Most comedians who make it big in show business talk of how they paid their dues by performing in any and every comedy club in their youth. Carol Burnett went through the same experiences, meeting many other funny people.
One really funny woman who went through the comedy clubs with Burnett was Phyllis Diller. In this clip, Burnett has the incredible experience of giving Diller the spotlight and allowing her to perform stand-up on The Carol Burnett Show.
Diller was known for her eccentric style, both in clothes and stage presence. Her wild hair and outfits provided fodder for Diller's act. She was one of the first female comics to become famous in the United States, and many female comedians list her as a role model.
In this clip, Diller is wearing one of her signature garish outfits, a dress made of animals tails, which she acknowledges as soon as she comes on stage. She holds her iconic cigarette holder with a wooden cigarette as Diller didn't actually smoke.
Full of self-deprecating jokes, Diller asks the audience if they can believe she's going gray--her skin, not her hair. They chuckle as she tells them there's a TV show named after her skin, Rawhide. Diller laughs at herself, letting the crowd know she's in on the joke.
The bulk of her act is an insult upon insult on her looks. She quips that most women have a vanity table while hers is a humility counter. The only woman who makes her feel OK about her appearance is her sister-in-law, fictitious Captian Bligh.
Diller then switches to criticize her driving skills, saying the driving instructors make her so nervous that she spends more money on deodorant than she does on gas. This great joke gets Diller hearty applause, and it's clear why she's thought of as an influence on women in comedy.
Remember those days of Carol Burnett? It's all over at Amazon if that sounds good to you.
