Iconic TV Moment Turns 50: How a Simple Green Curtain Became One of Comedy’s Greatest Laughs

Nearly five decades after it first aired, one of the most legendary moments in television comedy continues to captivate audiences worldwide. On November 13, 1976, The Carol Burnett Show delivered a parody sketch titled “Went with the Wind!” that has since entered the annals of humor history. The centerpiece? A outrageous gown crafted from green velvet drapes—complete with the curtain rod still perched across the shoulders—like its wearer had yanked it straight from a Southern mansion window in a moment of desperate ingenuity.

The sketch was a hilarious send-up of the classic 1939 film Gone with the Wind, specifically the famous scene where Scarlett O’Hara, facing poverty, fashions a dress from parlor curtains to impress Rhett Butler. In the Burnett version, Carol played “Starlet O’Hara” (a cheeky twist on Scarlett), while Harvey Korman portrayed “Rat Butler” (a play on Rhett). The episode, the eighth of the show’s tenth season, featured guest star Dinah Shore and aired on CBS to millions of viewers. What began as a clever costume idea exploded into pure comedic gold when Carol descended a grand staircase in the absurd outfit, triggering an immediate, uncontrollable eruption of laughter from the studio audience.

The audience reaction was instantaneous and overwhelming. Carol barely made it halfway down the steps before the crowd was in hysterics, gasping for breath and doubled over. The laughter was so sustained and genuine that it became one of the longest sustained laughs in live television history, with some accounts estimating it lasted several minutes. Carol herself struggled to maintain composure, her signature wide grin breaking through as she tried to deliver lines. The moment proved that sometimes the simplest visual gags—executed with perfect timing and impeccable delivery—can become timeless.

Credit for the iconic costume goes to legendary designer Bob Mackie, a longtime collaborator with Burnett and one of Hollywood’s most celebrated costumers. Known for his glamorous work with stars like Cher, Mackie turned the script’s basic concept into something unforgettable. The original script called for a dress made from curtains, but Mackie elevated it by keeping the brass curtain rod intact, draping the green velvet fabric over Carol’s shoulders like a makeshift shawl. The result was not just a parody but a visual punchline so absurd it needed no explanation. Carol later credited Mackie for the stroke of genius, noting in interviews that even she couldn’t stop laughing when she first saw herself in the mirror.

The sketch’s brilliance lay in its economy: no elaborate setup, no complex dialogue—just the sheer ridiculousness of a proud Southern belle strutting in literal home furnishings. Lines like Starlet’s dramatic entrance and Rat Butler’s deadpan reactions amplified the hilarity. The parody poked fun at the melodrama of Gone with the Wind while showcasing the ensemble’s chemistry—Vicki Lawrence as “Sissy” (a Mammy stand-in) and Lyle Waggoner added to the chaos. It was comedy rooted in physicality and timing, a hallmark of The Carol Burnett Show, which ran from 1967 to 1978 and earned 25 Emmy Awards.

Today, the “curtain dress” is preserved at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, where it stands as a cultural artifact. Carol Burnett has reflected on the moment fondly, sharing in later interviews how the audience’s reaction fueled the performers and made the bit even funnier. In a 1995 reflection, she recalled the inspiration and how Mackie’s design brought the script to life beyond expectations.

The green velvet drapes gown, with curtain rod shoulders, as Carol Burnett descends the staircase in the 1976 sketch.

Even now, clips of the moment rack up millions of views on platforms like YouTube and social media. Fans regularly share it as proof that great comedy endures—no special effects required, just talent, creativity, and a willingness to embrace the absurd. As one viewer put it, “30 million people once lost their minds over a curtain,” a testament to the sketch’s viral-like impact in a pre-internet era.

Close-up of Carol Burnett as Starlet O’Hara in the full curtain ensemble, rod dramatically across her shoulders.

The “Went with the Wind!” sketch remains a masterclass in parody and physical comedy. It reminds us why The Carol Burnett Show is revered: for turning everyday objects into uproarious punchlines. In an age of elaborate productions, this simple green curtain gag proves that laughter often comes from the unexpected—and perfectly timed—absurdity of life.