Carol Burnett (l.) poses on the red carpet during The 16th Annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 20, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Will Guzzardi (r.) is candidate for state representative in the 39th District, which includes parts of Avondale, Logan Square and Hermosa. View Full Caption Left: Kris Connor/Getty Images, Right: Facebook/Will Guzzardi

LOGAN SQUARE — It pays to have friends in high places.

In the case of Will Guzzardi, candidate for the state representative in the 39th District, that friend is Carol Burnett.

A $1,000 donation from the famed comedian and actress showed up this week on the Illinois State Board of Elections website, but Guzzardi said the reason behind the contribution is fairly mundane.

"Yeah, the story's not all that juicy, I'm afraid," Guzzardi said with a laugh. "My dad's a professional book editor and he edited Carol Burnett's memoir ['One More Time']."

Ever since, she's been a friend of the family, even inviting them backstage at live performances and entertaining Guzzardi's 11-year-old sister's super fandom.

So when Guzzardi's parents sent out an email asking for help for his son's campaign, Burnett came through — despite living in Los Angeles and likely not terribly interested in the Illinois Legislature.

"That's the first rule in fundraising, ask your friends and family," Guzzardi said, adding, "I wish I could tell you I was a child star and we were in movies together."

Guzzardi is running against incumbent Toni Berrios in the Democratic primary for the 39th District House seat.

He recently received endorsements from the Chicago Teachers Union, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and National Nurses United.