Conversations with Carol
DENNIS MILLER chats Broadway, Bradley Cooper, and what’s next for this iconic comedian at Lucky’s, their Montecito hang
Photographs by Rainer Hosch
Routinely, a quiet, dimly lit table near the back window at Lucky’s old-school chophouse is reserved for a petite, smartly dressed woman with a well-coiffed strawberry blonde bob. The hour is early when her companion, a kind-looking man with a mischievous smile, joins her for dinner. The pair greet as longtime pals and talk animatedly throughout their sometimes-weekly rendezvous, clearly delighting in each other’s company.
She could be any sophisticated woman, in any picturesque Southern California suburb, but this is Montecito, and Lucky’s patron of honor is none other than Carol Burnett, one of the greatest comedic figures of the 20th century—and the present day. Her dinner date? Another local, Dennis Miller, who is a force of nature in his own right in the comedy and commentary scene—and, more recently, Burnett’s neighbor.
When these two dine (most often with their spouses, Carolyn Espley-Miller and Brian Miller—no relation), it usually begins with a cocktail. The devoted Lucky’s staff knows the order well, with no hesitation. Burnett is served a chilled cosmopolitan, the classic pink drink that has been her signature for decades. Miller orders his usual martini, and the conversation continues.
“There are things happening for me that I never dreamed would happen at my age.”
Their standing dinner reservation recently came to light as one of the more fascinating odd-couple date nights in the neighborhood, and eavesdropping on their conversation for just a few minutes was irresistible.
As this issue goes to print, Burnett is 91 and has just become the oldest woman ever nominated for an Emmy, her 26th, for her portrayal of Norma Dellacorte in the Apple TV comedy-drama Palm Royale. Her career has spanned nearly seven decades. One of her acolytes, Miller, wonders what could be left for Burnett. Turns out, she thought he’d never ask.
Dennis Miller: I’m talking to somebody who has done it all. What do you still want to do? What do you see coming down the road?
“Burnett is 91 and has just become the oldest woman ever nominated for an Emmy, her 26th.”
Carol Burnett: Bradley Cooper. [Laughs] Before him I would say George Clooney. That kind of answer always gets a good response.
DM: Seriously, though, is there anything that’s still an unchecked box?
CB: There really isn’t, Dennis. There are things happening for me that I never dreamed would happen at my age. It started when I did a guest spot on Better Call Saul. After that aired, my husband and I would go out to dinner and people who didn’t know me from my variety show would recognize me from Saul. It just took off! I thought, Well, that’s really kind of wonderful. Next thing I know, I get a call from Abe Sylvia, who is a producer and writer of a series called Palm Royale. He said, ‘We’d love you to be on it. And it stars Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin, Leslie Bibb, Julia Duffy,’ and on and on. I said, ‘I’m in. I don’t care what you want me to do.’ Then I found out I’d play this matriarch of high society in Palm Beach in the ’70s, but I’d be in a coma for a few episodes.
“The standing dinner reservation recently came to light as one of the more fascinating odd-couple dates in the neighborhood, and eavesdropping was irresistible.”
DM: It’s a funny idea.
DM: I was hoping that when they first showed you supine in the bed and completely out of it, you would pull on your ear.
CB: I should have done that!
DM: I always think of you as such a feminine figure. You’re so proper and you have such great manners. But inside, you’re a stone killer when it comes time to get to business. And when I think back on your heyday at The Carol Burnett Show, at that time you were known in New York and the theater scene, but you exploded on that show.
CB: And I taught myself how to fall! I tumbled out of windows and was surprised to find there was a mattress there to catch me. I learned how to walk into walls and get pies in the face. The secret was to go slow and not stiffen up, and just go with it.
DM: Some of the old pros from the variety show—I have so many memories. Tell me about Mickey Rooney coming on your show.
CB: I grew up loving Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies. When he was a guest, it was a ‘Wow!’ moment. Mickey was fabulous. He was on, he was funny, he was adorable—just sensational.
DM: We’re having dinner here at Lucky’s, which is one of our favorite places, and one of the themes here is they always curate beautiful pictures of great stars. I love the one right over your shoulder, Carol, because you’re with Ed Sullivan.
CB: I remember the first time I got on his show. Relatedly, when I first got to New York, I thought, Should I change my name? Because there was another actress named Carol Bennett. I thought maybe they were going to get us mixed up. My middle name is Creighton, which was my mother’s maiden name, so I could’ve been Carol Creighton. But then I thought, No, if I ever make it I want to be Carol Burnett, because I want my crush from junior high school, Tommy Tracy, to know. I want him to know it was me. [Laughs]
DM: When I think back on your show, you were the hostess with the mostess. But I also love the fact that for all the young comedians and comedic actors, you’re a lodestone for them. Tell me about all the Palm Royale girls who are coming up.
CB: They’re all so great. Most of my scenes were with Kristen Wiig and Ricky Martin. But then you look at Allison Janney and, I mean, Laura Dern! They couldn’t be sweeter. It was a gang. It was a party. I was really lucky both with Saul and with this one, Palm Royale—there was no temperament, there were no divas.
DM: There was a beautiful esprit de corps on those shows.
CB: Everybody was on time. We knew our lines. We laughed in between scenes. I really feel blessed. And for a second season!
Check out Season Two of Palm Royale on Apple TV, coming soon. In the meantime, watch the full conversation between Dennis Miller and Carol Burnett at sbmag.com. •
Hair by Sachi Worrall; Makeup by Marja Webster
