“Bringing Your Wife & Your Secretary to Hawaii”: The Carol Burnett Show’s Funniest Vacation Disaster
There are rare, magical moments in live comedy that transcend mere laughter. These are the moments so hysterically perfect that they cause the performers themselves to crumble, making even the audience feel like they are breaking a rule by laughing so hard. The legendary sketch “Bringing Your Wife & Your Secretary to Hawaii” from The Carol Burnett Show is one of television’s finest examples of this pure, unbridled comic mayhem.
The premise is simple, yet deliciously disastrous. It begins with the simple wish of a middle-aged man, played with immaculate, escalating despair by Harvey Korman: a quiet, peaceful getaway under the serene Hawaiian sun. His dream vacation, however, doesn’t just hit a snag; it spectacularly implodes the moment he is forced to confront the impossible scenario: his wife and his secretary arriving at the very same tropical resort, utterly unbeknownst to one another (or so he desperately hopes).
The Perfect Comic Trio in Paradise
The casting and character execution are what turn this sketch into gold. Carol Burnett, radiating magnificent, barely-contained fury, plays the “not-so-clueless” wife. She’s decked out in a blazing floral swimsuit and a monstrously oversized hat, serving looks that could curdle the Pacific Ocean. Opposite her is Vicki Lawrence, whose brilliant comedic timing allows her to play the secretary — deadpan, mischievous, and deceptively sharp — a woman who is “innocent” only in the most technical, meaningless sense of the word.
Trapped miserably between these two forces of nature, Harvey Korman’s character is a masterclass in comic panic. He sits literally frozen in a state of utter despair, desperately clutching a tiny beach towel and whatever sliver of dignity he hopes might still be salvageable. The scene quickly and gloriously descends into total chaos — beach chairs collapse dramatically, flimsy stage props fail at the worst possible moment, and the razor-sharp one-liners fly so fast that they begin to “crack” even the seasoned veterans delivering them.
By the time Carol starts unleashing her most devastating verbal jabs, even the great Harvey Korman — the master of the comedic straight face — completely loses his composure. His attempts to stifle laughter become part of the joke, fueling the audience’s already unstoppable roar. It is said that filming actually had to be temporarily paused so that the actors could regain enough composure to continue the performance!
The Timeless Formula: Chemistry, Timing, and Talent
What cemented “Bringing Your Wife & Your Secretary to Hawaii” as an iconic piece of TV history wasn’t merely the clever writing; it was the absolutely electric, irreplaceable chemistry shared between Carol, Harvey, and Vicki. Carol remains the commanding center of the storm — hilarious, elegant, yet wonderfully unhinged exactly when the comedy demands it. Harvey Korman embodies the eternal victim of comedic misfortune, a man who somehow manages to make public humiliation look like high art. And Vicki Lawrence? A single, mischievous eyebrow lift from her is often all it takes to bring the entire house down, confirming her role as a vital, perfectly balanced counterpoint.
When this legendary clip was digitally resurfaced on YouTube decades later, it didn’t just find a new audience; it exploded again — racking up millions of views and inspiring endless comments from a new generation of delighted fans alongside the nostalgic ones:
“This is genius. No CGI, no shock value, no dirty jokes. Just pure comic timing.”
“Carol Burnett could make a folding chair funnier than most shows on television today.”
More than forty years have passed, yet this brilliant piece of sketch comedy continues to shine as a powerful reminder of the peak of television comedy: clever, wonderfully chaotic, and effortlessly, deeply human. There was no reliance on controversy or cheap shock; only impeccable timing, seamless teamwork, and genuine talent.
And if there’s a vital, hidden lesson buried beneath all that laughter, crushed dignity, and tropical sunscreen, it is a simple one:
Never, ever take your wife and your secretary on the same vacation… unless, of course, you happen to be a main cast member on The Carol Burnett Show.