Bob Mackie was so good at creating costumes for The Carol Burnett Show, he didn't need to ask for approval
Some friendships are forged on the stage, and some are formed in the costume department.
Carol Burnett recalled her relationship with longtime costume designer, Bob Mackie. “The doorbell rang, and I opened the door," Burnett said to PEOPLE. "I thought it was a mistake because he looked like he was 12 years old. He had this beautiful baby face. And he came in and was just adorable, and we hit it off and we hired him right on the spot."
So well did Mackie and Burnett get along creatively that after working for her for quite some time, Mackie was no longer required to seek Burnett's permission when creating outfits for the series. "I just knew I would love everything," she said.
Mackie is also responsible for the creation of Burnett's Went With the Wind dress, once worn for a Gone with the Wind parody skit, the dress now hangs in the Smithsonian.
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“It was something I just threw together, really, at the last minute because I couldn't figure out for the life of me what to do to get that laugh,” Mackie said. “Now, when people are watching the actual Gone With the Wind and Scarlett walks out in the real dress, people laugh, and they say they're laughing because of Carol Burnett. And that's really the craziest thing, but it’s true: Now a lot of people have seen the Carol Burnett sketch before they've seen the actual movie.”
Ultimately, Burnett and Mackie had a friendship that could endure anything. “I don’t know anybody else who could have done what he did,” Burnett said of their collaboration on her show. “It’s been a nearly lifelong friendship and a professional relationship that I really treasure.”
“The thing about Carol that I learned doing costumes for her is that you can put her in anything – any wig, any costume, even something with body padding – and you always knew it was her in there," said Mackie. "That’s the sign of a true star. The personality is just so strong. She’s wildly talented and funny, but she’s also very real – onstage and offstage, she’s herself.”
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