What a week. “Captain” Jack Duffy, Earle Hagen, Dick Martin, Sidney Pollack, now Harvey Korman. The guy who couldn’t keep a straight face on The Carol Burnett Show passed away Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 81.
Check out his obit here in the Los Angeles Times and, if they haven’t corrected it yet, check out the accompanying photo. It is a black and white shot from the Burnett Show with studly straight man Lyle Waggoner mis-identified as Korman. Damn, you want to get those things right if you are the newspaper of record in the industry town (the Times probably just downsized their photo department, they’re cutting everywhere else).
Korman and his old pal Tim Conway appeared before critics at press tour a few years ago and it was just like old times. Conway could, and did, always crack Korman up. It was playful and genuine and always endeared them to viewers.
A good early example: The Dentist Sketch, something the duo performed live all across North America. Check it out below:
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