The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes Season 8 Episode 7 Alan King and Lena Zavaroni
- November 2, 1974
- 22 min
This episode of The Carol Burnett Show features two guest stars, comedian Alan King and singer Lena Zavaroni. The show opens with a sketch titled "Playgirl Magazine," in which Carol plays the editor who interviews various male celebrities for the magazine. Alan King appears as one of the celebrities, playing a grumpy and cantankerous version of himself.
The episode also features several musical numbers from Lena Zavaroni, a young Scottish singer who had gained fame in the UK before making her American television debut on The Carol Burnett Show. Zavaroni sings several songs throughout the episode, including "Getting to Know You" from The King and I, "The Shadow of Your Smile," and "Yesterday."
Another notable sketch in the episode is "The Carol Burnett Show Coroner's Office." In this recurring segment, Carol plays a coroner who always manages to turn the most mundane deaths into bizarre and comical scenarios. In this particular sketch, she examines the body of a man who died while playing golf and imagines all sorts of ridiculous ways he may have met his demise.
Alan King also appears in several other sketches throughout the episode, showcasing his comedic talents in a variety of characters. In one skit, he plays a lounge singer who forgets the lyrics to his own song and has to improvise on the spot. In another, he plays a college professor who is baffled by his students' lack of enthusiasm for his lesson on the history of the pencil.
The episode's closing sketch features Carol and Alan in a spoof of the classic film Gone with the Wind. Carol plays Scarlett O'Hara and Alan is Rhett Butler, with both of them hilariously mangling some of the film's most famous lines.
Overall, this episode of The Carol Burnett Show offers a mix of comedy and music, with standout performances from both Alan King and Lena Zavaroni. Fans of the show will appreciate the return of fan-favorite segments like "The Carol Burnett Show Coroner's Office," while newcomers will enjoy the zany and often unpredictable humor that made the show a classic of television comedy.