Tim Conway: The Man Who Made America Laugh Until It Hurt
Tim Conway spent decades turning the simplest moments into comedic gold, earning his place in television history with a style that combined perfect timing, endless imagination, and pure joy. Long before he became a household name on The Carol Burnett Show, Conway was sharpening his wit in local theater and early TV, developing the improvisational chops that would soon leave audiences—and fellow actors—helpless with laughter.
On The Carol Burnett Show, he perfected the art of scene-stealing without ever overshadowing his castmates. He often made his biggest impact by quietly unraveling the “straight man,” most famously Harvey Korman, who frequently dissolved into laughter mid-scene. Carol Burnett herself joked that Conway’s secret mission was “to destroy Harvey Korman,” and perhaps nowhere was that clearer than in the now-iconic “Dentist” sketch. As a clueless practitioner who accidentally numbs his own hand with Novocaine, Conway’s physical comedy and deadpan delivery left Korman—and millions of viewers—gasping for air from laughter.
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