Conway was a comedic genius

The Way I See It


 

 

When I found out that comedian/ actor Tim Conway passed away on Tuesday, I felt an overall sadness. In fact, when I saw the newsfeed on my phone, I said “AWWWW” out loud.

He was the perfect fit for “The Carol Burnet Show” and then on “Mama.” His timing, his facial expressions and silliness complemented Burnet’s wackiness as well as his other co-stars Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Wagoner and of course, Harvey Korman. I wonder how many times Conway broke up Korman during a comedy sketch? He could get most of his cast mates to crack up – sometimes with just a mere look.

There are a few skits that stand out. I can still hear my mom and dad laughing at them in my mind. One in particular was the one where he portrayed the dentist and Korman was the patient. He mistakenly injected his hand and then his leg with Novocaine while reading directions on how to administer the drug. Of course the numbness kicks in and he grabs an office chair to drape his leg over the arms to scoot back to his patient. The shear hilarity kicks in when you hear a buzzing fly and his limp hand is used to swat at it. Yep. Korman breaks out into laughter on that move.

Then there is the sketch where the toupee-wearing Mr. Tudball explaining to his dense secretary Mrs. Wiggins how to use the intercom. And who can forget the Old Man character shuffling and mumbling his way through skits. I. Can’t. Even.

No wonder he was a multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner. His talent was appreciated and recognized by his peers, too. I also remember him in “McHale’s Navy” playing the bumbling Ensign Parker.

Thankfully, these moments are just a short search on the internet with YouTube videos available. If you haven’t seen these in awhile, or have never seen them, do yourself a favor and view them soon – real soon!

The way I see it, losing these comedic icons is so sad. I do hope that Conway is able to crack up Korman once again and I’m also glad that I saw them in their heyday.

SUE BROWN is a columnist of the Pleasanton Express. Contact her at psuebrown@gmail.com.

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