No one — and truly no one — could crack up Carol Burnett and the entire studio quite like Tim Conway. He wasn’t just funny; he was unpredictable, mischievous, brilliantly strange, and capable of turning the tiniest, quietest moment into a full-blown comedic disaster. From the second he stepped into a sketch, you could feel the audience brace themselves — because they knew something unforgettable was about to happen.
Carol still talks about him with a kind of awe, recalling how even the simplest setups became chaos the moment Tim decided to “play.” One of the most iconic examples is the infamous butler sketch, where Tim spent nearly two minutes wrestling with a stubborn doorknob. No words, no big reactions — just Conway, a door, and the kind of painfully slow physical comedy that had Carol clutching her stomach and Harvey Korman wiping away tears between lines.
And then there’s the legendary dentist skit — the one where Tim, with his perfect deadpan delivery, numbs his own hand… then his leg… then his entire body as Harvey tries desperately to deliver his lines while choking back uncontrollable laughter. Even decades later, fans say it’s one of the funniest pieces of television ever filmed — and it’s easy to see why. Harvey collapses mid-scene, Carol can be heard laughing off-camera, and Tim never once breaks character.
Of course, no compilation of Tim’s brilliance is complete without The Old Man — his painfully slow, creaking, inch-by-inch character who could turn crossing an entire room into a three-minute symphony of giggles. Every shuffle, every wobble, every exaggerated breath drove the cast into fits. At times, the cameras themselves visibly shook because even the crew couldn’t hold it together.
These weren’t just sketches — they were endurance tests. Who would break first? Harvey? Carol? The audience? The cameramen? Usually everyone except Tim. He delivered every line, every stumble, every bizarre improvised twist with the straightest face in television history.
In this rare compilation, Carol Burnett herself shares the moments she loved most — including the times Tim derailed filming so badly that the director had to throw out entire takes. But Carol never complained. She loved it. The cast loved it. The audience loved it. Because Tim Conway wasn’t just funny — he was magic.
A comedy legend who could turn the smallest gesture into a tidal wave of laughter… and whose brilliance still leaves viewers in tears decades later.
