In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox

by Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett (Narrator)

Winner of the 2017 Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album

Comedy legend Carol Burnett tells the hilarious behind-the-scenes story of her iconic weekly variety series, The Carol Burnett Show.
 
Who but Carol Burnett herself has the timing, talent, and wit to pull back the curtain on the Emmy-Award winning show that made television history for eleven glorious seasons? In Such Good Company delves into little-known stories of the guests, sketches and antics that made the show legendary, as well as some favorite tales too good not to relive again. Carol lays it all out for us, from the show’s original conception to its evolution into one of the most beloved primetime programs of its generation.

Written with all the charm and humor fans expect from a masterful entertainer like Carol Burnett, In Such Good Company skillfully highlights the elements that made the show so successful in a competitive period when TV variety shows ruled the air waves. Putting the spotlight on everyone from her talented costars to her amazing guest stars—the most celebrated and popular entertainers of their day—Carol crafts a lively portrait of the talent and creativity that went into every episode.

Here are all the topics readers want to know more about, including:
 • how the show almost didn’t air due to the misgivings of certain CBS vice presidents;
 • how she discovered and hired Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway;
 • anecdotes about guest stars and her close freindships with many of them, including Lucille Ball, Roddy Mcdowell, Jim Nabors, Bernadette Peters, Betty Grable, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, Gloria Swanson, Rita Hayworth, and Betty White;
 • the people behind the scenes from Bob Mackie, her costume designer and partner in crime, to the wickedly funny cameraman who became a fixture during the show’s opening Q&A;
 • and Carol's takes on her favorite sketches and the unpredictable moments that took both the cast and viewers by surprise.

This audiobook is Carol's love letter to a golden era in television history through the lens of her brilliant show which won no less than 25 Emmy Awards! Get the best seat in the house as she reminisces about the outrageous tales that made working on the show as much fun as watching it.

Includes cast interviews, a conversation with Dick Cavett, and much more!

• ISBN10: 0735284849
• ISBN13: 9780735284845
• Publish Date: 13 September 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 30 May 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House US Audio
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (UK Trade)
• Pages: 1
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780735284845

Reviews

[Beth C.]

Sometimes, it's not to the book's benefit when the author also narrates it. But when the author is Carol Burnett? Well, that's a whole different ball of wax. She was wonderful, and I greatly appreciated the actual recordings of interviews that popped up from time to time - as well as the recording of her last night closing her show. It just added that extra something - and to hear her tell her story, complete with laughter and emotions? Well, I can see why the audiobook won an award. I grew up watching re-runs of her show, and listening to the stories brought back so many fond memories. It truly is a lovely way to join Carol and the cast "in the sandbox" one more time.

[MurderByDeath]

After listening to Carol Burnett's other memoir This Time Together, I was interested in checking this one out.   If this is the first of her books you listen to that cover the years during The Carol Burnett Show, you'll likely like this even more than I did.  She narrates the audio herself and does a fantastic job, and the anecdotes she shares are funny or interesting and often both.  It was a bonus that the excerpts from interviews with Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence and Harvey Korman were actual audio excepts from the interviews conducted by the Television Academy.     If you've listened to, or read, This Time Together, you'll find some stories (the best ones) overlap; there's enough fresh material in each book to make reading them worthwhile though.