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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?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 15 2019, @02:48PM
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.