I said I was done with these but couldn’t pass this one up. It amazes me how a silly sketch show managed to give us one of the most complex characters you’ll see on TV (from the old days). The show of course was "The Carol Burnett Show". It's even more amazing that she didn't appear until Season 6. "The Family" segments replaced the lame "sister" segments and were, obviously, a lot more memorable.
Eunice Higgins
Eunice is made funny of course because Carol Burnett is a funny lady. With her exploding temper and the way she could convey things just with her eyes. But she was also a actress so there is always some drama within the comedy. The sketches, and there a few of them, did a lot more than just give us something to laugh at for fifteen minutes. This felt like a genuine dysfunctional family and the laughs came not from jokes but from the situation. Little wonder it seemed obvious making a sitcom out of it.
Eunice was one of those people who dream of big success. And fails to accept their own limitations. She had no talent, at all, and yet she was convinced she had what it took to be a star in Hollywood. This probably led to her jealousy of her successful sister and brother. She also liked to control everything, to the point its no wonder she drove others nuts. She had a husband she didn’t love, and two kids she barely cared about. And of course, there was Mama.
Mama Harper (played brilliantly by Vicki Lawrence) was from the old school which thank god no longer exists. She was downright mean to Eunice, pointing out her flaws and always knocking her down. Again, this would never fly today (Mama would be considered abusive today) but these sketches perfectly reflect a different era when encouraging your children was a foreign concept. It was also made very clear by Eunice’s parents she was far from the favorite. One of the things that holds her back is this need to please her parents and others. This is how she got stuck taking care of Mama even though all Mama does is stir the ire in Eunice. Eunice also tends to be so self absorbed that others can’t get two words in about themselves before she changes the subject back to her. Even worst her jealousy causes her to be critical of the other person while oblivious to the fact she is being hurtful.
When Carol Burnett Show ended te last time we saw Eunice she had finally gone to a therapist. Eunice was around for Mama’s Family until it went into syndication. And it felt a little to much the sketches when she was. Mama’ Family worked better without Eunice allowing Mama to become a more refined character. There was a special all about Eunice before “Mama’s Family” which really dove in to her character. I like to call it non canon since it doesn’t match either Mama’s Family or Carol Burnett Show lore (Mama dies in it!). I don’t care for this special since the dark subtext of the sketches boils over here, and is kind of uncomfortable Also The special basically homogenizes all the old sketches which means if you’ve seen the sketches a bunch of times half the special is just repeating the same dialogue and jokes.
Obviously a lot of Eunice was provided by writers, but Carol Burnett did such an amazing job bringing the character to life that we feel for her. She was one of those people who wanted a fantasy life of fame and fortune, while neglecting her real life and people around her. Leading to over drinking and being a miserable human being. Burnett has said this was her favorite character to perform.
No comments:
Post a Comment