‘The Carol Burnett Show’ brought together a lot of comedic geniuses. Two of those funny men were Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, who often played opposite each other in sketches.
In this sketch, Tim Conway reprises his role as ‘The Oldest Man.’ The setting is the Wild West, where Harvey Korman’s character has been announced as a villain who just robbed the town bank.
The madame of the house, Vicki Lawrence, tells Harvey they don’t want his kind in the saloon. He says he’ll play cards till the stagecoach comes. If no one bothers him, then he won’t bother anyone else.
Tim Conway is then heard off-screen, humming. Under the saloon’s swinging door, tiny feet shuffle forward. That’s all it takes for the audience to laugh hysterically. They’d know the shuffle of ‘The Oldest Man’ anywhere.
Tired out from barely pushing the doors open, the sheriff doesn’t seem like he could keep the town safe from anyone. He’s then hit by the next man to come in, and Tim falls into a perfect somersault onto Harvey’s table and into a chair.
‘The Oldest Man’ is chosen to deal the cards, which, of course, is no easy task when Tim Conway is involved. Tim’s physical comedy is always on full display as The Oldest Man.
The two men end up in a duel, where ‘The Oldest Man’ isn’t even sure which side of the belt his gun is on. These two comedians had the best chemistry on screen, and the audience loved to see them perform together.
