A recent video clip from the Carol Burnett Show shows 2 different takes on the Disney Classic - Sleeping Beauty. The comedy skit is hilarity at its best, featuring the incredible Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Martha Raye, Lyle Waggoner, and Vicki Lawrence.
Just picture Sleeping Beauty is told from the perspective of different audience ratings: G (General) and M (Mature). That is exactly the concept Burnett humorously proposes onstage. Her clever introduction immediately set the laughter wheels in motion, paving the way for an unforgettable comedic journey.
First, we are treated to general audience content, with Lyle Waggoner as the Charming Prince and Vicki Lawrence as the Sleeping Beauty. The prince enters the bedroom through the castle window to awaken his lovely princess with a heartfelt kiss.
Vicki, the Sleeping Beauty, however, is a hilarious young girl who gives a cheeky response to the Charming Prince when he wakes her up. She says in a very funny and different voice that he is surely better looking than her, setting a series of hilarious moments.
Instead of getting charmed by the handsome man in front of her, Sleeping Beauty is concerned about the overdue on her library books. Moreover, when she finds out that her life will be very boring after marriage, she prefers going back to sleep, making the audience laugh.
But the laugh train didn't stop there. Next is the M-rated portrayal with Harvey Korman (Charming Prince) and Martha Raye (Sleeping Beauty). An unkempt castle, ragged curtains, and a beauty who is not really sleeping!
Korman, the hilarious, grumbling, unwilling hero, has us chuckling at his every sarcastic comment, such as Top floor of the Castle, she better be beautiful. Moreover, his desperate hope that his kiss wouldn't stir her from her slumber is comedic gold.
Then comes the twist when the hilarious Sleeping Beauty (Raye) suddenly shouts at her prince. She asks him who he is and then, listening to his side of the story calls the police.
However, when the Charming Prince decides to leave her, she showcases unforeseen fondness towards him. The disheveled Sleeping Beauty hugs her Prince Charming and kisses him as the skit ends.
These performances were proof of the extraordinary comedic talent that Carol Burnett and her team possessed. Whether it was Lyle Waggoner as the funny prince or Harvey Korman as the hilarious hesitant hero, they brought a refreshing twist to Sleeping Beauty.
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