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posted by chromas on Wednesday May 15 2019, @02:16AM   Printer-friendly
from the R.I.P. dept.

Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway passed away today, Tuesday May 14, 2019 at the age of 85.

He gained his first national following as Ensign Charles Parker on McHale's Navy in the 1960s. He was possibly best known for his being a regular cast member on The Carol Burnett Show where he frequently attempted -- and often succeeded -- in getting his fellow cast members to "break character". He'd ceaselessly ad-lib lines and employ mannerisms that led them to bust out laughing.

Wikipedia has a full write-up on his life and career that I was only fortunate enough to experience a small fraction of his comedic genius. His humor was self-effacing, self-deprecating, and his comedic timing was unparalleled.

My favorite skit was his portrayal of a dentist, fresh out of dental school, and his difficulties with helping a patient (Harvey Korman) who was complaining of a toothache. (Video available on YouTube. (Watch Harvey Korman struggling to maintain his composure.)

Coverage at: Variety, CBS News, USA Today, NPR, LA Times, and TV Guide.

The world is a darker place for his passing.

What were your favorite scenes, skits, or memories?

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 15 2019, @04:33AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 15 2019, @04:33AM (#843694)

    I heard it on the radio today, but was left wondering who the fuck he was. I'm not the youngest, but they mentioned his work on the Carol Burnett show. I've seen the show but definitely wasn't old enough to remember much besides the fact I did. I don't know if he did much in the 80's and later, but apparently he had a role on the Spongebob show.

  • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday May 15 2019, @07:04AM (1 child)

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Wednesday May 15 2019, @07:04AM (#843716) Homepage
    He didn't make it over the atlantic, so I've never heard of him - I've only barely even heard of Carol Burnett. However, I did some googling, and it does seem like they did have great comic chemistry; this cracked me up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJIh70IZua8

    Which raises the question why so many US attempts at comedic Sweeeeedish accents are always so terrible, bork bork bork.
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 15 2019, @02:48PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 15 2019, @02:48PM (#843841)

      The show was filmed live (I think they did two shows in a day). Conway was well known for ad-libbing and making the other performers struggle with staying in character, and even when he was delivering the lines he was supposed to say, sometimes just the way he said them or looked cracked them up. They left a lot of that into the broadcast version, which is one of the charming things about that TV show.

      This one is probably the best known version of that happening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qqE_WmagjY [youtube.com]

      Carol Burnett is supposed to be angry in this scene and you can see her really struggle keeping it together.