This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection [Hardcover]

Carol Burnett (Author)

Book Description

Release 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 Reviews

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

Review

"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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 267 pages
• Publisher: Harmony Books (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307461181
• ISBN-13: 978-0307461186
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (244 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Television Performers

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

182 of 188 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 100% Class, Cannot Rate This Book Highly Enough April 6, 2010

By Joseph Wanlund

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

About a week ago, I read an article in the New York Times about a new book coming out this week penned by the incomparable Carol Burnett. Needless to say, being quite intrigued (having read One More Time at least twice), I decided to take the plunge on this one blind (which I do not recommend you do unless you're a fan like me). Am I ever glad I did!

Carol Burnett is 100% class. Most people, when given the opportunity to write an anecdotal book like this, would have a mean word to say about someone. However, in this case, Carol Burnett does not seem to have a mean word to say about anyone in this book. We can all learn from her example.

Carol Burnett has the kind of class that eclipses 99.9% of Hollywood these days. In the era of 24-hour news, TMZ, and negativity of all sorts, Carol Burnett is the breath of fresh air that we desperately needed, at a time that we needed it the most.

Some of the stories in here are very sad, especially the times that Carol talks about the events leading up to the premiere of Hollywood Arms a few years back.

However, most of the stories (a lot of which I've never heard or seen before) have the signature razor-sharp wit that Carol and company were (and are) well-known for. Two particular items of note are the stories she shares about Lucille Ball (which were laugh-out-loud funny) and the story about how she snagged Harvey Korman to be on The Carol Burnett Show.

In summary, if you want negativity, meanness, and other such things that are oh so common these days, this book isn't going to satisfy that in the least. However, if you want something that is all too rare these days, such as class, sweetness, humor when it's necessary, and something 100% genuine, then this book is for you.

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars We're So Glad We Had Those Times Together! April 7, 2010

By Michael OConnor TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

If they ever do a poll on 'Best Loved Entertainer,' odds are Carol Burnett would top the list or be in the top five. Ditto for 'Funniest Comedienne.' For decades, this intelligent, witty and endlessly appealing funny lady has brought laughter and joy to people around the world. In her equally appealing book THIS TIME TOGETHER, Burnett shares some of the most meaningful - and usually hilarious - moments in her long career. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in years!

For many of us baby boomers, our first exposure to Burnett's talent was on the 'Garry Moore Show' or 'Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall.' She certainly made us laugh with that limber body and rubbery face not to mention a fine singing voice. Yet what impressed most was her sweetness and naturalness. What you saw was what you got: a talented singer-comedienne who didn't take herself seriously. That impression was only reinforced when she hosted her own show, which I think was the finest, funniest variety show ever.

Those same qualities are everywhere evident in THIS TIME TOGETHER. In short chapters she takes the reader through her life and the many people she met along the way. She recalls friends and colleagues with obvious delight and affection. She gives unstinting credit to so many people who helped her personally or professionally over the years. And there's scarcely an unkind word or trace of self-pity in sight. THIS TIME TOGETHER has to be one of the 'nicest' show biz books written. It's just a pleasure to read.

Some of the most revealing stories are the ones Burnett tells on herself. For instance, the first time Burnett met Cary Grant, she was so petrified, so in awe of him that she tried to bolt from the party. As a young girl she had stared up at Grant on movie screens. Even though she was a bonafide TV star, she felt so inadequate she tried to run. Turns out he was a big fan of hers! Some time later, on a flight to New York, she was dismayed when the movie being shown turned out to be 'The Front Page,' one of Burnett's lesser acting performances. When the movie was done, she asked the stewardess for the P.A. microphone and apologized to the other passengers for her bad acting!

THIS TIME TOGETHER will certainly please all Carol Burnett fans. The book just confirms what many of us thought all along - she's funny, bright, down-to-earth, honest and a sweetheart. If you want to share some memorable moments with a real class act, pick up a copy. You won't regret it!

63 of 76 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Contrarian April 17, 2010

By Soozie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm going to disagree with the previous reviewers. I loved Burnett's first memoir, but this one is just OK. If you liked and remember the Carol Burnett Show and other TV performances of the author, you will likely find this book mildly entertaining. It recalls anecdotes and gentle stories of Burnett's professional and public life, but includes virtually nothing of her personal or inner life.

In a way it shows us how times have changed in the past decade or two. Where superficial stories were once all that was asked of a celebrity autobiography, now we want everything, the viscera. I have wondered in the past how she found motherhood, with her unconventional upbringing, or why she lived in Hawaii for so many years. For example, she mentions a two weeks Christmas trip to Honolulu -- I wanted to know why, not the usual destination unless special friends or family live there. She must have an interesting approach to comedy as well as drama in her professional life. But we hear nothing of any of that. This is a charming, warm recounting of the types of stories one might tell a new friend over a long weekend in casual conversation. That's fine, but -- and this is a big but -- if the author wanted to include us in her life, we would have gotten more. So, this volume is for fans only.