‘The Carol Burnett Show’ was known for its excellent comedy writing. Carol and her team put together fantastic shows over the years. However, some of the biggest audience laughs came from the performers breaking character and busting out laughing.
Tim Conway and Harvey Korman were notorious for their inability to hold it together in their skits. It seemed like Tim always found a way to break Harvey at some point in each sketch.
In the sketch ‘The Dentist’ from Season 2, Episode 20, Tim plays a dentist who is about to scrape Harvey’s gums. Conway accidentally stabs himself in the head with the scalpel, and as he stands there in shock, Harvey loses it and cries laughing!
In ‘The Oldest Doctor’ from Season 8, Episode 19, Tim shuffles his feet, walking slowly. He’s wearing his white-hair wig, and he says he had a horse and a koala. As soon as Harvey hears Tim say ‘Koala’ in a slow, drawn-out voice, he can’t hold it together!
In ‘The Oldest Dresser’ from Season 7, Episode 18, Tim hides under a fur coat, and Harvey uncovers him and urges him to change his clothes for the next scene. Tim moves in his typically slow and old manner. While taking a long time to button Harvey’s shirt, Tim looks up at him and slowly says, ‘Koala,’ which triggers Harvey into uncontrollable laughter again!
In his iconic ‘Old Man’ style, Tim gets picked up and carried away on the clothing rack. Harvey cannot stop giggling at his buddy’s antics. This was a recurring theme of ‘The Carol Burnett Show.’
The show ran from 1967 until 1978, featuring many guest stars. Tim Conway and Harvey Korman were the perfect comedy duo. Still, you could never expect them to get through a scene together without breaking character.
