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The Two FacesOf VickiWRITTEN BY Brenda DuranPHOTOGRAPHED BY Jeff FarsaiVicki Lawrence lives a double life.To those close to her, she is known as a red-headed,supportive mother, wife and pet-lover, who enjoys dinners at Nico’sand walks near her “golden pond” by her two-story home on NaplesIsland.the likes of Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball, Ella Fitzgerald, Gloria Swanson,and even the Jackson 5 by the age of 18.“It was surreal,” Lawrence recalls. “I would watch the show on TV,peeking in between my fingers and say, ‘Oh God, could you be moreof geek! What are you doing out there?’”In the public eye, to thousands of loyal fans, she is Thelma Harper,or “Mama” — a politically incorrect, sharp-tongued, boisterous, ruralsenior citizen whose famous exclamation of “Good Lord!” becamea part of television history.“Sometimes I kind of hate her,” joked the television icon about heralter ago in a recent interview. “She gets all the good jokes, shehas all the fun!”The relationship between Lawrence and “Mama” has been asymbiotic one since the two merged in 1967, when Lawrence joinedthe legendary The Carol Burnett Show on CBS.Lawrence, who has called this city her home for the past 24 years,said her charmed life in Hollywood began with a simple twist of fatewhen she decided to pen a fan letter to one of the most famouscomediennes of all time — Carol Burnett.“I told her how funny it was that we looked so much alike, and I thinkshe saw that as a novelty,” said Lawrence.That letter ended up leading to a gig on Burnett’s national televisionshow that taped at CBS studios’ stage 33, which was next door toThe Sonny and Cher Show, and where she would rub elbows withEventually, putting all of her showbiz fears aside, Lawrence went onto launch a career that earned her a far-reaching fan base to this day.Since 2002, the Emmy-award winning actress has been hitting theroad with a stage crew, donning a curly silver wig, a string of pearls,and stuffed voluptuous body suit covered by flower-print dresses tokeep the legendary “Mama” alive. At the same time, she has beenintroducing herself as Vicki in an autobiographical stand-up routinethat is part of her live show, Vicki and Mama: A Two Woman Show.“My first love has always been comedy,” said Lawrence, who alsostars in Hannah Montana. “I think it’s a nice gift to be able to makepeople laugh.”Creating a LegacyRaised in Inglewood, California, Lawrence said that unlike manyfamous comedians, she did not set out to make a living by makingpeople laugh — ever. Although in close proximity to Tinseltown,Lawrence said her early aspirations as a teen were to become adental hygienist and wear a uniform to work everyday.“I had a plan once, I did. I just got totally sidetracked,” she said.longbeachmagazine.com 35