Beloved American comedian Carol Burnett was presented on Sunday with the first-ever Golden Globe recognizing a lifetime career in television, an award that was named after her.
The Carol Burnett award, to be presented every year, was established this year to celebrate the new golden age of television marked by high profile shows attracting Oscar-winning actors and directors.
Burnett, 85, the Emmy-winning star of the 1960s and 1970s TV sketch series “The Carol Burnett Show,” is regarded as a pioneer for women in comedy and one of the most decorated women in television.
Her parody of Scarlett O’Hara, wearing the “curtain-rod” dress, is widely considered one of the most memorable moments in U.S. comic television history.
Carol Burnett gets inaugural Globes prize for TV achievement
“Sometimes I catch myself daydreaming about being young again and doing it all over,” Burnett said while accepting her award. “And then I bring myself up short when I realize how incredibly fortunate I was to be there at the right time.”
Burnett dedicated her award “to all those who made my dreams come true and to all those out there who share the love I have for television.”
Famous for tugging her ear at the end of her performances, she is also known for her signature song, “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together.”
“The Carol Burnett Show” won 23 Emmy Awards and Burnett went on to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and become a Kennedy Center honoree.
Burnett made her Broadway debut in “Once Upon a Mattress” in 1959 and has numerous film credits to her name, including the role of Miss Hannigan in the 1982 TV adaptation of musical “Annie.”
In recent years, she has made appearances on TV programs such as “Glee” and “Hot in Cleveland.”
Television has boomed in recent years, in part due to the arrival of experimental original content on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. According to a December study by the FX network, there were some 495 scripted shows on U.S. television in 2018 across cable, streaming and broadcast platforms.
Yet Burnett noted that a variety show like hers would never be produced today due to the high cost of a full orchestra, dozens of costume changes and weekly guest stars.
“Today’s audiences might never know what they are missing,” she said. “So here’s to reruns and YouTube.”
