The Carol Burnett Show: 11 Years of Laughs (1 Viewer)

[Mark Y]

So, G-R didn't do all 31 of them? Glad I got mine from Columbia House when I did!
I, too, was surprised the final show wasn't released, but my guess is that it was probably planned (since we got two of the final four shows), but never made it out when the decision was made to pull the plug. I think the way these things worked out was if sales warranted, they'd get approval for new releases in batches of two or five, if I recall correctly (at least, earlier in the range). Volume 31 seems such an odd stopping-point. I suspect more were planned, but then the order came down to close their reTV division.
The "Van Dyke as a regular" shows that were released are (one each) on volumes 24, 26 and 28, respectively. As for why it didn't 'work out': one report said he couldn't get used to being a second-banana. He did leave to do his own variety show, as I recall, so it may be just that he left for his own show, which is understandable.
A couple of the final-season episodes (the ones without Van Dyke, I recall) still even had their mini "sponsored-by" plugs/commercials left that directly followed the opening credits!

I believe there is a sponsor billboard following the opening on show #1121 (3/5/78) with Steve Martin and Betty White. (Oddly, the Guthy-Renker DVDs have the official "episode numbers" included on the back cover -- I picked up a couple Columbia House volumes at a flea market, of all places, a few years ago and they include airdates but not episode numbers. There are not over 1100 episodes, "1121" apparently means it's show 21 from season 11.) The flip side of this is that the Columbia House DVDs have volume numbers, the Guthy-Renker ones don't.
The sponsor plug seems like it was "recorded in" as part of the show opening -- I noticed on one of the other episodes (without the sponsor billboard) the audio of audience applause seems to cut off rather abruptly, so they must have had to go in and edit those out, and missed a couple in the process. Okay with me, I like stuff like that.
"Van Dyke And Company" was on the previous season (1976-77), wasn't it? (In the "Van Dyke guest appearance" episode I mentioned earlier -- #922 dated 2/21/76 -- while introducing him Carol Burnett congratulates Dick Van Dyke on his own variety show beginning the following fall.)
I just remember one moment from "Van Dyke And Company" which was a skit where he's playing Rob Petrie and he gets a phone call telling him that Alan Brady is dead. That's all I remember. (TV Shows On DVD had an item saying MPI is supposed to be releasing that series some time this year.)
Whataya think the odds are that G-R would eventually re-release the other volumes?

 

[AndyMcKinney]

"Van Dyke And Company" was on the previous season (1976-77), wasn't it? (In the "Van Dyke guest appearance" episode I mentioned earlier -- #922 dated 2/21/76 -- while introducing him Carol Burnett congratulates Dick Van Dyke on his own variety show beginning the following fall.)

You may be right. Perhaps instead of leaving Burnett for his own show, it might have been that his own show got cancelled, so joined the cast of Burnett.

 

[Carolfan]

Hi, do you know where I can buy seasons 1-5?
Thanks

 

[Brian Himes]

Hi, do you know where I can buy seasons 1-5?
Thanks

As far as I know there have never been a release of the first 5 years of the show. In fact, I don't believe that those seasons have ever been rerun in any form outside of the possible summer reruns that would have occured when those seasons were originally aired.

 

[JohnMor]

Those seasons have never been officially released and do not exist outside of illegal pirated/bootleg editions. Sorry.