Relationships Talk

In the 1960s, you took advantage of an option in your contract with CBS that allowed you to host 30 hours of a variety show. But network executives wanted to put you in a sitcom because they thought variety was a man’s job.

I never thought, oh my gosh, it’s a woman and dah, dah, dah. I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted an actual rep company, which is what our show was, even though it had my name on it. There were times when I would be supporting Harvey, or Harvey would be supporting Vicki. Everybody got a chance to shine, and I learned that from “The Garry Moore Show,” because I remember sitting around the table, reading the script, and Garry had a funny line or two. And he looked up and said: “You know what? Give this to Carol, or give this line to Durward [Kirby]. They can say it funnier than I can.” The generosity — but he was also smart because he said, “Whatever makes the show better is going to make our show successful.”

In your 2016 memoir, “In Such Good Company,” you wrote about trying to maintain ladylike qualities while making demands of your male staff.

Back in the day, the men — Jackie Gleason and Sid Caesar and Milton Berle — if they said: “Hey guys, this sketch sucks. Get with it! What’s the matter with you?” they were fine because they were guys. But if a woman did it, she would be labeled a bitch. So I tap-danced around it a lot. Like, if a sketch wasn’t working, I’d call the writers down to rehearsal and I’d say: “Can you help us out here? I’m not saying this right. Maybe you could come up with a different line that would make it easier for me to get a laugh.”

But now, because women are more accepted as producers, writers and stars, like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, I would say: “Guys, this isn’t working. Let’s go back to the drawing board.” Still, that’s a nice way to say it. I can’t stand confrontation. It makes me crazy.

What about the censors?

We never got called on anything except one time. We were doing a scene where I was in a nudist camp, and I’m behind a fence that says “Keep Out,” and my shoulders and legs are bare, and Harvey was interviewing me about what nudists do for recreation. He said, “How do you nudists dance?” My line was, “Very carefully.” Well, for some reason the program practices thought that was too dirty, and so we came up with the line we wanted in the first place: “Cheek to cheek.” They bought it.

Female vs. male comics: What’s the difference?

Now, I don’t think there’s much difference. You know, in stand-up, the ladies can get as graphic as the men — not that I like it in either case. I’m not a prude, but gratuitous blue material to me is not only not classy, it’s a cheap laugh. If you look at “All in the Family,” Mary, Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, that was classy writing. They didn’t have to get blue to shock. If I hear another penis joke, I’m going to throw up. Or vagina.