
Maybe like 20 years ago or whatever.
But that ship has sailed.
