This is classic comedy at its very best, folks. I’m sure you certainly remember this uproarious Carol Burnett Sketch and the gangs all here!
The timeless humor of The Carol Burnett Show lives on and continues to be enjoyed by literally millions of fans, old and new, thanks to the Internet. If you remember gathering with the family to watch this hit comedy and musical variety show in the 1970s, then plant yourself because you’re in for a special treat.
In this lost classic from the show’s recurring “As the Stomach Turns” soap opera parody, Tim Conway makes his first appearance as the “oldest man,” an ancient codger who drew laughs through his slow-motion antics. In this sketch, he even tumbles down a flight of stairs at a snail’s pace. Trust us when we tell you: you’ll be howling with laughter.
In the character’s debut, he plays Grandpa to a wealthy matriarch played by Carol herself. Just as she’s planning to send neighborhood nuisance Grandpa to a retirement home, teenage temptress “Cindy,” played by the inimitable Vicki Lawrence, arrives to live in the house, tempting Grandpa to stick around.
They’re soon joined by cast regulars Lyle Waggoner playing handsome brother “Ralph,” who leaves his wife on the spot to make a play for Cindy, Harvey Korman as grandpa’s physician “Dr. Huffer,” who competes with Ralph and Grandpa for Cindy’s affections, and guest star Ken Berry as the dour “Father Calucchi.”
Tim’s “oldest man” was typically paired almost exclusively with Harvey Korman in sketches, so seeing him in action with the full cast is a rare treat.
Here’s a bit of fun trivia that even the most devoted fans don’t know. Tim called his recurring elderly character “Duane Toddleberry.” The dawdling oldster appeared in unlikely scenarios in an array of sketches over the years. He could be a fireman in one episode, a galley slave in another, a pediatrician who makes house calls or a clock repairman, but the outrageous humor was always the same, making Duane Toddleberry a viewer favorite.
Did you know that Conway’s inspiration for the oldest man was the tribulation he went through when he broke his back in high school? Throughout his long months of recovery, he had no choice but to walk with small, shuffling strides between school and home every day. “That was the way I walked,” he once told an interviewer, “so that got a lot of laughs.”
https://youtu.be/u-0MSZ9ecJs
If you liked this, share it with a friend.
