Carol Burnett & Mr. Spock
- Thread starter Maurice
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I put a smiley after it. That's usually a giveaway.
I'm surprised that there was any sort of cross-network publicity. Carol Burnett was on CBS while Star Trek was on NBC. It seems odd that a popular character from a competing network would have been allowed but perhaps there was precedent for this at the time.
I must say that I am very grateful to finally see this sketch, having only seen the still photograph of Nimoy and Burnett before. As mentioned already, she was a fantastic physical actress and comedienne and I was pleasantly surprised at the various physical effects required to pull off the skit. Her ad-lib about walking into the wall was very funny.
Thank you so much for finding this and sharing.
I must say that I am very grateful to finally see this sketch, having only seen the still photograph of Nimoy and Burnett before. As mentioned already, she was a fantastic physical actress and comedienne and I was pleasantly surprised at the various physical effects required to pull off the skit. Her ad-lib about walking into the wall was very funny.
Thank you so much for finding this and sharing.
Wait... So does this mean that Mr. Spock's first name is "Harry"? But he told Leila Kalomi that she couldn't pronounce it! 
No, just how variety and talk shows work in general. Though if you want to read something into it: Star Trek was a Desilu production. CBS loved Lucy. Lucy loved Carol Burnett.
I never thought about the Desilu/Lucy/CBS connection. That makes total sense! Even if it's not what happened, it goes a long way towards solving the issue I was having. Thanks!No, just how variety and talk shows work in general. Though if you want to read something into it: Star Trek was a Desilu production. CBS loved Lucy. Lucy loved Carol Burnett.
It was onscreen, so its canon ...Wait... So does this mean that Mr. Spock's first name is "Harry"? But he told Leila Kalomi that she couldn't pronounce it!
Great work finding this clip.
I wish I knew how to save it and add it to my Star Trek collection..
I know the abusive husband angle is bad but maybe now that he's visible he'll start acting like the fantastic Vulcan we know and love.
Hoping it's OK to discuss this, I use a paid app called MP4 Downloader. It can download & convert many formats.
Was Desilu sold to Gulf + Western/Paramount when the Carol Burnett episode was taped? Or maybe it doesn't matter.
Probably. That was in July '67, and the skit aired in December.
Yes. I believe the Desilu/Gulf Western sale went though during the hiatus between S2 & S3. That would have been summer of '68. A year after the Carol Burnett episode.
The sale created havoc for Star Trek's S3 due to an extreme shift in corporate attitude which saw the series go from honored guest to renter. Suddenly they found themselves having to pay for goods and services that were previously comped.
Sorry, went off on a tangent there.
An interesting tidbit I once read somewhere: The main reason why NBC agreed to listen to the Star Trek pitch in the first place was to generate good will with Lucille Ball.
Herb Solow was at NBC Daytime programming before he arrived at Desilu in 1964; those connections no doubt helped, as well.
The deal was announced on February 15, 1967 — during the hiatus between seasons one and two. The deal was formalized on July 27, 1967 and Desilu was fully absorbed into Paramount Television shortly thereafter. Paramount TV started instituting changes to tighten schedules (and the budget) during the second season. Director Ralph Senensky writes about the change in atmosphere at the studio that occurred after the sale on his blog.
Yeah, I think it was the book he co-wrote with Justman that served as my source on that point.
Thanks for the clarity. I believe Solow also referenced the change in culture and attitude in his previously mentioned book with Robert Justman.
Thanks for the link. What a great resource!
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