Carol Burnett Works an Earthquake Into Her 1974 Classroom Sketch With The Jackson 5

In 1974, the great Carol Burnett kept her cool as a stage-shaking earthquake hit while she was filming a classroom sketch with guests The Jackson 5 on The Carol Burnett Show. While the sudden shaking could have completely ruined the skit, the ever-professional Ms. Burnett seamlessly incorporated it into the act and kept going.

In the clip Carol is trying to “teach” music to her class. But unbeknownst to all of them, they are about to be visited by a different kind of “musical movement” ! An earthquake happened as the show was taping. Carol was so calm under pressure and joked about it, that CBS execs left the footage in the show. Chalk up another gem for the queen of comedy.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.