Tim Conway & Harvey Korman: The Sketch That Still Makes the World Cry Laughing
Some comedy sketches fade with time — and then there are the rare ones that remain just as hilarious decades later. Tim Conway and Harvey Korman didn’t simply perform comedy; they created moments so wildly unpredictable and so deeply human that fans are still replaying them fifty years after they first aired.
And if one sketch captures their brilliance perfectly, it’s that unforgettable scene from The Carol Burnett Show — the one that instantly transports viewers back to television’s golden age, when laughter was genuine, mistakes were magical, and the funniest moments weren’t planned at all.
The Setup: A Serious Scene… Until Conway Opens His Mouth
The sketch originally called for a straightforward military setting — strict posture, precise lines, and absolutely no cracking up.
But the moment Tim Conway launched into that over-the-top, exaggerated accent, everything changed.
Harvey Korman fought to maintain control. Truly, he did.
But one look at Conway, one more word in that ridiculous voice… and Korman dissolved into helpless laughter.
From that point forward, the scene stopped being a scripted comedy sketch and transformed into a live, unstoppable chain reaction of chaos — the kind of joyful disorder no writer could ever intentionally recreate.
When the Professionals Break… You Know It’s Gold
Uniforms were pulled the wrong way. Orders were ignored. The script was abandoned completely — and that was the beauty of it.
Conway kept escalating each line, pushing it just far enough to make Korman crack again and again. Watching Harvey try to recover — turning away, wiping tears, burying his face — became just as funny as Conway’s antics.
The audience could tell they were witnessing something rare: two comedic masters locking into a spontaneous duel, each trying to outdo the other in real time.
The Moment That Sent the Audience Screaming
And then came Conway’s final flourish — the moment no one saw coming.
Piece by piece, he pulled off his uniform until he was standing there in nothing but striped underwear.
Korman collapsed. The audience exploded. And in that instant, the scene became one of the most rewatched and cherished moments in Carol Burnett Show history.
It wasn’t just funny — it was legendary.
Why This Sketch Still Resonates
Today’s comedy may be sharper, louder, and faster, but it rarely matches the pure authenticity Conway and Korman brought to the stage. They didn’t rely on shock value or elaborate effects. They relied on:
- Flawless comedic timing
- Unmatched chemistry
- Genuine, unscripted laughter
- The ability to push each other past the breaking point
They proved that some of the funniest moments are the accidental ones — the ones that sneak up unexpectedly and take over the entire room.
That’s why fans continue returning to this sketch.
It’s why new generations keep discovering it.
And it’s why no one — absolutely no one — did comedy like Tim Conway and Harvey Korman.