The Carol Burnett Show Quiz | Television

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Carol has often talked of how she grew up going to the movies. Frequent skits on her show were her versions of classic movies, all part of the show's "The Late Late Late Show". One such skit was a spoof of the movie "Double Indemnity". The husband in Carol's skit was killed by a gunshot, but what did he fall from in order to collect double the insurance money?

Answer: blimp

Entitled "Double Calamity", Carol's version had Steve Lawrence playing Walter Leff, the insurance agent who agrees to kill Phyllis's husband, Carl Detrickson. When Walter first meets Phyllis, he notices her ankle bracelet (how could you not notice, what with the sound effects). Even funnier is when Walter sits down, crosses his legs and reveals his own jingly anklet.

The double calamity clause says the insured has to die in one of three ways, crash in a train, drown in a submarine or fall from a blimp.

As luck would have it, Carl was taking a blimp to San Francisco the next night. The show aired on November 3, 1973.

2. A very popular skit, called "The Family", involved Eunice, her husband Ed, and Eunice's mama. Over the years, various skits introduced other children of Mama's. Which of these guests did NOT play one of Eunice's siblings?

Answer: Madeline Kahn

Betty White played Eunice's wealthy sister, Ellen, who appeared several times. Eunice was always jealous of Ellen. Alan Alda played brother Larry, who visited one Christmas (in a show from December 1974), and Roddy McDowall played brother Philip. He visited Eunice and Mama once (in a show airing in March 1974), and Eunice, Mama and Ed visited Philip in California (in a March 1975 show). Madeline Kahn appeared in an episode in October 1976, as a co-worker who comes over to rehearse with Eunice for a play.

A favorite episode of mine is when Ed, Eunice and Mama attend a conference with Bubba's teacher at school, with Maggie Smith playing the teacher. Also memorable is Tim Conway as Mickey Hart, Ed's employee at the hardware store. Remember Mickey's siamese elephant story?

3. Mr. Tudball was a toupee-wearing businessman who had an airhead for a secretary. What was her name?

Answer: Mrs. Wiggins

Mrs. Wiggins, a blond-haired, gum-chewing secretary who wore a tight black skirt, was played by Carol Burnett. Mr. Tudball spoke with a strange accent, and was always hopelessly trying to teach Mrs. Wiggins how to do office things. One episode involved Mr. Tudball trying to teach Mrs. Wiggins how to operate the new intercom system he purchased.

4. Carol's hilarious spoof of "Gone with the Wind" was entitled "Went with the Wind". Which guest played the role of Melody in the skit?

Answer: Dinah Shore

My sister and I used phrases from this skit for years, such as "I saw it in the window and I just had to have it". The show aired November 13, 1976. Carol played Starlet O'Hara, Vicki Lawrence played Sissy, Harvey Korman played Cpt. Rat Butler and Tim Conway played Brashley Wilkes.

The scene where Starlet models her new dress (including the curtain rod) was ranked #2 on TV Guide's 50 Funniest Moments in Television list.

5. A frequent skit involved an old man who didn't move very fast. His inability to speed up was always an inconvenience to a character played by Harvey Korman. Who played the old man?

Answer: Tim Conway

At our house, we called him the 'little old man'. The old man showed up in various places with various professions. He could be found working in a clock shop, as a fireman trying to save Harvey, as a butcher, as a baggage handler, as a galley slave, as the wardrobe man for Harvey, and as the orchestra conductor on the show filmed in Australia.

The best part of these skits was watching Tim Conway and Harvey Korman crack each other up.

6. "As the Stomach Turns" was Carol Burnett's spoof of daytime soap operas. The setting was Kenoga Falls, and the story revolved around a woman named Marian (Carol). Who played the flamboyant character named Mother Marcus?

Answer: Harvey Korman

In one episode which also spoofs "The Exorcist", Marian receives a visit from her niece, Raven (Bernadette Peters). Otto Blackflag (Tim Conway), the town exterminator also working as a freelance exorcist, is called in after Marian realizes that Raven is possessed.

In another episode, Tim Conway's old man character pays a visit to Marian as Duane Toddleberry, Kenoga Falls' oldest living insurance agent. Mother Marcus pays a visit to Marian in this same episode.

7. A funny skit was entitled "The Plot to Hurt Hitler" on "Non-Violent Theatre". Who was the guest star on this episode who was in the skit?

Answer: Carl Reiner

The skit aired on November 29, 1972, with Carl Reiner playing Heinz, a German officer who had an eyepatch over his right eye. His brother, Lepke, was played by Harvey Korman, who also had an eyepatch over his right eye. When they greeted each other, Lepke said, "Let me have a look", but with their good eyes they could only see the other eyepatch.

After moving a little to the right, Lepke says, "You have mother's eye", to which Heinz replies, "And I have 20 vision". They discuss what to do to Hitler with the barmaid (Carol), but even a hickey is deemed too violent.

8. A recurring skit performed by Carol and Harvey Korman, based on Lunt and Fontanne, was about a married couple who were stage stars. What did Carol call her couple?

Answer: Funt and Mundane

Carol and Harvey played Funt and Mundane as a married acting couple who were usually trying to upstage each other. One episode has Carol not being able to see well on stage because she doesn't have her glasses. The real people, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, were married from 1922 until his death in 1977.

They starred in several movies, but were better known as the first couple of the stage.

9. Carol performed a recurring character named Nora Desmond, an aging star of the silver screen who was a few bricks short of a full load. Harvey Korman played her faithful manservant. What was his name?

Answer: Max

Nora Desmond was a spoof of Norma Desmond, Gloria Swanson's character in "Sunset Boulevard". Max always looked out for Madam, as he referred to her. The skits included one where Nora had a virus, and thought she was dying; one with Nora being asked to make a commercial for a bug spray; and one with Max interviewing replacements for himself.

10. Carol performed a takeoff of Queen Elizabeth, with Harvey Korman playing her husband. They normally encountered a soldier named Pvt. Newberry (Tim Conway). What was unusual about him?

Answer: he was hollow

Pvt. Newberry swallowed a live grenade to save his platoon, and has no internal organs. The Queen would always demonstrate by saying "Hello" into his open mouth, and waiting for the echo. In one sketch, the Queen was trying to give the Private a medal for his bravery, but he wanted a blue pony.

Another skit involved Pvt. Newberry and his girlfriend (Maggie Smith) at the launching of a ship, with the Queen, another involved the princess (Vicki Lawrence) wanting to marry Pvt. Newberry, and in yet another, Pvt. Newberry was the palace guard and wouldn't let the Queen in to get to the throne room. Pvt. Newberry managed to exasperate the Queen more than once, making her call him a "hollowed out little creep".

Source: Author Polaris101

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
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The Carol Burnett Show Trivia Quiz

If you're like me, you grew up watching Carol Burnett on Saturday nights, and can still recite dialog from the skits. Here are some questions to test your knowledge of the various skits performed over the years.

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