Carol found she had a gift for musical comedy, and began doing more productions for the musical department than the theater department (they were considered two separate entities at UCLA). In 1954, Burnett, her director boyfriend, Don Saroyan, and some other theater friends played a society party and entertained guests with skits and songs.
After the entertainment, Burnett and Saroyan were approached by a gentleman telling them they should get serious about their craft. Burnett in passing said she wanted to go to New York and work on Broadway. The man asked Burnett how much she would need to get to New York - she replied "One thousand dollars". The man (anonymously named "Mr. C" in Burnett's book) said, "Okay, you've got it." Still in doubt, Carol and Don left the party, wondering who the crackpot was. But using the card Mr. C gave them, they called his office to see if he was serious - he was. They drove to his offices, he handed them each a check for $1000, and told them to go to New York. There were three conditions of this offer: 1- they could never tell anyone who gave them the money, 2 - if they were successful they should help other people much like he was helping them and 3 - they had 5 years to pay him back the money.
Ecstatic, they agreed. Carol left college almost immediately and moved to New York in order to pursue her acting career. On a reference from a school chum, she moved into the Rehearsal Club, a house for actresses (the house that served as the basis for the play and film "Stage Door", starring Katherine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers). After a few months Carol was broke again (having used all of Mr. C's money) and still getting nowhere with agencies and acting jobs. She was able to meet with one agent, who told her that if she was so hellbent on becoming an actress she should stage her own show. So she did.
It ran for two nights, and they invited only agents, theater managers, and industry types. It was a raging success, with many of the girls from Rehearsal Club finding agents and jobs - including Carol. She signed on for a year with William Morris Agency, and gained a friend in another agent, Mr. Willi, who gave her much good advice and comfort during the lean times when working as a hatcheck girl was necessary. In late 1955, Burnett was able to land a spot on television, playing against a ventriloquist's dummy on the children's program The Winchell-Mahoney Show. That brief role led to her appearance opposite Buddy Hackett in the short-lived sitcom, Stanley, from
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