Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes) - Carol Burnett

Episode Date: November 26, 2025

This week we’re visited by one of Ted Danson’s personal heroes, the great Carol Burnett! Carol talks with Ted about her break into show business, her return on season 2 of Palm Royale, spiritual experiences, her love of word games, navigating fame at this stage of her career, and more.  Like watching your podcasts?  Visit http://youtube.com/teamcoco to see full episodes.  Carol’s favorite Cosmo2oz of Ketel One1oz of fresh squeezed lime juice1/2oz of Cointreau1/2oz of simple syrup1/4-1/2oz of cranberry juice cocktail Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until chilled, strain into a glass, and serve with an orange twist.  Special thanks to The Grill on the Alley for the recipe and to bar director Kenzo Han of Firstborn.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Just lie there for all day. It was, as I said, it was a good gig. Welcome back to where everybody knows your name. Carol Burnett, what do you say about someone who has given us so much? I have been blessed to be able to spend time with her, and it just makes me smile and laugh. every time I think about every minute I've spent with her. From Annie to the Carol Burnett Show to Mama's family,

she's won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Mark Twain Prize, multiple Emmys, Golden Globes, Tony's. She's also a best-selling author, and I want to talk to her about a book, she wrote, about her late daughter called Carrie and Me. She's currently in Palm Royale. The second season is streaming on Apple TV.

She's magnificent in it. She was nominated for the first season. Here is one of my heroes, Carol Burnett. I get a lot of male and sometimes from even teenagers because they see our show in reruns and so forth. But the things that make me the happiest is when somebody would say, you know, we weren't feeling well. And we saw Tim Conway and Harvey break up. and do this and watch a show. And like that's one of the few times I saw my mother laugh

or my grandmother or whatever. And that's, that just, you never know. You don't, ripples. Absolutely. Yeah. And I think I also told you this once, that I grew up without a TV. I didn't have a television. My family didn't have a TV until Chairs came on.

And then they decided, well, we'll get a TV. But they put, they put this religious tapestry over it when they weren't watching Cheers. Oh, my goodness. I don't know. So I missed growing up with you, but I obviously caught up over the years. And I've just spent the last 48 hours because Mary's not in town. First off, I didn't see Palm Royale until 48 hours ago, and I binged it.

Oh, the first season? Yes, it is amazing. Wait till you see the second. I can't wait. Yeah, it's premiering this month on the 50th. It's wild. It's absolutely off the wall. There's a lot of music and production numbers and surprises, lots of secrets, and finally I get to talk.

Well, you came out a little bit in the last couple of three episodes. And because I was talking to you, I went back and spent a day watching Carol Burnett show from like your first episode. Which was such a hoot, because there you were a little girl. You were a little girl. How old were you? 34. No, you weren't. I was 34 when we started.

Yeah. Wow. You looked. 1967. That's amazing. Yeah. That's amazing. So I binged like hours of it.

So did you see the full hours with the music and everything? Not all of them, but yes, I did. I did. Oh, yeah. No, the guests you had, Jim Neighbors for your first. one. Jim always was the first one from all 11 seasons. And we

would have, I mean, I grew up with my grandmother. We didn't have a television. Of course, I wasn't television when I was a kid. But we would go to the movies in the 40s. And so my favorites were Betty Grable and Mickey Rooney and

Judy Garland and all of the and later on then to have my own show, Betty Grable was one of my first guests. I read that. Betty Grable and being Crosby and people that my grandmother and I used to see in the movies. It's like dreams come true. I never knew I was ever going to be a performer.

Had no idea. I wanted to be a journalist. No, I didn't read that. I didn't catch that. Yeah, I was editor of my junior high school paper in Hollywood High. And I went to UCLA because I wanted to major in journalism. And so I got there, and there was no major in journalism at UCLA. So I could take a course in journalism and join the school paper, which I did.

So I looked through the catalog, and there was a major called Theater Arts English. And then there was Theater Arts Film, Theater Arts, Theater, Arts, Theater, arts theater, theater arts design. So I saw theater arts English, well, I could take the playwriting courses because I wanted to write. Right. Well, I didn't know that as a freshman,

whether you wanted to write or you wanted to be a director or you wanted to design costume, you had to take an acting course. I was terrified. And I came in late, So other people had paired off, and I was the odd one. And I had to, the teacher gave me two monologues. She said, okay, pick one.

One was from the country girl, the play. And another from a play called The Mad Woman of Shio. And so I picked the Mad Woman one because it was shorter. So I remember we got up and we had to do our scenes, and I was the last one. And the other kids were great. I mean, they were crying and they could do all this. I'm like, wow, you know, I got up and I went, this is a monologue from the mad woman of Chalot.

I had no idea. It didn't even occur to me to read it to know what I was doing. She gave me a D minus. She said, the only reason you're not getting an F is because you memorized it. So then, the next, okay, we had to do some more scenes. And I teamed up with this boy, this guy named Dick Deneut, was his name. And we did a scene from Noel Coward's Red Peppers, which, and then we sang, has anybody seen our ship, the HMS peculiar? It was seeing all those Betty Grable movies.

Yes. I thought, well, okay, I'll be Betty Grable. with a Cockney accent. And I did it, and I got an A. And then I had another scene that I did later, where I played a hillbilly woman. And I just had a couple of lines, but one I entered, and I remember I said,

I'm back, and everybody laughed. And I thought, I think I like this. And it was all an accident, had there been a school of major in journalism, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you like this now. Yeah. You know, it was just like, and all of a sudden I thought,

I want to do this. And then later, a guy came up to me on campus from the music department and said, can you sing? And my grandmother, mother and I used to sit in the kitchen and play the ukulele and harmonized, but I never really... So he put me in a chorus of South Pacific. Having seen your acting scene or no?

Yeah. He said, but can you carry it too? Can we interrupt us one second? I didn't know whether you'd be, you know, need a little refreshment or not, but... This is Kenzo Han. Oh, no! This is your own cousin strike.

Where did you get that from? He went to the grill. Oh, no. And found a... out everything about them. And he's a professional and one of the best. That's hysterical. Thank you. Thank you so much. Really appreciate that. That is funny. Now, you don't have to if you don't want to, but it is there as a symbol of love and appreciation. Well, I have to do this. Oh, okay. Me too. Cheers. Cheers. Oh, God, that really is good, y'all. That really is good. We'll get back to that in a minute.

Let me just do my one little teeny story that's very similar, which was hearing a laugh is what I wanted to be a basketball player. I went to Stanford. There was no way I was going to be a basketball player. I was not good enough, but it was my dream. Very sad. Ask the girl out, would you come have coffee with me? She finally said yes. Halfway through the first cup, she said, I have to go to an audition.

I thought she was making it up. But anyway, I went with her, and to stay in the room, I had to do. make something up because it was a Bertolt Brecht play. And I just made something up and I heard someone laugh. And it was just like, oh, hello. It's not basketball, but oh, this is wonderful. Right. Wait, so back to you. Somebody comes and says, can you sing? Yeah, and I said I could carry it too. And they were doing, it was a musical comedy department at UCLA. And so they were doing a scene from South Pacific, and this wonderful girl was playing Nellie Forbush, and I was one of the nurses, and she was singing, I'm going to wash that man.

Well, I got so brave, I started to belt, sing loud, and I had never sung loud in my life. And he said, wait a minute, wait a minute. He said, I'm taking you out. You're too loud. I'm sorry. He said, but I want you to do a scene where you play Adelaide in Guys and Doll. where she sings Adelaide's Lament, where she has a cold. A person can develop a cold.

Oh, yes, yes. And I said, well, if she has a cold, and if I hit a clam and it's not good, I can blame it on the fact that she's got a cold. So I sang that, and it went great. And I was hooked from then on. And was it at that period where somebody's, saw you a couple and said, in essence, we want to back you? Well, the musical comedy department, there were nine of us in it.

And our professor, Dr. Popper, and his wife were going to San Diego for a party, Black Tie Affair. And he said, you know what, instead of you're just doing the scenes at UCLA, Why don't your kids come down and be the entertainment for the party, and I'll grade you? Well, okay, so I went down, and I'm living with my grandmother, and our rent was $30 a month, a dollar a day, and we could barely afford that. We were four. Anyway, so we all get down to the party, and we did about six scenes. I did a scene from Annie Get Your Gun.

And then afterwards, I went to the hors d'oeuvre table and I have a purse and I'm stealing hors d'oeuvres wrapping up to take home to my grandmother. And there's a pat on, I'm busted. And it was this gentleman and his wife. And he said, like, what do you want to do with your life? And I said, well, someday I want to go to New York and be in musical comedy on Broadway. aren't you there now? I'd like to, but I'm trying to save enough money.

And he said, I'll lend you the money. And I thought it was the champagne talking. And his wife said, no, he means it. He gives me his card. And he said, be in my office Monday morning. So we got down there 9 o'clock. He had a big office in La Jolla. And went in and he said,

I'm going to lend you $1,000 now. I rent, $30 a thousand. $1,000 would be like a million dollars today. I couldn't believe it. And there's stipulations. You must use this money to go to New York. You must, if you're successful, pay me back five years in five years no interest you must never reveal my name oh wow and if you are

successful you must promise to help others out what an interesting man yep and i he i came home i and i showed my grandmother all this money i thought she was going to have a heart attack and she said you can't go to New York. We can use that money. I said, Nanny, that was one of the stipulations. I have to go to New York. And so I did.

I was really stupid, Ted. I mean, I was so nice. I was 20, 21. I get on the plane. I have no idea where I'm going to stay when I get to New York. It was like Mickey and Judy, okay. My father has a bar. And all of a sudden, I'll land and I'll get a part in a Broadway show.

So on the plane, I was reading The New Yorker, and there was an ad for the Algonquin Hotel. Oh, wow. You know, and I thought, oh, wow, well, maybe I had a little money left over for having to buy the tickets, having to buy a suitcase and stuff. So I had about maybe $400 left out of the thousand. and I checked into the Algonquin. And the guy said that'll be $9. And I said, for the week, he said, no, for the night.

Again, $9 when our rent was $1 a day. I thought, oh, my God, that's okay. Anyway, so I had a room. And it's the first time I had ever slept in a bed. I always slept on the couch with my grandkids. grandmother, we had one room, there was a bed and a closet. I used to hang my clothes on the bathroom shower rack. I'd always go to school a little damned.

So anyway, so I thought, oh, wow. And then I called home, and my grandmother started crying, come home, come home, I just got here, you know, all right, you're going to be dead in a week, your blood's too thin. And it's, hello. Anyway, so I hung up and I turned the radio. I started rain. And I always loved rain, not torrential, but rain. Turn on the radio, started rain.

I swear to God, you said, Hurricane Carol is hitting New York. That's great. August, 1954, look it up. That's amazing. Well, there's some kind of a sign, and I had one phone number in my wallet. And it was of the girl who was the lead in the South Pacific scene. She'd come to New York. She was ahead of me a year early and said, if you're ever in New York, here's my phone number.

And was she making it? No, I called her. She said, where are you? I said, the next morning, I called, oh, my God, get out of there. What do you go? Come up here. Where's here? She said, come up. I live at the rehearsal club on 54th Street. And it was a club for young women interested, want to be in the theater, very much on the up and up. It had a house mother and rules and all of that. Kind of Catherine Hepburn, the movie.

That's what it was about. Oh, what? The rehearsal club. Then they called it, uh, spotlight at the theater, I think. But the movie was based on the rehearsal club, which had been there forever. There were about 25 women, young women. And Ms. Carlton said, well, you're lucky. You're in luck. We have one cot available. And there was a big room, and it was called the transit room, and there were four cots, five cots. Each had a dresser and one closet, one bathroom, five women

and so that was my and $18 a week room and board pretty good well some very rich ladies in New York sponsored it which is why the rent was so low

and that saved my life 54th you said between fifth and sixth oh so really it's safe for you all oh yeah and the rules were no men allowed above the parlor

and you can't stay out all night, you have to follow the and you have to be actively pursuing what you want. You can have a part-time job to help pay the rent, but you have to prove you're making the rounds, trying to get auditions, da-da-da-da-da.

It was many years, not many, but years later, but it sounds so familiar. How did you wake up the next morning and look for a job, not a job, but a part? Well, there was a newspaper called Show Business, and it would say when there would be a cattle call or something. You know, because you can't get into anything unless you have an agent, and you can't get an agent unless you're in something.

It's a catch-22. But so with one of the girls, who was one of my roommates, we took a part-time job checking hats at a lady's tea room, Susan Palmer's tea room, and she would work three days a week, I would work three, and we shared our tips. So we each averaged about $30 a week. So it's part-time, so then I could look for it. Right. So finally, I got in to see an agent, and I showed him my,

scrapbook of UCLA Raver. It was like he's going to care. And he said, oh, let me know you when you're in something. How do I get into it? And he said, go put on your own show. He did. Why? Went back to the club. I called a meeting of all the girls. It's my Mickey, Rooney, and Judy Garland. I said, girls, we're going to put on a show. And we're going to call it the rehearsal club review. And everybody's going to do their things. And we're going to invite every agent, producer, director in town. We wrote it. We presented the first act to the rich ladies who sponsored the club.

And they gave us $200 to rent the Carl Fisher Concert Hall. Too nice. We sent out penny postcards to every agent. Saying, you're always saying, let us know when you're in something. Well, we're in something. And this penny postcard is your ticket? come and see us. We did it, put on a show, and three of us got agents.

That's fantastic. But it's the movies that, you know, when I was growing up, they were never cynical. Yeah. It was always, the good guys made it, you want to put on a show, you'll wind up on Broadway. It was like, nothing was impossible. I remember having an acting teacher saying this is really hard, my first acting teachers at Stanford and before I transferred to Carnegie Mellon

and he was an upset actor who became a teacher because it didn't quite work out. And so he had this negative thing and I remember out of nowhere was no licensed to be saying anything. He said, oh, you shouldn't say that. There's some people

here who really want to become actors. You shouldn't be negative. Right. You know. You do. You do. you do make your way. That's right. Yeah.

I remember falling in love with you. Now we're going to get down to it, by the way. In body heat. Yeah. I have to say you were my favorite person in it. Everybody was great. But you, when you were dancing. The dancing got you.

And I waited to see who is, and it said dancing. And I thought, that's perfect. But I just, you fractured me in that movie. I know, it was, that was a long time ago. We have to just stop for a minute. Because part of me right now is pretending to be a podcaster. But I'm just going, I can't believe that I'm sitting here talking to you, Carol. Come on.

No, for real. And that night, for those of you don't follow the awards, I was given the Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes. I was sick as a dog. I don't think. I think you did know that. You wouldn't let me hug you. Yeah. But I was on steroids, which I highly recommend for a good time.

I was just on top of it. But I remember saying something in my kind of prepared remarks about you. and you shouted from the table, I love you! And it's like something that was a moment that, you know, you can't. Well, I meant it and I mean it still. I know.

I mean, I know, because I do believe you and you've made it, you were very sweet and very clear every time I see you. But I love you so much, Carol Bernard. Let me ewn off for a second while we're into the compliment phase. your performance, Norma, is amazing. Well, thank you.

And you do get big, well, I'm assuming you got huge laughs. I was laughing out loud, and I was just studying it and looking. And you would do one little thing because you were in a coma. Yeah. But you would get laughs from me in the middle of your coma. And then it just kept building. One of my favorites was fun. with the K sound slightly delayed.

But you're really wonderful actor. Thank you. Really, really good. Because I had also binged Carol Burnett show, which is, you know, nothing's sacred. You can be as big as you want. It's very funny. It can be broad. It can be funny.

It can be moving and all of that. And then watched you on this. And it was like, wow, I'm glad you were nominated. I'm sorry you didn't win, but that must be a hoot. Yeah, it was a good gig. Yeah, it still is. Oh, yeah. But I had to laugh when they called me to do it.

You know, I said, well, you're going to do this series. This was two years ago. And I said, who's in it? I said, Kristen Whig, Allison Cheney, Laura Dern, Ricky Marr. I said, stop, I'm in. I don't care what you want me to do. Yeah. I'm in.

lock eyeballs with those people and get in the sandbox and play. And they said, well, in the first four or five episodes, you're in a coma. So, okay. So I'd get up, go to the motorhome, get in the car, and go right back to bed. Yeah.

Just lie there for all day. As I said, it was a good gig. It's really a wonderful performance. Clearly, you get your, you know, you... Thank you. You make progress through your coma. Well, I probably shouldn't do. Some people haven't seen it, so I won't do a spoil alert, but you get to take on a lot of wonderful things as your coma.

And be with some wonderful people. You know what I love to was watching Laura Dern and Bruce Dern, her father. And their scenes, that's sweet. So sweet. He's a lovely eye. Yeah. And, you know, unfortunately, her mother. died yesterday

Diane yeah and Laura was with her I didn't know that yeah we had dinner with them a couple of months so with Laura and Diane

such fun and Laura is one of the sweetest human beings on the face of this earth yeah she is she is just wise, a dynamo, soulful. Soful, and she gives, in the middle of everything that's going on into her life,

she let us honor her in New York for the Oceana event. Oh, that's wonderful. And when you get honored, it usually means people are making use of your fame to help raise money. So it's lovely, but it's also work, and she was so generous and sweet. Yeah, yeah. Just a moment about Diane. Wonderful actor. I think two or three times she was nominated.

Yes. What a character, too. Yeah, and funny. Yep. Yeah. Intentional and unintentional. Yeah. You know, she was, well, I'm so sorry.

I feel like we should be celebrating her, but there'll be time for that. That's very sad. Here's to Diane. Yeah, to Diane. Yeah. Well, much love. Yeah.

Thank you for telling me that. Anyway. I'm sorry, I threw you with that. No, no, I'm glad you told me. And I think it's very sweet to be saying how wonderful, partially I'm going to imagine that Laura's is such a good actress. She had two wonderful actors, Bruce and Diane Lab, you know. It's in her DNA. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And she was, I loved doing scenes with her. And there's a major spoiler. coming up in the second season yeah how fantastic yeah that's really a great show and i can't wait to see the next one with the costumes vicky's in it yeah i think that was in the press so that's okay i can't say who she's playing but yeah i can because they don't want me to do spoilers yeah but yeah it was so great because last year when we knew we were going to have a second season i planned

on calling Abe Sylvia, who's a creator and the director of Paul Morale, to ask him if you think there might be

something for Vicky in the second season. And before I could make that call, he called me and said, you know, I'm thinking of hiring

Vicky, would you like? Are you kidding? I can't believe it. I was going to suggest it. So we were on the same page.

Yeah. And it was such fun to see her and be with her again. There was a couple of other people that were mentioned in the new cast, which lends to the singing and dancing thing. Oh, Betty the phone?

Yeah. Yeah. And John Stamos is in it, and he's got a very funny scene. He is very funny. Yeah. He's a lovely actor, too. Yeah, it's a great cast. Yeah, that's great.

Ricky Martin could be sweeter. Sorry, I didn't realize Ricky was such a good actor. He's very good. He's fantastic. And he's very kind and sweet and unassuming. In life? Because he was that way in his performance. In life.

Well, that's pretty good that he can take who he is and make it stay there when he's acting. His character is probably the sweetest one in the whole group. Yes. Everybody else has got problems. Yeah, there are a lot of secrets. Yeah. A lot of stuff going on. Then it, I mean, it's very gossipy and not means, it's funny.

So the mean spiritedness is funny because they're over the top mean, you know, and silly. But then it also moves into this very moving, touching area, too. For all of these people you had chalked off as just mean, you go, oh, wait a minute. Well, that's the fun of the second season. You start to find out why people are behaving the way they are and in a way forgiving them. Yeah. You know, it's really good writing. I love the whale stuff.

What was just? I don't know. I fell in love with a whale. But you buy it. I know. Yeah. Yeah. Allison Janie is wonderful.

Allison and I, we're very close. We wordle. Oh, well, you're talking my language. Mary and I wordle every morning. Do you use spelling bee? We do wordle. We do connections and soul. Spelling Bee. That's Brian and me. That's what we do. Your marriage will last.

We, we start, we start with connections, and then we go to Wordle, and then we go to Spelling Bee. Which truthfully, after having gone through the other two, is my favorite. Spelling Bee, I do love. I do, too. I love spelling. Now, here's what you probably don't do. Mary and I do it together. So to Brian. Oh, good. See? We tag team. Yes. It's much more fun. Oh, yeah.

Absolutely. I think maybe I'm not sure, but we may have the record of getting it in one try. Oh. That had, wordle, that only happened to us once when it was our word that we always, do you use the same word? Oh, I like a lot of me. Every time, Brian comes up with a different word every day. Okay, we'll try it. And it's an accident, you know that.

It's an accident. We've got audio, bacon, clown. Oh, wait, these were all first tries? Audio, bacon, clown, crown, stash, towel, and talon. I don't want to be divisive in your marriage, but should you check to see whether Brian has a connection with the New York Times back in New York? There is no way you can cheat with that. It's a total, total luck and accident, because that doesn't take brains, it's just luck. Yeah, yeah. What takes brains is once you get a word and then you get it in two.

That's good. You know, two or three. Mary does, I can logic my way through it sometimes. Mary has one of these leap that's intuitive. It's not always there. She doesn't claim it all the time, but it'll be in the second try, and it'll be so far from what the letters look like it should be. And she'll go, oh, I think it's not enough. Yeah.

She does that a lot. Yeah. Do people have any idea what we're talking about? I'm good. Yeah. Well, then Brian goes on to do the crossword puzzles. I didn't need to malign him. I believe.

I'd believe it. No. The reason we got stash, for instance, is my mother had a parakeet. And my kid's sister, no, my kid's sister had the parakeet and wanted to name it Tweety. And my mother. Oh, for goodness sakes, every parakeet in the world, it's named Tweedy. Let's call him stash. So I was telling that to Brian that morning.

I said, he said, okay, let's put in stash. Oh, my God. That's great. So it's like, woo-woo. Yeah. You have some woo-woo-woo in you, don't you? Yeah. Yeah, you do.

So does Mary. Oh. I believe in woo-woo-woo. but I think my brain's a little too slow or literal but she's full I love that you described that you and Carrie, your daughter found out that you both, later in life, found out that you both have experienced leaving your bodies

when you were around the same age, 12 or 13. Mary too? No, Mary actually, I talked about this with her last night. I have, I had one. that was genuine. What happened? I was announcing that my friend who was an environmental lawyer,

Bobby Solnick, and I... How old were you? 39. Oh, so you were an adult. Yeah. And we were announcing in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol, and one of those wood panel

looks like the most important kind of press room you could ever be in. And all of the California congressmen and senators were standing behind me, very sweetly supporting, because people weren't talking about oceans back then that much. This was in mid-80s. And I was giving my,

this is what we're going to do, speech. I was reading it. And I was literally 20, 30 feet above. It was a huge room. And you could look down. Looking down, saw myself reading. And I was, probably a count of three, and then I went, oh, for God's sake, you're reading, you better.

But it was unmistakably one of those things where my brain goes, some part of you knew this was going to be an important part of your life because it's what I've done for the rest of my life from that moment on. And, you know, take note because it's an important moment. But I love reading that. I could, what I did as a kid, I would lock myself that we had a little dressing room off of the main living room, my grandmother. And I would sit and I would just look into my eyes, just focus and focus and focus. And I would go up here and look down.

And then I got scared. And as soon as I got scared, I would say, what is it? this about. What is this about? As soon as I did that, it would come back. Yeah. And I could do that. And I stopped doing it. I can't do it. So this was, was the first time accidental? You discovered it? Yeah. I was just kind of staring and all of a sudden I just left. Left, but saw yourself. I saw it over my right shoulder. And then you could recreate that. That's amazing. Yeah. If ever I wanted to, I got locked myself and then I go, here we go. And. Wow. And then I'd I got scared that maybe someday I would be able to not come back,

pop out down into myself. How did you discover that you and Carrie both had that? She came to me. At 12 when it was happening. She said, I think she might have been a year or two younger. And she said, something really weird happened. And I, what? And she said, I left my body and I could see myself like, don't worry.

You know, it happens. Yeah. there's a lot of weird stuff that I think we say my two senses we sometimes say weird stuff because it feels like you don't want it's because it's real

from my point of view somebody like listen to what they're talking about you're crazy but that's all right you don't have to believe it out there but and we've had Mary and I've had many mostly around Mary you know because she's very much

open and in touch and all of Yeah. But you had an experience after Carrie passed away, and you were wondering whether or not do I continue, do I have the courage or whatever, to continue with the play you both wrote. Right. And you were in Chicago. Yeah. And. Well, I said a prayer on the plane. Oh, right. Going to Chicago for the tryouts of our play called Hollywood Arms, and Brian was with me. And I just said, Carrie, I don't know if I.

I can finish this plate without you, please give me a sign. Let me know you're with me. So, Rlan, go to the hotel, and go in, and on the coffee table, there's this huge array of birds of paradise. And I looked at the card, and it was from our director, Hal Prince, who's in the hotel, and he said, can't wait to start rehearsals tomorrow. Welcome to Chicago. Love has. So I picked up, and I called, and I said, how did you know about the birds of paradise? He said, what do you mean? I just called down and sent up something exotic or whatever. I said, Birds of Paradise were Carrie's favorite flower, and she had one tattooed on her shoulder.

I love that. A Birds of Paradise. So then the next night, Brian and Hal and I went out to dinner in Chicago, And the Marie brought a bottle of champagne over, complimentary. And on the label, one of the names on the label was Louise. And that was my mother's name and Carrie's middle name. Yeah. Oh, okay, she's with me.

It really, it opened me up. Yeah. Okay. Something's there. Did you? I don't mean. I firmly believe in that, and I've experienced, we're having a James von Prague. I don't know if you know who he is.

He's written several, he's a medium. And he's written several books called Talking to Heaven, I think, or something like that. And Mary and I were in a film about him based loosely on him. So we were around him a lot and everything. But, now, too many things happened that would make, it would be too hard to explain. It would be too hard to be literal. That nobody else knew but you. Yes.

Right. Yes. And there was, yes, I won't go into it right now, but there were things where Mary, who, because you don't know, we don't know. Of course not. And that's what faith is or, you know, or being curious. but it'd be too hard to try to explain it away as some literal thing.

Oh, I see what happened. Go for it. I'm happy for it to be whatever. It's a medium called me when we got to New York to open the play and he said your daughter has gotten in touch with me

and wants me to give you a message, some messages. And I He said, can I come and visit? And he said, I'm not charging. I just want to impart all of this to you. And please don't say who I am. And we got there.

I think he asked for something of mine to hold. And he said, Kerry wants you to know that she's fine. And I thought, yeah, you can say that about anything. And so then he said, I'm going to tell, ask things. that only you would know so that you know that I am in touch with her.

So he said she had a dog it's an initial P and now I'm thinking way back when we were little we had a dog named Phoebe which would begin with the P and I said well Phoebe and he said no

no and then at Donna she had a great Dane she named Peewee. I couldn't even remember that and he came up with that which is that he's only because I want you to know she is in touch with me and there were a couple of other things too

she said that the set of Hollywood Arms said they've moved the set from when it was before from she said from stage right to stage left that was a bed hold down bed and absolutely correct yeah why you know i don't know why but i love it i do too and

and i'm i'm okay with whatever belief systems are out there i'm fine i'm not because there's no it's not like it changes my job every day which is to wake up and be kind and nurturing and and full of love and joy. That's my job. And knowing that or experiencing that doesn't change that. So I'm wonderfully curious, you know, and part of me can't wait. Part of me can't. Part of me can.

Part of me can wait. I'm so glad. We had this time together. yes you're not you're not free yet oh no I have a few more questions first off Brian I I I've watched you two or three evenings or being out with you and I love your relationship it feels very nurturing and kind and together and do you mind just saying how was that where was that how did that happen we met who made the first move I know and so we were doing a show

32 years ago in Long Beach and he was a contractor for the orchestra which means he puts them together yeah and that's how we met and just got friendly we got friendly we got friendly yeah that's great

so and that was it from that moment on you guys were together Yeah. How wonderful. That's fantastic. Yeah. What else do I want to ask you? I don't want to let you go.

Let me stall by having a sip. That is awfully good. Did you recognize it as yours? Of course. It's the color. Interesting. It's kind of a little darker than bubble gum pink. Yeah.

I don't have to keep you here longer. No. I am so grateful to be talking to you. Honey, I'm grateful you asked me. I do have one that Mary was asking. What is fame like now for you? Because people recognize you everywhere. Is it still an opportunity to give something to that person?

Of course. Of course, you know, I'm very fortunate because to be as old as I am, I didn't have all the problems that somebody like, God bless her, Jennifer Aniston, and these, you know, with the paparazzi where they have to have security and all of the, we were okay, you know, when I was doing my show. And I always remembered, like a. tell this story. I was a big fan

of the movies. My grandmother and I we lived a block north of Hollywood Boulevard. And when there would be a premiere with the grama's Chinese or Pantages or the Egyptian, we would trips down there and hang over the ropes to watch all the movie stars

coming and going. And aside from Betty Grable, Linda Darnell, a lot of people may not remember her, but I adore her. She was so beautiful. And she was from Texas and I was born in Texas.

And so in fact, I think I wrote to 20th Century Fox and got a picture of her. So this one time, we're hanging over the ropes at a premiere and she got out of her limo and is walking

because and Nanny, I'm nine years old. Nanny, Slinda Tornis. My grandmother grabs her by the arm. Linda! Nanny took no prisoner.

Linda, give this little girl, Your Honor. She loves you. Just give her your honor. Well, she couldn't have been sweeter. And she said, what's your name, sweetheart? And I told her, and I'm looking up at her. And I noticed that her nostrils didn't match. It was just a little millimeter off.

That was her only flaw. But I do remember how sweet she was. And that means so much. You know, people who are nice and they come up and say, You know, we watch your show, and would you mind taking a picture? Or if they're very sweet and not pushy, I'm very happy to do it. Yeah. And especially with little kids.

Yes. Because from Annie and from Rebones and stuff, a lot of little kids record, and they couldn't be sweeter. Right. Yeah. I got a, because of the Good Place, which I did about five or six years ago with Mike Shore. Oh. And it's just a wonderful show.

It's very bright, and each new group of young teenagers that 12, 13, 14, coming up, watch it because their parents, you know, remember watching that kind of thing. And it's just so sweet to have people come up to you. And to say, you made me happy when I was sad. Yeah. As we said before, you never know who you're going to reach and how. I had a stupid thought, but it's the memory. memory of my stupid thought is very vivid. I said this in the sense of lame, actually. We'll cut it if it's too lame. I want to shake hands with everybody in the world. It was a thought I had. Now, I don't

really, but I want, I want to greet and say hi. We are all one. To as many people as I possibly can. I really like that idea. Why I'm doing these podcasts is I did it with Woody. It's started off with Woody. You'll notice this sometimes. You would love him or maybe you do know him and love him. But he does this naturally in life. He has people and he just has massive amount of friends, real friends. Wonderful. I don't because for some reason, it's good. I'm not a bad thing. I want to go home to marry as fast as I can because that's where my joy is. And so I love my relationships at work while we're working but then do you want to go have a beer you know gotcha yeah yeah so this allows me to sit i'd be too nervous or silly or shy or full of false

humility to cross the room although i did once cross the room some green room we were all waiting in and i remember getting down you were sitting down so i got down on my knees to say hide you that's a vivid memory i have a view but i wouldn't do this talk about to you for an hour. But now we have a format, and I've absolutely loved it. I love being with you. Yeah. Yeah. Lovely. Love you too. Thank you so much, Carol, for being here and spending time with us. Total honor. Please do yourself a favor, everybody, and pick up her book that we discussed. It's called Carrie and me, a mother and daughter's story and check out Palm Royale on Apple TV. Special thanks to bar director Kenzo Han

for making Carol's Cosmo for us. The recipe is in the episode notes. Kenzo was recently named one of the best new bartenders in the U.S. by Punch. You can try their original cocktails yourself at a restaurant called First Born here in Los Angeles. That's all for our show this week. Special thanks to our friends at Team Coco. Subscribe and review on Apple Podcasts if you're in a mood or a good mood. If you like watching your podcast, visit YouTube.com slash Team Coco. See you next time where everybody knows your name.

Our executive producers are Adam Sacks, Jeff Ross, and myself. Sarah Federovich is our supervising producer, engineering and mixing by Joanna Samuel with support from Eduardo Perez. Research by Alyssa Graal, talent booking by Paula Davis and Gina Battista. Our theme music is by Woody Harrelson, Anthony Gen, Mary Steenbergen, and John Osborne.