Where To Watch
Originally, Lyle Waggoner was hired for The Carol Burnett Show because of his good looks
Waggoner's pretty face was played for laughs when he acted opposite Burnett.
Looks aren’t everything, but they can certainly grease the wheels of success a little bit.
Lyle Waggoner was a crucial cast member of The Carol Burnett Show, though Burnett revealed that initially, he was hired for his good looks. Frequently in the show, Burnett would play characters who would fawn over Waggoner.
"I was a goofball, zany, this straggly, skinny, man-chasing (woman)," said Burnett during an interview with the Syracuse Herald-Journal. "She would faint if a good-looking guy looked at her. It always got great laughs on The Garry Moore Show, and it got laughs on my show at the beginning with Lyle."
But as the series progressed, Waggoner showed his co-stars and viewers that he wasn’t just a pretty face. He was also an exceptional comedian. The actor was given more and more screen time.
"I was supposed to be Mr. Handsome Guy, and Carol was supposed to go gaga all the time," said Waggoner. "It got changed once they realized that I could do other things. I got to participate in a lot of the sketches and various character roles, which I really enjoyed."
Burnett acknowledged that the longer the comedic bit went on, the more insulting it became to both Waggoner and herself. "It was time to grow up," said Burnett. "It was time to quit knocking myself. And we also realized Lyle was more than what he looked like."
Waggoner stated that he loved working with Burnett on the sketch series. "She was a delight to work for," said the actor. "She was just one of the gang, never played the part of ‘the star,’ as I’ve experienced on other shows."
Related
