# How would you rate Tim Conway as a comedian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948 "2014-09-30T07:35:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/1 "2014-09-30T07:35:17Z")
[Re Tim Conway.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Conway)I was looking at some of his stuff on youtube, and while it’s not all that edgy if a skit was well written he handed his parts pretty well. What your take on Tim Conway as a comedian? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/2 "2014-09-30T07:55:56Z")
Hilarious. One of the legends. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3qqE_WmagjY/hqdefault.jpg "Carol Burnett Show outtakes - Tim Conway's Elephant Story") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qqE_WmagjY) ---
**Author:** ![Vashbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Vashbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vashbul)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/3 "2014-09-30T07:57:53Z")
When I was in my teens, I watched _McHale’s Navy_, and Tim as Mr. Parker was certainly the best thing on it. A perfect boob, he was. He would say some completely idiotic line in this rapid, matter-of-fact way that made it funny. Put him next to Joe Flynn (the ever-flustered Capt. Binghamton) and you couldn’t lose. In one bit he was posing as a supposedly rich investor (part of some typical McHale con), and someone handed him a picture of a house for sale. He says, “Oh my, that’s beautiful. Pretty clouds!” (You had to hear Tim Conway say it.) I was surprised to later learn that _McHale’s Navy_ is held in low regard among 60s sitcom fans - not up there with _Dick Van Dyke_, closer to _Green Acres_. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/4 "2014-09-30T08:20:59Z")
Well, I certainly hold _McHale’s Navy_ in high regard. Loved it. Love Conway. Just looked him up. Still alive. Eighty years old. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/5 "2014-09-30T08:39:57Z")
Absolutely hilarious on _The Carol Burnett Show_. His Mr. Tudball character, the boss, with Carol as his dim-witted secretary Mrs. Wiggins is one of the classic comedy segments and never failed to make me laugh. I’m surprised to hear he’s only 80. ---
**Author:** ![Vashbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Vashbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vashbul)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/6 "2014-09-30T08:59:07Z")
> [@SiamSam222](#): > > Well, I certainly hold _McHale’s Navy_ in high regard. Well, I think one problem is that it got compared to Sgt. Bilko (which I hadn’t seen at the time). And Ernest Borgnine was no Phil Silvers. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/7 "2014-09-30T09:01:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Absolutely hilarious on _The Carol Burnett Show_. His Mr. Tudball character, the boss, with Carol as his dim-witted secretary Mrs. Wiggins is one of the classic comedy segments and never failed to make me laugh. I’m surprised to hear he’s only 80. He turns 81 in December. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/8 "2014-09-30T11:08:55Z")
\*The \*best second-banana _ever_. When he had a proper straightman to play off of he was a genius. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/9 "2014-09-30T11:10:56Z")
what’s a Tim Conway? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/10 "2014-09-30T11:12:38Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > what’s a Tim Conway? Get off of my lawn. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/11 "2014-09-30T11:25:24Z")
I think my tastes in comedy have changed over time. I remember Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett Show leaving me gasping with laughter, but the stuff I’ve watched on Youtube recently was only good for a few smiles and chuckles. Same with many Monty Python skits. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/12 "2014-09-30T11:28:21Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > what’s a Tim Conway? About 80 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/13 "2014-09-30T11:50:09Z")
Yeah, Tim Conway (with Harvey Korman) on the Carol Burnett Show was comedy gold! Never failed to make me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/14 "2014-09-30T11:59:26Z")
As of just a few years ago, TIm was still hilarious as the voice of Barnacle Boy on _ **SpongeBob SquarePants** _ cartoons. His old co-star Ernest Borgnine was also hysterical as the voice of senile superhero Mermaid Man in those same cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/15 "2014-09-30T12:31:35Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Yeah, Tim Conway (with Harvey Korman) on the Carol Burnett Show was comedy gold! Never failed to make me laugh. Rarely failed to make Korman laugh either-many clips out there of Conway putting Korman onto the verge of hysterics. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/16 "2014-09-30T12:35:20Z")
I liked his part in [The Aristocrats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aristocrats_(film)), a compilation of comedians telling their version of [The Aristocrats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aristocrats) joke. Conway’s not known for blue humor, but they arranged for him to use the old man gimmick at the closing credits. As the credits roll by, the old man is walking up the hallway towards the camera, doing that short-step shuffle that takes him forever. When he finally gets close enough, he says “There were these two goats” then falls asleep. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/17 "2014-09-30T13:21:42Z")
I wasn’t a regular watcher of _The Carol Burnett Show_, but I caught it from time to time. And I caught it during its original run the night of the famous dentist sketch. Now I love to laugh, but it’s relatively rare that a comedy bit will put me literally (yes, _literally_) on the floor in helpless, uncontrollable laughter. But that sketch did. I know some of his other bits have been very good, too. But that’s one I’ll never forget. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/18 "2014-09-30T13:32:33Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Rarely failed to make Korman laugh either-many clips out there of Conway putting Korman onto the verge of hysterics. Watching the CB troupe try to get through skits when one or another of them was working the lines is among my favorite comedy memories. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/19 "2014-09-30T13:53:45Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Watching the CB troupe try to get through skits when one or another of them was working the lines is among my favorite comedy memories. [the elephant in the room even](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaaj7Mv4QO0). snerkle! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948/20 "2014-09-30T14:05:59Z")
> [@simster](#): > > [the elephant in the room even](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaaj7Mv4QO0). O deer ghod. I think the answer to the OP’s question is Q.E.D., but Vikki Carr might have won the round anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-rate-tim-conway-as-a-comedian/699948.md?page=2)