Carol Burnett Hosts Side-Splitting Celebration Of Cinema’s Greatest Comediennes
TCM Pays Tribute to Lucille Ball, Lilly Tomlin, Goldie Hawn & More
Funny Ladies Premiers Oct. 4
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is paying tribute to cinema’s iconic comediennes with Funny Ladies, a special month of programming celebrating hilarious performances from Lucille Ball, Doris Day and Phyllis Diller to Goldie Hawn, Gilda Radner and Lilly Tomlin. Hosted by comedy legend Carol Burnett, a beloved favorite of television, stage and film and actress/filmmaker Illeana Douglas, programming begins Oct. 4 and continues every Thursday in primetime.
TCM’s salute to Funny Ladies will be broken down by decades:
- Silents to the 1930s – showcasing comedy duo Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly in Babes in the Goods (1934), Marion Davies in her star turn in Show People (1928) and the iconic Mae West in I’m No Angel (1933)
- The 1930s-1940s – featuring three memorable performers who earned Best Actress Oscar nominations for their roles: Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey (1936), Irene Dunne in Theodora Goes Wild (1936) and Jean Arthur in The More the Merrier (1940)
- The 1950s – examines female talents including Jean Hagen in her award nominated turn in Singin’ in the Rain(1952), Doris Day in her comedic turn in comedy Pillow Talk (1959) and Lucille Ball shines in Forever, Darling(1956)
- The 1960s, ’70s and ’80s – spotlights Lily Tomlin in The Late Show (1977), Goldie Hawn in Protocol (1984) and Gilda Radner in Gilda Live (1980), and Madeline Kahn and Cloris Leachman in High Anxiety (1977). The night also features Phyllis Diller in Eight on the Lam (1967), and Elaine May in Enter Laughing (1967)
“Our Funny Ladies celebration allows us to feature a variety of actresses, showcasing their work while also highlighting the incredible impact they had paving the way for the future of comedy on-screen,” said Charles Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM. “Carol Burnett is a living comedic legend and we can’t wait to share her insightful and hilarious thoughts on the great comediennes of film history.”