Bob Mackie designed 17,000 costumes for ‘The Carol Burnett Show’.
The 90-year-old screen legend praised the designer for his hard work on her groundbreaking CBS sketch show as she discussed the team she had working on her iconic comedy series.
Speaking to Meg Ryan for Interview magazine in a conversation recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Carol revealed: “We had about nine writers, three women. And then we had special material writers who would do the music. And then we had a choreographer, 12 dancers, and two guest stars a week. And Bob Mackie designed 65 to 70 costumes a week.”
Meg replied: “I can’t even comprehend that."
Carol responded: “In 11 years, that comes to about 17,000 costumes. He’s amazing.”
The ‘Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Love and Laughter’ also revealed the advice the stylist - who has dressed many of Hollywood’s most legendary stars like Cher, 77, the late Marilyn Monroe and Mitzi Haynor - gave her casting advice when putting together looks for her character Eunice, telling her to get Vicki Lawrence, 74, to do the honour.
Carol told Meg: “A lot of Eunice [Higgins, the daughter of Mama], came from my mother because she had all these dreams, but they never came true, so she was always very frustrated. We were going to get an older actress to play Mama, but we didn’t know we were going to do it more than once, so Bob Mackie said, “Oh, let’s just put a wig on Vicki and put her in a fat suit and stick glasses on her and let Vicki be Mama.” And that’s how that happened.”
