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Carol Burnett proved comedy doesn’t always come from tragedy
Her story bucks the trend, at least according to one interview in '98.
By now, the tropes of a comedian's origin story seem burned into our collective subconscious. So many times, we've heard the story of an unhappy childhood, some crucial setbacks that pave the way for future success. We're told time and again that this fortune was a direct result of earlier misfortune.
But that hacky story isn't actually always true or fair. In fact, it's used to further mistreat young creatives. Why pay a rising star a fair wage when not doing so could mold them for greatness? This tale of woe is a show business ploy to excuse bad behavior towards the people who make us laugh.
Case in point: Carol Burnett said her upbringing flew in the face of that sad, old, tired gimmick. In a 1998 interview with Florence Morning News staff writer Shawn Nelson, Burnett explained how her childhood was different from what we're told a comedian's should be.
"Well, you know, I was not abused," said Burnett. "We were just poor, I didn't know how unusual it was to us at the time because everyone was, everything seemed to be the norm."
While that lack of resources certainly made for her fair share of struggles, it didn't keep Burnett from a childhood filled with happiness. It was a norm that she shared with a lot of American kids, and this relatable energy informed a lot of her later sketches on The Carol Burnett Show. Her other early influences included some funny family members, as well as the movies she'd go to see.
"My grandmother and mother did have a good sense of humor. I think the movies, too, were sort of a life saver. [...] I would see a musical and pretend to be Betty Grable."
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