Carol Burnett at 90: LOVE, LAUGHS & WHAT I'VE LEARNED

THE ICONIC PERFORMER LOOKS BACK AT THE MOMENTS THAT MADE HER WHO SHE IS TODAY

- LOUISE A. BARILE, KATIE BRUNO

As a child, Carol Burnett would sometimes climb the landmark Hollywood sign, which back then still spelled out Hollywoodland. "It was rickety scaffolding behind them," Carol says of the giant letters, adding that the O's were her favorite. "It was a wonder we didn't break our necks."

Daring, undeniable talent and some incredibly good fortune helped Carol, who turned 90 in April, become a show business legend, but her strength has also been severely tested by tragedy and unimaginable personal loss. Carol says she perseveres by "just knowing that when you're down, there is always going to be an up. Life can change on a dime, so just be grateful today for what you have."

The child of alcoholics, Carol and her half-sister, Chrissie, found fragile stability with the grandmother who raised them in a Los Angeles boardinghouse. Money was scarce, but splurging on an afternoon at the movies became a much-needed escape. "I think those movies may be what did it for me - an imprint on a young mind and a young girl growing up that everything's possible. You can be happy," says Carol.

Steve Boettcher, producer of the recent film Carol Burnett: A Celebration, calls the comedienne an inspiration. "She would go to the movies and just dream, as young children do," he says. "It's so exciting that she achieved so much and she paved the way for so many."

STANDING OUT