One More Time

Carol Burnett’s television show was a huge hit from 1967 through 1978. And like millions of Americans, I watched it regularly, enjoying the inspired insanity of the skits, laughing until I cried at the classic spoofs of “Gone With the Wind”, “Star Trek”, “As the World Turns”, and other satire-worthy targets.

But there was one regular feature of the show’s later run, that I was never comfortable with – the “Mama’s Family” routines. The underlying spirit of the segments always seemed to me to be mean-spirited. There was generally an argument, hurtful words were hurled, and Carol Burnett’s character ended up humiliated and in tears. I never understood where that rage was coming from.

Burnett doesn’t admit it, but show more she reveals the roots of that anger in her 1986 memoir “One More Time”. Written as a letter to her then young adult children, the book relates Burnett’s childhood and the early years of her career.

Reared by her grandmother because her mother’s and father’s alcoholism prevented them from being effective parents, Burnett spent most of her childhood in a one-room apartment, scraping by on welfare and rejecting the occasional advances of the mother she felt had abandoned her. Burnett’s mother and grandmother spent 30 years tearing at each other, often both in alcohol-fueled rages. The echoes of that horribly destructive relationship, which none of them could resolve or escape, play out painfully in the “Mama’s Family” vignettes.

Astonishingly, Burnett neither casts blame on her dysfunctional family nor takes on a pity-poor-me tone when recalling the events. They happened; she acknowledges them; she moves on.

There are happy memories here, too. Burnett recalls hanging out with neighborhood kids, finding herself in musical comedy, and receiving an amazing gift which allowed her to relocate to New York, where her career ultimately took off.

This is not a kiss-and-tell book, or a behind the scenes exposé of the often cutthroat business of television. It’s just an entertaining read that throws some light on one woman’s path to adulthood, and reflects her desire to light the path for her daughters. show less

I purchased this book for about $1.75 at our local Salvation Army. It's a pretty quick, high energy read just like you would expect from Carol Burnett. I can't say she had a wonderful life, but that she did live life wonderfully...full of spunk and personality. Published in 1985, she was 52 years old when she wrote her memoir. It spans the first 27 years of her life when she had finally landed a steady role on The Garry Moore Show.

I found it interesting to see how God divinely worked things out in her life inspite of her upbringing by her grandmother, who provided any ounce of stability at all, and her two alcoholic parents who ran off to Hollywood to find fame and fortune. The stories of her childhood were absolutely adorable and will show more have you laughing. You will admire her courage and struggles in finally making it as an actress in New York. There was never a dull moment. I really enjoyed this read and could hardly put the book down. I read it in two days. I could have read it in one, but I did have to eat and shower and say hello to my husband periodically. show less

Carol Burnett's memoir covered her childhood and into her twenties. I grew up watching Carol on TV, feeling like I knew her, and her story came across in a very conversational and personal way that rang true and sincere. She had a lot of problems in her family. Her parents were both alcoholics and were in and out of her life. She had a grandmother that adored her, and Carol adored, but mainly provided companionship and not much structure or guidance. I admire how she made a lot of positive choices along the way despite the difficulties that surrounded her. I enjoyed reading her story.

his was an interesting read. It was interesting in that it had quite a few good little factoids about Carol Burnett's life. I read it as part of our book club's review. What I liked about Carol Burnett's book is how she described getting into show business and what her life was like growing up. She did have a tough life.

What I didnt' like about the book is her portrayal of men, and the inconsistency in which she wrote. Getting specifics on how she started in show biz and what her big breaks were, were missing. It seemed that she did not appreciate men very much, even the one that bailed her out by loaning her $2,000 to go to New York.

I consider this a middle of the road book. Interesting enough to keep reading but some of the content show more was not very flattering and the style of writing was somewhat disjointed. show less

This is a very interesting book detailing Carol Burnett's memories from growing up in Texas and Hollywood and her path to success. It is written as an open letter to her three daughters, Carrie, Jody, and Erin

I usually don't read memiors or biographies but I really enjoyed this one. Ms Burnett is one funny lady and I loved her show. This is the story from her childhood in a very dysfunctional but loving family to her in New York as a young woman trying to break into show business. I loved how there were pictures included so you could really match the stories of Nanny and Goggy to what they looked like. It was an interesting story all around.

A very unique upbringing, down and out but right in the middle of L.A. and Hollywood. She visits Santa Monica, Sunset Blvd., Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood High, Warner Bros., the Pantages and the Egyptian, works as a movie usher and as a cleaner for the Warner Bros. studio artists. Very blunt appraisal of herself and all her family. Openly honest and LOLish.