Florence Henderson I think I first became aware of Carol Burnett as a performer. Probably The Garry Moore Show and I saw her on Broadway. And Once upon a Mattress. And I saw her in. Fade out. Fade in. And then on. Carol and I lived in the same apartment building in New York. And then the funniest thing was I found out that my sister lived at the rehearsal club on Fifty Third Street at the same time Carol did. And they had a mutual good friend. So Carol’s just ever she invades everybody’s life. The Rehearsal Club Was a wonderful club on Fifty Third Street. I believe four women who were, you know, aspiring actresses, dancers, singers. And it really was affordable, you know. And you got a meal a day perhaps. And it was great.
Interviewer: I think this movie was stage door.
Florence Henderson I’m not sure if it was that or or on the three arts club where I lived up on West Eighty Fifth Street. So it’s moot.
Interviewer: Tell me, when you what were your impressions were, let’s say, when you saw her in mattress on Broadway. Do you remember what you thought.
Florence Henderson I could just see her on the top of the mattress, just her body language. She was, she was just hilariously funny. You know, Carol, it is not just funny up here. That’s where it starts. But her ability as a physical comedian is is truly remarkable, I think.
Interviewer: Do you think, especially in that time, was she sort of breaking stereotypes for women because, you know, there weren’t that many physical women comedians? Right.
Florence Henderson I think Carol broke a lot of stereotypes because don’t forget, she’s a comedian. But she was a terrific and is a terrific singer. And a lot of comedians don’t have that talent. But she was like and is the whole package. She’s got it all. She’s a wonderful singer. A wonderful actress. Well, she her dancing, she told me she has two left feet. I don’t believe that. But she really can do it all. And she’s incredibly intuitive, incredibly smart about what works for her.
Interviewer: What does work for her? What do you think are the sort of things that Professor.
Florence Henderson Well, I think the things that work for Carol is a basic talent that she was born with. And I think the ability to to cherish her background, to cherish the hard time she she went through as a kid. To be honest about that, to get in touch with all of that, I think really stood Carolyn. Very good stead. And again, she did all that before. It was the thing to do to come out and tell the truth about your life. And I think the fact that she is basically so honest.
Interviewer: Might ask you about some of that. In terms of women in comedy at the time, what was sort of the stereotype when she came along? Was it women considered funny?
Florence Henderson There were a few. I don’t remember exactly the chronology of who was doing what when. But I know that when Carol Burnett came upon the scene and I remember seeing her on Ed Sullivan singing about who was in love with John Foster Dulles. I mean, it’s just absolutely mind boggling. And, you know, those were raw ideas that I know she had. Wonderful writers can admit to Welch, but that she could deliver material like that. Explain, John Foster Dulles was John Foster Dulles was, I think, our secretary of state. And he wasn’t the most attractive man in the world, but I’m sure he was very smart, however.
Interviewer: And her song was about having a crush on something, right?
Florence Henderson Yes. You know, she was in love with John Foster Dulles. And that that, to me, was just incredibly funny. And again, her her face, her her body, it’s just her ability to do natural takes. You know, comedians do takes. But with her, it’s always it came out of the moment. It was kind of not studied. It came out of the material.
Interviewer: Is it true that it wasn’t studied. She’s not one of these people that was acting schools and that didn’t come naturally.
Florence Henderson I think Carol was a natural comedienne. And I think a lot of people that are terribly funny have had a lot of hardships in their life. And and they gain this ability to to see the humor in life and the humor and, you know, in the situations that are difficult for them. And it becomes a great defense. And then if you have the talent like Carol does, it can propel you into being, you know, the great icon she has.
Interviewer: Well, let’s talk about her background just for a minute. You’re a close friend of hers, and I’m just wondering what she shared with you about her childhood and she’s written about it at length about it. What can you tell us about her, her upbringing and her family?
Florence Henderson Well, you know, Carol and her daughter Carrie, whom she lost, wrote a wonderful play called Hollywood Arms. And this play was about her childhood and growing up right here in Hollywood. And, you know, having alcoholic parents and living with her grandmother, who is this extreme older woman and I believe was a Christian Scientist. All of these things that that Carol had to deal with and the fact that she was she was the core, the strength really of that family and still is.
Interviewer: Can you talk about how much did you share about that with you as a friend and how much were people sort of learning for the first time when they read her book? Was it something that she talked about very much?
Florence Henderson No, she did not talk about it very much. I don’t think until she wrote her book, you know, at least to me.
Interviewer: And do you think it is there? Is she a private person in that way, or is it just more that she doesn’t like she didn’t want to dwell on that? Or did you get a sense of.
Florence Henderson I think Carol is basically a very private person, but by the same token, she’s able to be totally honest and and be humorous about her background and where she came from. And, you know, we talk sometimes about our similar backgrounds. We had very similar backgrounds. And I think that’s one of the reasons why we we hit it off.
Interviewer: Do you think that it does is one of those things that shaped her or her sense of humor or her desire to be a performer? I mean, I know, for example, she said many times that for a good part of her life, she was more comfortable being a character than she was herself. And I just wonder.
Florence Henderson Well, you know, Carol grew up in Hollywood going to movies and, you know, she loved movies and. And for a kid that’s struggling and having a tough time at home. I mean, movies become your salvation. And I think it did for her. And some of the funniest stories I’ve heard her tell are about her early days as an usherette and, you know, having shushed somebody or not let them in because they were late. And she she said, you can’t come in now. You don’t destroy it for you. You’ll see the end of the movie. And wouldn’t let them in. And of course, they got upset. And the manager of the theater came and ripped her epaulets off and said, you’re fired. But when she tells these stories, they’re absolutely incredible.
Interviewer: Her true story. Did you ever meet Nanny? Was she still around?
Florence Henderson No, I did not meet Nanny. But after seeing the play several times Hollywood arms, I felt as if I knew Nanny. She was quite a character. And that play, you know, Hollywood arms is very important to Carol. And the fact that she was able to. To proceed with the play and get it on and get it to New York again. Her strength. She is still a strength.
Interviewer: Can you explain what happened?
Florence Henderson Well, her her daughter that she just loves so much and her daughter, Carrie, also extremely talented. And to go through her illness and her death was. I just can’t even imagine being a mother myself. How Carol was able to do it, but she and Carrie had worked on this play together. And I think that that was the impetus. You know, it was keeping Carrie alive. And so, you know, Hal Prince became the director, which they knew before Carrie passed away. And. And Carol followed through. She went to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, which I went to. And then she brought it to New York. And I hope that that that play will will be done for television because it’s a wonderful play.
Interviewer: So you were there for the opening night.
Florence Henderson Was was remarkable. Of Hollywood arms in New York City. And lots of friends came from all over the country because she’s very loved by by everyone in America. But those of us who were fortunate enough to be close to her would do almost anything for her because she asked so little of her friends. And that opening night was was unbelievable. The actors were incredible. Linda Lavin, her grandmother, was was fabulous. They were all great. But at the end, Carol came out on stage and the audience just went went wild. And she took a bar with them. And I think that was to honor Carrie.
Interviewer: Did she say anything about that?
Florence Henderson Oh, I think it meant everything to her. I think that was her her her great tribute to Carrie and knowing Carol as I do. She will get that. She’ll get Hollywood arms on television. Everyone should be able to see it. It’s a wonderful play.
Interviewer: I read the book first. Did she ever tell you much about her mother or father relationship?
Florence Henderson Well, I mean, you don’t go into all of those things. I mean, if you’ve read the book and you’ve seen the play, you pretty much know that it was you know, it was very tough. She loved her father and he was just, you know, an alcoholic and her mother who had all these aspirations to be a writer. And, you know, I I guess, became very disillusioned with life. And I think when Carol saw that, I think it made her stronger.
Interviewer: Do you think that she drew on those characters at all, particularly your mother, with some of her characters in her show? I mean, you know, any of those? Can you see sort of how she might have drawn on her background for any of those characters?
Florence Henderson Well, I think, you know, Carol is so great at developing characters. I think she sees the material and she’ll tell you, you know, when Bob Mackie created the costumes and I mean, you became that character. But, of course, I think you always draw upon your own life and it will enter in whether you want it to or not. And I’m sure that if she was developing a lot of these characters on, they became exaggerated forms of of people she knew as a child, whether it be her mother, her father, her grandmother, her sister with Eunice in particular.
Interviewer: I mean, she’s so funny. Those sketches. But really, when you look at it, they’re not funny, you know, I mean, they’re they’re sort of heartbreaking in a way.
Florence Henderson They are and I don’t know. I think Carol’s mother was was a beautiful woman and I think her father was a very handsome guy and. You know, I think she. She saw the desperation there in her mother probably and in her father. And yeah, I think you do see some of that in Mama’s family.
Interviewer: Was Carol, and especially early on when you were getting to know her, confident in her abilities as a performer?
Florence Henderson I think Carol is a mixture. And that. That is incredible confidence because she has incredible talent, but by the same token, I think she she gets butterflies, I think. And I think that’s because she’s so smart and she knows the pitfalls. She knows what should work and and watch on. And I think that that gives you just a little more of an edge.
Interviewer: Do you remember of this?
Florence Henderson Well, when I saw Carol on The Garry Moore Show and I was fortunate to appear on that show as well. I was not that familiar with all the characters because I was doing Broadway myself and working at night and I didn’t see so many of those characters. But when you saw Carol as a young performer, you just knew this was this was going to be a huge star. Nothing could stop her. It was that obvious. Oh, I think so.
Interviewer: And then tell me about I guess it was after The Garry Moore Show that she did fade out. Can you tell? What was that play about? And describe when you saw it.
Florence Henderson Again, I don’t remember too much about fade out, fade in, except for Carol Burnett and when she did Shirley Temple, I mean, it was one of the funniest things I ever saw. And I think when she was fade out, fade in, she hurt her her neck badly or her back and wasn’t in it for too long. But again, you know, she she can always be better than image her material. She can be as good as and she can take mediocre material and make it look a heck of a lot better than it is.
Interviewer: So when did you two start becoming close friends and start spending time together?
Florence Henderson Well, we we always knew Carol and I always knew each other over the years, our paths would always cross and we would see each other. And when, you know, we our kids grew up in that same area in Beverly Hills. And I think when Carrie started getting ill and my husband was a brilliant therapist and was great at helping people through illness and and people that smoked and all of those things and addictions. And so Carol had called and ask if John, my husband would see Carrie and which he did. He started seeing her and she would come to our home. And we just fell in love with her because I’d always known her, but I didn’t really get to know her. And she had that same thing that Carol has. And I think Carol saw that. And and I think it’s hard.
Interviewer: That was this before she was ill, when she was going through.
Florence Henderson No. It was it was, you know, after she’d gotten through all that, that was public knowledge. But she wanted to quit smoking and she was having such a tough time with that. And she had lung cancer, you know, but here was a kid that had all the confidence in the world and just, you know, was sure she would beat this. And we all thought she would. And that was that was when Carol and I really, really connected and and became close. And my husband, I would spend time at the hospital. And Carol was there no matter when you went. She was there. And, you know, those those times, you know, we became, as she says, been joined at the hip after that.
Interviewer: Didn’t work, becomes a refuge for her, did she not want to work for that period?
Florence Henderson I. I think, you know, losing your child has got to be the worst thing that can ever happen to anyone in this particular case. I think because Carrie was her, you know, the apple of her eye. I think it was just incredibly difficult. And I think had it not been for Hollywood arms and the fact that she wanted for Carrie really to get this play on, I don’t know if she would have worked for for a long time. I think she would it would have really withdrawn.
Interviewer: But she was determined. They had written it together. Is that right? Yes. Going back to The Carol Burnett Show when that first came out. Do you recall thinking anything was sort of groundbreaking, that a woman would be hosting a comedy show? It really hadn’t been done before. Primetime comedy show was that didn’t seem groundbreaking.
Florence Henderson I think The Carol Burnett Show is to me certainly groundbreaking because it was it was incredibly wonderful. And when you think about it, that that Carol could do that show every week, memorize all of that material saying be funny and learn all these sketches. Bob Mackie would create hundreds of costumes. I don’t know if there are any people around today with that kind of talent. I just don’t in my experience, I don’t see them. I think that’s why Carol Burnett is is so unique to what was happening in television at that time.
Interviewer: You came on television with The Brady Bunch close to the. What was there were a lot of variety show that sort of what was the TV landscape?
Florence Henderson Well, I think when The Carol Burnett Show was around, you know, there was so much on television then, you know, a lot of variety shows. The Brady Bunch was coming around all these these different kinds of shows. But hers really stood out. And the fact that it was right up there for 11 years, I think, you know, America just watched that show religiously. It’s like, no, now they watch shows like Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. Think about what Carol Burnett and her troupe did. And, you know, I always think it starts at the top. If Carol hadn’t hadn’t been the leader, really, and had that incredible talent and that ability to know what’s funny and what’s good, she’s still Carol has incredible taste.
Interviewer: She said it was like putting on a new Broadway show. Every week is incredible.
Florence Henderson Oh, I. Truly remarkable. I mean, when you think musical arrangements, everything, learning all that music. She would do these incredible long duets with people like Beverly Sills. And I mean, I don’t know anyone that could do it. Honest. I don’t.
Interviewer: Yeah, what about her singing? She doesn’t seem to think of herself foremost as a singer and she sings along Sills the best.
Florence Henderson I think Carol has that incredible voice. She has one of those. And I think it’s because she doesn’t think about it very much. You know, she I don’t think she’s studied a lot of voice. So it’s a natural gift to her. She has tremendous power. You know, you couldn’t do that Tarzan yell and you didn’t really have that breath under you. And I think. You know, I think she underrate herself as a singer. I mean, she she’s got good chops. I I saw a concert a couple of years ago in San Francisco and Frederica Bunch Don did they did that whole medley that she had done with Beverly Sills. And her voice was was just right up there, just as strong as anything. And she doesn’t sing that often. You know, it’s again, she’s she’s got it.
Interviewer: What about sketches or characters, do you have any favorite memories from that show or characters or favorite sketches?
Florence Henderson Well, I loved every sketch that Carol did. And when she and Tim Conway and when she was the secretary a couple of years ago at Kennedy Center Honors honored Carol. And a big number which was staged by her dear friend, Don Crighton. There were all these different characters. And Elaine Stritch was one. Chita Rivera was one. I was Shirley Temple and Kim Cattrall was one. And there you saw all these characters, one after the other. And the audience went wild. I mean, they recognized them immediately.
Interviewer: And what about the. I mean, it’s interesting that she is most known for playing all these different characters. And yet somehow audiences really felt connected to her as a person, too. Why do you think that happened?
Florence Henderson Well, I think that the audience connected so because they saw this this woman with this ability to create these characters, to make fun of herself, to, you know, dress outrageously and have boobs hanging down to her knees practically or, you know, having her behind stuffed in her breast out to here. I think the funniest sketches when she was a Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, with the curtain rods. I mean, it’s just hilarious. And I mean, I think about it and I laugh.
Interviewer: When she walked out. Yeah.
Florence Henderson I forget what the line was, something about the window. She’s got the that’s another thing about Carol Burnett. She has a memory that is she can tell you when she first met you what you were wearing, what you wait. She has a phenomenal, phenomenal memory. I’ve forgotten everything.
Interviewer: What about the Q&A is like what what what role did that play? Do you think? She started allowing the audience to feel the personally.
Florence Henderson Well, I think when when Carol did the Q and A’s on her show, I think that was groundbreaking. I don’t remember anyone else doing that. And, you know, to have people in the audience to be able to stand up and and ask her questions and have her think on her feet. You know, that’s that’s not as easy as she made it look.
Interviewer: As you say, as a performer yourself, I mean, what does it take to get out there on and, you know, you’re being televised and just open it up like that to.
Florence Henderson Well, I think it takes a lot of courage. I think it really are especially comedy. It takes a tremendous amount of courage. You have to be fearless. You have to not be afraid to fail. And I think when you you step out and you have to be spontaneous and it isn’t written for you. And then to be able to be funny in your responses. That is another unique talent. I didn’t know Joe Hamilton really well, but I certainly knew Joe. He was he was a handsome guy.
Interviewer: And what was there? How did they work well together? They obviously complemented each other very well on that show for that many years.
Florence Henderson Well, I think Joe Hamilton realized early on that this was any. Talent of great enormity and knew how to work with it, knew the right people to hire. And I think even before Joe, there was kind of Misty Welch and who were and are great writers. And I think Joe is brilliant. I mean, there’s no doubt about it. You know, you can’t do a show like that for that many years and not know what you’re doing and not be a great producer.
Interviewer: Did he sort of take care of the things that, you know, protect her from? There were no contract negotiations. Was there a real division? Are the creative side, and I’ll take care.
Florence Henderson I don’t know what their personal business relationship was. I know that over the years. For some reason, Carol became very smart business wise. And I can only think that there were reasons that she had to do that. I don’t know what they were exactly, but I know that she’s on top of things right now.
Interviewer: And can you tell me what can you tell me about just when and why that marriage?
Florence Henderson Who knows why a marriage ends? I mean, no one does, but they the two people that are involved. And one other thing about Carol Burnett. She rarely says anything negative. And, you know, even when we’re gossiping, as we tend to do. I’ve always respected that about Carol. She rarely says anything negative about an ex-husband or someone else in the business that, you know, might not be very good. She’s very kind.
Interviewer: Were people surprised? outsiders. That the marriage did end?
Florence Henderson I think so. I think. People thought of Joe Hamilton and Carol Burnett as a as a team and they certainly were a great working team. But I’m sure, you know, when any kind of a relationship like that dissolves and they’ve had such incredible success together, like Lucy and Desi and all. It’s very hard for the public to understand that they’re just a married couple. And that’s what they do. And they have their problems. And sometimes they can work them out. Sometimes they can’t.
Interviewer: Actually, that’s true because during that time, she was not, I don’t believe, ever a producer on her show. And then later she did begin to produce. Is that right? Is that a shift that she made?
Florence Henderson I think so, because I think she had that ability I mean, to to be so successful for so many years. You just learn, you know, and you see it. And when you’re as smart as she is, you see how things work. But I remember a story she told me about, you know, we all gripe about the network executives and especially today, you know, they’re twelve years old and perhaps they don’t get it as we’d like them to. And comedy is very visual. You know, you have to see comedy. You can’t just sit there and listen to it. And so often when you’re doing a first read or a run through of a comedy series or whatever you’re doing, they sit and they they write notes instead of watching you. And as you said, one day she stopped. The rehearsal and said, I would like all of you to put down your papers and your pens and I’d like you to watch us because we’re doing comedy and we need you to see us. Yes. Bravo. Yeah. But when you care, Burnett, you can do that. You know, I think it was on an anthology series she did after.
Interviewer: She also I don’t know if you were friendly with her during this time, but she did become very involved advocating for the ERA during the 70s. I’m just wondering, did you see her grow in terms of her views on that? Sort of I mean, that was all during the women’s movement was.
Florence Henderson I wasn’t too aware of Carol’s involvement with the EROI at that time because I was working so much as well and I was very involved with it. And, you know, I think people like Carol and me and other women of our generation, our age group, we had to learn to step out and take our place and realize we’re equals. And you know that we are as smart as, sometimes smarter than our male counterparts. And I think that was part of our development. It gave us a lot of strength. And to realize that we had to we had to step up.
Interviewer: Do you think you could see the change in sort of looking back in terms of the things you would do on the air? I mean, was it the sketches were reflected in the beginning. Seems like a lot of the sketches housewives early on that it sort of changed, I think.
Florence Henderson Yeah, I think as we develop, you know, as as life goes on. And I think for Carol, especially because of a lot of things that happened in her personal life, she had to get stronger. And I think she did. I think she stepped up and took the responsibility. You know, she had three children and I was single. And I think she stepped up and and as I say, she’s a she’s an incredibly intelligent person.
Interviewer: How many children did she does have and sort of how she managed to balance the two?
Florence Henderson Well, she had three daughters. You know, Carrie, Aaron and Jody, Aaron is the youngest. And I think to be such a big star as Carol was and is is hard for children. I mean, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. And I just remember seeing her, I think was on The View and Carrie was on with her and Carrie would do wild hair, you know, and streaks and red and blue and wild clothes and this incredible sense of humor and also incredibly intelligent. And I remember her saying something about why my mom doesn’t like my tattoo and and would like me to dress down a little bit. And and Carrie said, where do you think I got it? Watching you and all those insane costumes and getups, which is true. You know, she grew up watching The Carol Burnett Show and nobody more far out.
Interviewer: And then, Carol, in those sketches, they were able to work together on the act together. Is that right? Do you remember some things?
Florence Henderson I do know that Carrie and Carol acted together. You know, it was amazing to me that. The more I was around Carrie. The more she looked like Carol, I mean, she had this incredible big smile that, you know, that quality. She saw everything. And. I think, you know, they would have gone on to do many things together. Many more things.
Interviewer: I wonder if you knew or were aware the National Enquirer was. So what? What happened with that?
Florence Henderson I remember the National Enquirer lawsuit very well because, again, I admired her so much for doing that, for taking that on. She felt she had been libeled. You know, they wrote some horrible thing about her spilling a drink on Henry Kissinger or something like that. And she stood up and I tell you, my admiration, which was high, zoomed even higher. And I think every woman in America and I remember when the verdict came in and, you know, she was ecstatic. And I thought, yes. Good for her. And I think, again, that was groundbreaking to take that chance. And I think she would have fought it if she lost every penny in doing so because it was the right thing to do.
Interviewer: Why do you think it was just the right time or was there something like why do you think that she just said that’s? Because I’m sure she did before.
Florence Henderson And I think because here it was. I think a serious. Slur to say something like that. At that time. And the fact that. That she was deeply offended by it. And that’s her personal character. You know, Carol is in many areas, is absolutely fearless. And I think that’s another thing that people admire about her.
Interviewer: Do you think at all the fact that I mean, I wondered if since they were saying that she had been drinking or something and that the fact that, you know, the background, she came out.
Florence Henderson Yes. What must have been just such a horrific thing to hear about her.
Interviewer: You know what I mean? It must have touched.
Florence Henderson Well, maybe it affected her more because of her her background and her parents. But I think, you know, no one likes to hear a lie about themselves and especially something like that. The fact that she had small children and all. I just think it was a great victory for her and for whatever reason inside. I think she just felt it was a lie and she was going to defend herself. And if more of us could do that and stand up for ourselves, maybe those rag sheets would stop printing so many lies. We wish, but I think because of, Carol, more people feel that they can take those those papers on and make them responsible for what they say.
Interviewer: Yeah, that’s true. You mentioned her being fearless. And I’m just it seems like there is are there I guess, as with all of us, are there sort of two parts of her? Because she does seem so fearless in many ways. And yet she wrote about in her book, you know, that she was, you know, in many ways very insecure growing up as well. And both of those continue to, I think.
Florence Henderson When I say Carol is fearless, I don’t mean that she’s not insecure, I think. I think she has fear. You can’t grow up in that kind of environment and not have fear. But, you know, I think. One of her characteristics is to face fear and go forward and to have the courage to do that. And and I think when you are insecure in many areas to go ahead and charge ahead and do it. But I think that’s another thing that attracts people to Carol. Is she very vulnerable? And then you want to protect her, even though, you know, she’s tough and strong. There’s something very. You just don’t want to ever see her hurt like that, too. Oh, absolutely, audiences see that. You know, audiences have to I think audiences have to like you. You know, they can laugh with you and and cry with you. But you can’t last in television as long as she has and be in people’s homes all the time, unless there’s some quality about you. That is likable. People feel safe with and to care with.
Interviewer: Can you fake that?
Florence Henderson I don’t think you can fake any of that on television if you’re on long enough. I think television exposes who you really are. And I think what television has done for Carol has exposed this brilliant woman who does have some insecurities but is willing to stand up for herself. Go ahead. Keep living life. I mean, she’s married to a man much younger than she is. And he’s wonderful, wonderful to her. And, you know, she inspires me. I’m looking for a young husband now.
Interviewer: Exactly. Do you think she’s surprised that that little girl who grew up on Wilcoxs and Yucca ended up where she is or or not?
Florence Henderson I think. That growing up right near here where we’re filming, I think, because of the movies that Carol saw. I think it gave her such an image of herself being in those movies, being in that life. And, you know, I think that projection, you know, they talk about the secret now and all of that. You know, the law of attraction. But I think in many ways it was you know, it was bound to be with Carol. It was fate. And the fact that she was exposed to all this early on and was able to grasp how it was done. And she was going to do it. And I think that’s again, it’s I think she probably always knew she would do it.
Interviewer: I wonder, do you think those stars on the screen that she saw were kind of, you know, maybe she was she didn’t have the role models of her parents, that she could see yourself doing things because, you know, movies? That’s true.
Florence Henderson Oh, yeah. I think when Carol saw all these characters in the movies and and she didn’t have the greatest role models, that those became her role models. And later, when she was doing her show and she got to work with these people that she had seen in the movies and became friends with them. Yeah, I think she probably pinched herself every now and then and went, wow, it really happened for me. But she doesn’t take anything for granted either.
Interviewer: I wanted to ask you just briefly two more things about her sister. If you could just tell me a little bit about your relationship.
Florence Henderson Well, her sister Chrissy is totally different than than Carol. I know Carol feels very protective of her. And Carol’s very generous to her family. And I I don’t know how close they are now, but I know that that when she was small is very important for Carol to to try and take care of her and mother her.
Interviewer: In fact, Carol brought her to New York.
Florence Henderson You know. That’s like a classic Hollywood story right there. You know, she made it. So she goes back. For the younger sister and wants to give her a better life and brings her that’s right out of a Hollywood movie.
Interviewer: And then she put it on the TV show.
Florence Henderson Yes, yes, yeah.
Interviewer: Yes, she did. She created that.
Florence Henderson We were talking about, you know, did Carol draw from her own life for some of the characters on her TV show? And I think when she had her her younger sister and Vicki Lawrence played her younger sister. Oh, yeah. It’s it’s all. It’s all there are a lot of Carol’s life, is there, on on the tube, so to speak. And don’t forget the great movie she’s done, too.
Interviewer: I was just going to talk about her dramatic roles. And I’ve seen any inklings that, you know, in her comedic work. Yes. That she would that she could be such a great.
Florence Henderson Yes. I think that if you look at a lot of great comedians and look at their work, a lot of them are tremendous actors. And I think no one understands tragedy better than most comics. You talk to most funny people and they’ve had hard times, hard knocks and. And they choose to laugh at it. But but when they can have a crack at a serious role, they rise to the occasion. And Carol also has great technique, and she certainly learned that over the years. And when you have that technique along with talent, you can do anything really. And she has.
Interviewer: Can you just talk about a couple of your favorites in terms of. All right. The life of the party, the beaches.
Florence Henderson You know, I really don’t remember them well enough to I would rather not comment. Fired. I remember that one with the son that was killed. And. You know, nothing. Nothing that Carol does would surprise me. I think I think she’d be a great director. I think that should be her next her next venue, so to speak.
Interviewer: Any of her other movie roles that come to mind that you.
Florence Henderson Well, it’s a.. You know, Mrs. Hanigan, those kind of roles which are right up her alley. But I love everything she does. I did I did see a couple of her mad about you episodes and again, she delivers. I saw and Desperate Housewives. You know, she’s always there. I mean, Carol’s always there and she’s always working on another project.
Interviewer: And just lastly, what what do you see as her kind of legacy, I mean, what was she most be remembered for and what is the most. You need to think about her take away.
Florence Henderson I think Carol’s legacy will be enormous. That she was one of our great, great stars. And she is a star. And there are too many of those really genuine stars. And I think she will always be remembered. I just think it’s a great legacy. And the fact that that you’ll be able to see her on you know, you can buy the videos, you can buy the movies. I think Carol Burnett will always be remembered.
Interviewer: Can you see her influence?
Florence Henderson Well, I think you see Carol’s influence on a lot of young. Young comedians, you know, who who strive to be funny and who strive to be able to act. But I think and Carol would say this, too. How are they going to learn that they don’t have a Carol Burnett show or a Garry Moore Show or all of those wonderful schools, if you will? Carol had. But if they watch her, they’ll learn. That an airplane or a truck. What to do in flying over here? Yeah. Come on.
Interviewer: Just about the variety show being kind of a school of comedy.
Florence Henderson Well, I think so. You know, on. Even all of us, you know, that have the opportunity to work on variety shows and work with different directors and and writers and musicians all the time. You were always in. And if you had any instincts at all, they were learning all the time just just grabbing information and honing your skills. And and Carol was expert at that. I’ve learned a lot from Carol Burnett. Not only as a performer, but as a human being. I think her consistency, the fact that she always delivers her versatility and her ability to pick and choose. She’s she’s not desperate. You know, it sort of comes to her. And. I think that’s that’s been a great lesson for me. And then just to to observe her as of as a fellow human being who suffered some tragedies and how she’s dealt with that and been able to go on. And she’s still working on a wonderful thing for Carrie at the Pasadena Playhouse. And, you know, she stays positive when I know sometimes she doesn’t feel that way.
