The legendary comediennes Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence spent eleven years starring together on the sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 until 1978. Now, Burnett is speaking out to say that she would love to have Lawrence join her on her Apple TV+ series Palm Royale, which was recently renewed for a second season.
Burnett Wants Lawrence On Palm Royale
“I wish they could find something for [Vicki] on the show,” Burnett, 91, told IndieWire. “I’m going to ask Abe if there’s a part that might come up because that would be fun to have Vicki on. That would really be something.”
“And not just a mercy booking. That’s not what I mean,” she added. “But if there’s a role that she could sink her teeth into, because she is a very good actress.”
Palm Royale was created by Abe Sylvia and it also stars Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, and Laura Dern.
“I loved Harvey Korman and I loved Tim Conway, but [Carol] and Vicki Lawrence together was just my obsession,” said Dern, who also executive produces Palm Royale. “Eunice was probably my favorite. ‘The Family’ is the thing that would just at every age make me laugh endlessly.”
This was a reference to the iconic “The Family” sketches that included the hilarious and beloved characters of Eunice Higgins (Burnett) and Thelma Harper (Lawrence). Check out one of these sketches in the video below.
Related: Carol Burnett Credits ‘Little Angel’ With Her Career Success As She Prepares To Turn 91
Burnett Discovered Lawrence
Burnett recalled discovering Lawrence, now 75, when she was just an 18 year-old unknown high school actress. She got her job on The Carol Burnett Show thanks to a local contest.
“I remember at one point when we were doing the first season, Vicki was just in a little bit of sketches here and there, and I remember one of the CBS vice presidents said to me during rehearsal, ‘Well, don’t you think she’s a little raw?’” Burnett remembered. “And I said, ‘So are diamonds at first!’ Vicki learned her craft in front of 30 million people a week. She was like a sponge.”
Burnett went on to say that this probably could not happen in today’s television landscape.
“I don’t think a network would let us do that today, they’d say we needed someone with more experience,” Burnett said. “The networks kind of want to have their say in it, and they don’t leave you alone.”
“Although I do have to say Apple TV did leave us alone. They did,” she continued. “I think Abe will attest to that. They were very supportive — and I don’t recall getting any notes from any of the executives at Apple.”
Watch Burnett talk about Palm Royale in the video below.
Lawrence Still Performing
As for Lawrence, she’s still performing in theaters across the country. In her shows, she reprises Thelma and some of her other beloved The Carol Burnett Show characters. Earlier this year, however, she admitted that she’d be hesitant to recommend the entertainment industry to newcomers.
“So, when people ask me if I have advice for them starting in this industry…I don’t even know that I would choose this industry nowadays,” she told WKRG back in February. “It’s just so different, it’s very invasive.”
“When I was a kid growing up, I was allowed to be a kid and do stupid things and it was fine,” she added. “It’s very different now. It’s tough, it’s a very tough business now.”
Related: ‘Carol Burnett Show’ Star Vicki Lawrence Returns To Performing
Lawrence has yet to respond to Burnett’s hopes of getting her on Palm Royale. Fans of The Carol Burnett Show would certainly be ecstatic if that comes to fruition!
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