Harvey Korman Dead At 81

[bradm]

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/tv/19369519.html

Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and on the big screen in "Blazing Saddles," died Thursday. He was 81.

Aloha,

Brad

[Jaimoe]

Wow, this news just hit me like a slap in the head. I love Harvey Korman. I loved his work growing up. In fact, Harvey's comedic touch was a big part of my upbringing. The Flintstones is where it started through to his film and TV work, particularly when he played infamous disguise artist Professor Auguste Balls in one of my favourite comedies of all time: The Pink Panther Strikes Again. Of course I loved his work with Mel Brooks in the hilarious Hitchcock spoof High Anxiety and the western skewer masterpiece Blazing Saddles along with Brooks' last relevant film, History of the World: Part I.

But nothing, and I repeat nothing beats Harvey Korman in The Carol Burnett Show, which ran from 1967-78. He, along with Carol, Lyle, Vicki Lawrence and of course his comic partner genius Tim Conway (who constantly improvised instead of reading his lines, making Harvey laugh all-the-while) will always play a big part in my life. The last great variety show also contained some of the funniest and most memorable scenes in TV history, thanks to Harvey Korman.

R.I.P. old friend.

[bouche]

aw shit. I actually thought that I might see him and Tim since they were still at it. They were touring the last couple of years and I thought they might hit the NAC.

I grew up watching the Carol Burnett show and seeing him try to hold in his laughter. Especially when Tim was trying his best to trip him up. His involvement with Mama's Family was great.

[Jaimoe]

Eunice (the real one) was sooooooo mean to Harvey's characer Ed.

Who can forget Harvey's spot-on Rhett Butler on their parody of Gone With The Wind, one of the show's best spoofs.

[Kanada Kev]

The memories of the Carol Burnett show are flooding back. i LOVED that show. Some of the best comedic moments ever. They were brilliant. I think the only one I disliked was Vicki Lawrence as "Mama". Yet, Eunice was the saving grace of those sketches.

Yes, I totally remember the Gone With The Wind sketch too. I had seen that movie as a kid many times with my mom and sister and was totally in tune with the references. When she makes the dress out of the curtains (with the curtain rod still in it ), etc.

Watching them try to keep straight faces during those sketches were classic. Looking back now, other than some of the outfits, the comedy holds true. Something that can't be said for a lot of current comedy variety shows on tv (SNL, etc.)

We'll miss ya Harvey

[bouche]

Gone with the Wind Part 1

Gone with the Wind Part 2

[hamilton]

I loved The Carol Burnett Show when I was growing up. I haven't thought about it in years, though.

RIP Harvey!

[bouche]

if you get a chance, check out the outtakes of the carol burnett show. I found a torrent of it on thepiratebay.org called the Show Stoppers a few months ago, and I think you could rent it.

fucking HILARIOUS. it really is a bunch of clips about show stoppers.

[Kanada Kev]

bouche,

Thank you! I'm grabbing it now. Hopefully I can get to watch it by the weekend.

[geomouse]

Ya thanks Bouche...I know a few elderlies I'm going to burn this for. Definitely a generational classic!

We'll miss you Harvey.

g

[Patchoulia]

Dave, you posted essentially what I was going to...this upset me an inordinate amount. I mean, guy had a good run...but still..genius..will be missed. Sad.

RIP Harvey.

[Jaimoe]

I think to many of us of a certain age, Harvey was like our comic grandfather, and that's why the death of an 81 year-old hits us harder than most.

[Jaimoe]

Here's one of the funniest clips of Harvey in a Mel Brooks film: the famous psychiatrist werewolf scene. If you haven't seen the film and are a fan of Hitchcock (and Brooks), then go out and rent it immediately:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lex-Mvj9xU&feature=related

[Patchoulia]

I think to many of us of a certain age, Harvey was like our comic grandfather, and that's why the death of an 81 year-old hits us harder than most.

Although I am quite distraught at Harvey's death, I think I might be even more despondent about now being "of a certain age". *sigh*.

[phishtaper]

Although I am quite distraught at Harvey's death, I think I might be even more despondent about now being "of a certain age". *sigh*.

i know eh. fuck this getting older shit!

[Patchoulia]

From www.wwtdd.com:

It's not exactly like Harvey Korman was still working in movies and churning out really funny stuff, but he was so damn funny for so long, it still sucks that he passed away yesterday after complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago. Whatever the hell that means. He should have died from something funnier. Like slipping on a banana peel or getting whacked in the face with a beaver. I bet he would have wanted that. The AP says…

Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and played a conniving politician to hilarious effect in "Blazing Saddles," died Thursday. He was 81.

"A world without Harvey Korman — it's a more serious world," Mel Brooks told the AP on Thursday.

"I gave him tongue twisters because I knew he was the only one who could wrap his mouth around them," Brooks said. "Harvey was such a good solid actor that he could have done Shakespearean drama just as well and easily as he did comedy."

"You could get rock-solid comedy out of him. He could lift the material. He always made it real, always made it work, always believed in characters he was doing," he said.

Korman was like Will Arnett or Paget Brewster or Bernie Mac or someone like that in the sense that everything he said was ten times funnier than it really was. Those people just make stuff funny. Whereas someone like Cameron Diaz or Jennifer Anniston just sit there like a fucking lox and ruin everything. And yet they’re considered "funny". Because someone else wrote a joke. God I hate them. I'm not saying to punch Cameron Diaz in her stupid toothy face, but I’m also not not saying to punch her in her stupid toothy face.

[Jaimoe]

I hate Cameron Diaz and the rest of the Angels.

[phishtaper]

how can you "hate" an angel? is that allowed?

[Jaimoe]

how can you "hate" an angel? is that allowed?

She ain't no angel, but she's an Angel.

[Rob Not Bob]

In true tribute to his work, let us all make sure to laugh at an inappropriate moment some time during the next week.