# Carol Burnett Show- Vincent Price & Boris Karloff performances **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2007, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991 "2007-02-13T06:30:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/1 "2007-02-13T06:30:53Z")
I know in the late 60s-early 70s on the Carol Burnett show, I saw Boris Karloff once perform “It Was A Very Good Year” (he died in 1969, so it had to predate then), and Vincent Price doing a recitation of “Desiderata aka Child of the Universe”. As amazing as the Net is, I can find no mention of these, much less any copies of them. Am I the only person who even remembers these? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/2 "2007-02-13T06:58:34Z")
**FriarTed** I’m just going by memory here, but I believe on the Red Skelton show in 1969, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price sang “Those Were The Good Old Days” - a song about medieval times, dungeons, that sort of thing. (May have been written specifically for that one performance). I remember George Burns singing “It Was A Very Good Year” around the early 1970’s but I forget what variety show it was. And just as a digression here, ever see Dan Rowan perform “It Was A Very Good Year” on “Laugh-In”? Spooky. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/3 "2007-02-13T08:25:15Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] **FriarTed** I’m just going by memory here, but I believe on the Red Skelton show in 1969, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price sang “Those Were The Good Old Days” - a song about medieval times, dungeons, that sort of thing. (May have been written specifically for that one performance). I remember George Burns singing “It Was A Very Good Year” around the early 1970’s but I forget what variety show it was. And just as a digression here, ever see Dan Rowan perform “It Was A Very Good Year” on “Laugh-In”? Spooky. [/QUOTE] I don’t recall any of those BUT that doesn’t rule out having seen them! I may have a shadow of a recollection about Dan Rowan’s VGY- “spooky” good or “spooky” bad? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/4 "2007-02-13T15:21:07Z")
As far as Dan Rowan’s version of “It Was A Very Good Year”, it was _not_ like a William Shatner rendition. Basically, he goes through a series of wars, increasing in rank each time. “When I was 17, I was a private in World War II” and then he talks about Korea, Vietnam and for the final verse (‘but now the days are short’) he says, “I’ve got to go now … they’re playing my song”. That last line is really spooky in the sense that you _knew_ there would be another war sooner or later. Also, Dan Rowan died a long time ago which just adds even more to the eerieness of that sketch, when viewed today. (I saw it on a “Rowan and Martin” NBC special some years ago). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/5 "2007-02-13T17:33:28Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] **FriarTed** I’m just going by memory here, but I believe on the Red Skelton show in 1969, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price sang “Those Were The Good Old Days” - a song about medieval times, dungeons, that sort of thing. (May have been written specifically for that one performance).. [/QUOTE] You mean: > [@](#): > > I see Indians draggin’ > An empty covered wagon > When scalping the settlers was the latest crazew > And that glorious morn, Jack the Ripper was born > Ha ha ha ha > Those were the good old days. It’s from **Damn Yankees**. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/6 "2007-02-13T22:25:12Z")
[QUOTE=FriarTed] …I saw Boris Karloff once perform “It Was A Very Good Year” (he died in 1969, so it had to predate then) [/QUOTE] Think of who you are talking about and ask yourself if that date and your last statement necessarily follow. (singing) _You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. And whether you can hear it or not The universe is laughing behind your back._ ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/7 "2007-02-14T04:45:06Z")
**Reality Chuck** Forgive my unfamiliarity with that song but having acquired my musical knowledge during the 1960’s garage band heyday, there was no time to study … (ugh) … show tunes. Anyway, after 38 years, now I know the origin of that song. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/8 "2009-09-11T18:57:30Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I know in the late 60s-early 70s on the Carol Burnett show, I saw Boris Karloff once perform “It Was A Very Good Year” (he died in 1969, so it had to predate then), and Vincent Price doing a recitation of “Desiderata aka Child of the Universe”. As amazing as the Net is, I can find no mention of these, much less > any copies of them. Am I the only person who even remembers these? I’m reviving this to say I did find verification of Karloff’s “It Was A Very Good Year” on THE JONATHAN WINTERS SHOW and Price’s Desiderata on Burnett. Still no clips however. ---
**Author:** ![jcuski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8edcca/32.png) [@jcuski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcuski)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/9 "2010-08-29T00:22:21Z")
i remember this as well! But I kinda think the Desiderata may have been done on the ‘red skelton show’, although not certain. I believe I recorded it off the tv and have it on tape somewhere, just have to get a working reel to reel player to locate it! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/10 "2010-08-29T00:47:46Z")
> [@jcuski](#): > > i remember this as well! > But I kinda think the Desiderata may have been done on the ‘red skelton show’, although not certain. > I believe I recorded it off the tv and have it on tape somewhere, just have to get a working reel to reel player to locate it! I think that was [Deteriorata,](M:\video\lake\_mich) a spoof on Desiderata (mistakenly credited to “found in an old North Church”), and it was a Lampoon (nee Harvard Lampoon) creation. The text was set to music and is on a Lampoon LP, _Radio Dinner,_ 1972. Whether it was ever on Red Skelton, I don’t know, but I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/11 "2010-08-29T02:41:05Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Reality Chuck** > Forgive my unfamiliarity with that song but having acquired my musical knowledge during the 1960’s garage band heyday, there was no time to study … (ugh) … show tunes. > Anyway, after 38 years, now I know the origin of that song. [Here’s the song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zTUiFMFrYU) . . . I can’t find a video of the original, sung by Ray Walston as the devil and Gwen Verdon as Lola. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/12 "2010-08-30T08:40:02Z")
Wow - after 3½ years this thread got resurrected? Well at least one song was tracked down but it’s too bad that none of those videos could be found. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carol-burnett-show-vincent-price-boris-karloff-performances/391991/13 "2010-08-30T12:20:30Z")
“Boris Karloff seems like a nice guy when he’s singing and dancing with Red Skelton, but have you ever seen _ **Frankenstein** _? THAT’S the real Boris Karloff.” -Ralph Kramden