"Harvey Korman - R.I.P

[Guest josephga]

NBC just announced he passed away today, 5/29

[mmk]

I just read that he had passed away also. The entertainment world already lost Sidney Pollack and Dick Martin this week and now Harvey Korman.

 

I remember loving the Carol Burnett Show when I was younger and even loving it more when Harvey (and Carol) would crack up in the middle of a scene. I tried to find one on Youtube but could not. However, I did find the Gone with the Wind spoof "Went with the Wind" which featured Harvey in the Rhet Butler role. (It is only part of the entire skit but does have the dress in the window in it.

 

 

Thanks for all of the laughs Harvey. It is wonderful to see a skit that was done over 30 years ago is still funny today.

[+ deej]

Definitely a television landmark. But most of those breakups were caused by Tim Conway. He was never a regular, but he was on so often everyone thought he was.

 

I saw Korman/Conway in performance about two years ago. It was mostly old Carol Burnette Show skits. Even used the theme music from her show. But they still had the audience roaring.

 

The story I've heard is they ran the Burnette for live audiences TWICE every Saturday. The first show was for broadcast, and then they'd empty the audience and get a new one. They'd do the re-do in case camera angles got screwed up or something.

 

Conway would ask the director if he got everything he needed from the first taping. If he said "yes", nobody could predict what would come out of Conway's mouth during the second taping. And that's where most of those crackup scenes came from.

 

But wow, Harvey Korman. When asked if he used Viagra he said it would be like putting a new flagpole on a condemned building.

 

An original.

[jackhammer91406]

Gosh he and Conway made a funny team. One of my favorite sketches was with Harvey in the dentist chair and Conway as the dentist who had just accidentally shot himself in the hand with Novocaine .

 

I had an occasion to work with him on a benefit back in the 80's for a local theater we both performed at and he was a dream, offering all the time and support necessary to make the event memorable.

 

Over the years, the names Sid Cesar, Imogene Coca, Red Skelton, and many other have been labeled great. Harvey certainly belonged in that category.

[Guest Wetnwildbear]

Great comic actors are rare. Putting Korman, Conway and Burnett

 

on the same stage was miraculous comedy magic, not likely

 

to ever be equalled.

 

 

I still recall hiding on the steps as a kid to watch the Carol

 

Burnett Show after bedtime rolled around. I would laugh hysterically

 

into a pillow so my snoozing parents wouldn't hear and banish me to

 

bed before the end of the show.

 

 

Korman stole the stage in full drag as everyones favorite yiddisha

 

momma (Momma Manashevitz) in soap spoof "As the Stomach Turns,"

 

was the consumate second bananna to Conway's physical genius, and

 

complimented Burnetts magnificent comedic timing like the other

 

half of a pair of fine gloves.

 

 

Like Conway, Dana Carvey, Martin Short and other great comedic actors

 

Korman was never able to find the right vehicle to showcase his star

 

talents.

 

RIP - Harvey - Thanks for all the laughter

[+ purplekow]

You mention the dentist and the novacaine sketch in which Conway as the dentist accidently injects body part after body part as Korman barely contains himself. That is a great skit. The reason that sketch is so vivid to me is that as a child of 8 or 9, I can remember my father laughing uncontrollably over that skit. My father was a generally serious man. That memory of him just roiling with laughter is one of my favorites.

 

Thanks to Mr. Korman and Mr. Conway for enriching so many lives.

[jackhammer91406]

Here's a bit of the dentist sketch.

Not the greatest quality, but the hilarity comes through.

 

[+ Gar1eth]

>Definitely a television landmark. But most of those breakups

>were caused by Tim Conway. He was never a regular, but he was

>on so often everyone thought he was.

 

 

I may be wrong--but I think that intially he was a guest. Then the last year or 2 of the show he became a regular.

 

 

Gman

[+ Gar1eth]

>

>

>Great comic actors are rare. Putting Korman, Conway and

>Burnett

>

>on the same stage was miraculous comedy magic, not likely

>

>to ever be equalled.

>

>

>I still recall hiding on the steps as a kid to watch the Carol

>

>

>Burnett Show after bedtime rolled around. I would laugh

>hysterically

>

>into a pillow so my snoozing parents wouldn't hear and banish

>me to

>

>bed before the end of the show.

>

>

 

 

My parents used to stay up later--actually I think I remember the show coming on either Monday or possibly Sundays for awhile when I was in elementary school. In central time I think it came on at 8 pm--possibly 9 pm. In either case that was my bedtime----just wondering--do children still have set bedtimes anymore--my parents were prettty strict--I wasn't allowed to stay up on school nights until 10 pm until I was either in 9th or 10th grade.

 

Back to Carol Burnet--I used to try to be very quiet on the couch so Mom and Dad would forget that I was still up and i could watch the show. Boy could I have used a VHS recorder in those days--but unfortunately they were at least 8 to 10 years in the future at that point.

 

Gman

[Kevin Slater]

>I may be wrong--but I think that intially he was a guest.

>Then the last year or 2 of the show he became a regular.

 

According to wikipedia "Tim Conway, though well remembered for his appearances on the show, did not become a full-time cast member until 1975." (Season 8 or 9 of 11.)

 

Kevin Slater