Comedy legend Carol Burnett‘s wonderfully unique quirkiness thrust her into generational stardom during television’s early Golden Age — but one of her well-known quirks was actually a secret message to her grandmother, one she included in every episode of one of the best series of all time, “The Carol Burnett Show.” Fans of Burnett’s classic variety show — which garnered some of the most Emmy wins ever — will remember how the comedienne always ended each episode with two distinct elements: The song, “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together,” and a tug of her ear.
“My grandmother raised me out here in Hollywood. When I got my first job back in New York, I called her and I said ‘Nanny, I’m going to be on television Saturday morning.’ She said, ‘Well, you gotta say hello to me.’ We figured this out — to pull my ear — and that was my signal to her,” Burnett previously revealed (via Biography). She used the ending moment as an opportunity to communicate something specific to her grandmother. “It always meant ‘Hi Nanny. I’m fine. I love you,'” she revealed. “Later it meant, ‘Hi Nanny. I’m fine. I love you. Your check’s on the way.'”
Carol Burnett’s bond with her grandmother nurtured her creativity
The daughter of a writer and a movie theater manager, Burnett ended up in the care of her grandmother, Mabel “Mae” Jones, after her alcoholic parents divorced when she was young. Both her mother and father then moved to the Los Angeles area independently, which led her to move in with her Nanny in Hollywood. Her connection with the parental figure was strong, and Burnett’s grandmother even made it a point to nurture her creative side by taking her and her half-sister, Chrissie, to the movies often — even when money was tight.
“I was raised going to the movies in the ’30s and ’40s when there was no cynicism,” Burnett shared. “I never saw the dark side. I think those movies may be what did it for me — an imprint on a young mind and a young girl growing up that everything’s possible. You can be happy.” Burnett’s bond with her grandmother was a comforting and supportive constant as her career grew, and it became one of the most subtle yet enduring elements of her beloved television presence. Now that’s a true tribute.