Vicki Lawrence | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
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How did Vicki Lawrence first get discovered and land a role on The Carol Burnett Show?
I think the parents and the grandparents, they're passing those shows
on because
they were harmless, they were fun. It's kind of like you get to laugh for no good reason.
It's a gentler time in sort of American comedy, and there's a sweetness to the thing that I particularly miss.
We had so much fun on that show, and I have never been on another show like it. What do you think is sort of the secret
sauce on that, as somebody who saw it up close?
I mean, we really never, I don't remember ever having a stressful day.
You're an OG guy. Vicki Lawrence, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. Where do we begin on this crazy journey that you've taken through
life? I know, I'm old. It's a long time ago.
Last
century.
See, the thing is, because my generation grew up with you on television, I think we assumed you were older than you were, but when you were on television, you were very young.
I was. So? 18 when I started. Crazy. Yeah.
So that takes us to the perfect moment in time. You were voted in high school most likely to succeed.
I
was busy in high school. I was very busy. I was a cheerleader. I did all the choreography for all the dance numbers. I was
in
every singing group on campus. I was busy.
Did you have the showbiz gene or you had the performer gene? Because it's kind of different. Or both.
I don't, you know, I lived in Inglewood, close proximity to Hollywood. Yeah. But it never occurred to me to go into show business. It never just, I mean,
I
guess I thought it would never...
No. I was
going to be a dental hygienist.
I know. I saw that. So did the Young Americans singing group, whatever extravaganza that was, that came before Miss Fireball? Do I have the sequence right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I
started in the Young Americans my freshman year. I entered a new school and entered the choir class. And in walks this incredibly unattractive guy who starts talking about being on the road last summer with Johnny Mathis and What the heck is he doing? Well, it turns out it was the Young Americans.
So
the next time there were auditions, I said, I can do that.
The Young Americans is still going, which is remarkable. Yeah,
but you know, I feel like I got to do it in a really fun time.
Well, you got to do it in the kind of the idyllic Disney kind of time where there was a movie or in the movie. Can you tell people what the Young Americans was? Because it's hard to even understand what it would be. It still exists, but it sort of seems anachronistic to today's society.
It was all high schoolers. You had to have at least a B average. You had to be musical. You had to pass sort of a musical audition. And it was all students. And we had so much fun. I mean, we used to do the Hollywood Palace, Jog Your Memories Kids. We did sing with Johnny Mathis. We got to do all the background vocals for Henry Mancini when he was at the Greek Theater.
That's cool. I
saw
Andy Williams'
show. The Andy Williams' show. Yeah, it was really
fun. Do you actually travel with that
thing?
Yeah. How were your parents with all that? Did they sort of encourage the showbiz thing?
Yeah, my mom did, for sure.
Did she see something in you that made sense to her that you would want that, or was it just like a fun thing?
You know, I don't know. I think she wanted to be a performer herself. The story she always told us was that she sang with a little, a small group of guys. I guess there were three guys and my mom. And they wanted to go off to New York and try to make it. And she wanted to go, and her mom said, no, you're not going. So I think, yeah, she pushed a little bit.
Yeah.
Did you play the Illinois State Penitentiary? I saw that.
Yeah, that was in the movie. Yes.
Just the idea of these fresh-faced California kids coming in. I know. It was kind of trippy. Facing the hardened criminals. Yeah. Were you at the premiere on August 21st, 1967, which I believe was held like in Kansas or something.
Was that...
The premiere for the movie.
No, I don't think I was.
Because the movie's online, which is kind of interesting.
I know. Have
you gone and looked at it?
I have gone and... Because when I talk about Carol, people always ask me if I studied her.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Vicki Lawrence first get discovered and land a role on The Carol Burnett Show?
0:00–9:06
2
What was the story behind the Miss Fireball contest that launched Vicki’s career?
9:06–20:23
3
How did Vicki’s relationship with Carol Burnett shape her early TV experiences?
20:23–30:38
4
What was the daily rehearsal and taping routine like for The Carol Burnett Show?
30:38–39:01
5
How did Harvey Korman mentor Vicki and teach her the craft of comedy?
39:01–47:35
6
What led to the creation of the Mama character and the spin‑off Mama’s Family?
47:35–56:31
7
How did the success of “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” impact Vicki’s career and personal life?
56:31–1:05:40
8
What does Vicki think about the lasting legacy of classic TV shows for new generations?
1:05:40–1:15:35
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
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