Cinderella has been adapted countless times.
But very few versions could possibly prepare audiences for The Carol Burnett Show’s interpretation.
“Cinderella Gets It On!” took one of the world’s most familiar fairy tales and threw it directly into the outrageous fashion, music and pop culture of the 1970s.
The result was exactly the kind of ambitious parody that made The Carol Burnett Show special.
Carol Burnett became Cinderella.
Vicki Lawrence portrayed her stepmother.
Tim Conway appeared as the wonderfully named “Elfin John,” an unmistakable play on the rock-star culture of the era.
And then there was Harvey Korman.
Korman’s Fairy Godmother Marcus is difficult to forget.
The extravagant costume alone is enough to generate laughter.
Wings.
Jewelry.
A dramatic blue outfit.
An enormous amount of attitude.
The character looks as though a traditional fairy godmother collided with a Las Vegas performer.
But that’s precisely the point.
The Carol Burnett ensemble understood parody.
They didn’t simply reproduce something familiar and add jokes.
They transformed it.
Everything became bigger.
The costumes became bigger.
The personalities became bigger.
The musical numbers became bigger.
And because audiences already understood the Cinderella story, the writers were free to destroy expectations.
We know Cinderella needs a magical transformation.
We expect a fairy godmother.
Then Harvey Korman arrives.
Immediately, the familiar story becomes something completely different.
Korman was uniquely suited to performances like this.
He was an excellent straight man, particularly opposite Tim Conway, but his range was much broader.
He could become pompous, sophisticated, furious, ridiculous or completely theatrical.
He committed to absurd characters with the seriousness of a dramatic actor.
That commitment made them funnier.
A performer who appears embarrassed by an outrageous costume can weaken the joke.
Korman embraced it.
The costume became the character.
That’s also where the work of legendary costume designer Bob Mackie became essential.
The Carol Burnett Show was visually extravagant.
Costumes didn’t merely decorate the performers.
They frequently created comedy.
Burnett herself has often discussed how Mackie’s designs helped her discover characters.
“Cinderella Gets It On!” is a wonderful example of that philosophy.
Before anyone says anything, the audience can already see the joke.
Then the performers build upon it.
The sketch also demonstrates something that has largely disappeared from modern American television: the enormous weekly comedy-variety production.
The Carol Burnett Show could move from a relatively simple conversational sketch to an elaborate musical parody filled with costumes, choreography and enormous sets.
That flexibility made every episode unpredictable.
Audiences didn’t know whether the next segment would resemble a sitcom, a Broadway musical, an old Hollywood movie or complete nonsense.
Sometimes it was all four.
“Cinderella Gets It On!” embraces that freedom.
The traditional fairy tale becomes a 1970s spectacle.
Pop culture becomes part of the story.
Music becomes comedy.
Costumes become punchlines.
And the performers seem completely comfortable inside the madness.
That’s one reason the sketch remains visually appealing in short clips today.
You can stop on almost any frame and immediately see something unusual.
A strange costume.
A dramatic reaction.
An enormous wig.
A familiar performer transformed beyond recognition.
That visual quality is extremely valuable for modern short-form content.
A viewer scrolling through Facebook doesn’t necessarily know what “Cinderella Gets It On!” is.
But they see Harvey Korman dressed as an extravagant fairy godmother.
That’s enough.
Curiosity takes over.
What is happening?
Why is he dressed like that?
What happens next?
The clip earns attention before the viewer understands the story.
Then the comedy keeps them watching.
The sketch also reminds us that classic television didn’t always look restrained.
The 1970s could be colorful, strange and wonderfully excessive.
The Burnett team took advantage of that.
They weren’t trying to make Cinderella realistic.
They were trying to make it unforgettable.
They succeeded.
Decades later, the official Carol Burnett channel continues introducing the material to new viewers online.
That longevity says something about the show’s creative philosophy.
The writers and performers weren’t afraid to be silly.
More importantly, they weren’t afraid to put enormous effort into silliness.
Great costumes.
Great performers.
Great music.
Great production.
All in service of laughter.
That combination is rare.
And when Harvey Korman appears wearing wings, a crown, jewelry and a blue fairy-godmother costume, you understand exactly what kind of show you’re watching.
Anything can happen.
That’s the magic of The Carol Burnett Show: even Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother could become one of the funniest people on television.
