The Oldest Man

Last updated
Tim Conway, Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke (1977) Tim Conway Carol Burnett Dick Van Dyke Carol Burnett Show 1977.JPG
Tim Conway, Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke (1977)

The Oldest Man, sometimes referred to as Duane Toddleberry, [1] is a recurring character from comedy sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show . The character was created by Tim Conway during his run on the show and is noted for Conway's performance of slapstick and ad-libbed humor. The character has been revisited in Conway's live comedy tour with fellow actor Harvey Korman from 2003 until Korman's death in 2008, twice on The Queen Latifah Show between 2014 and 2015, in a sketch in the Motion Picture & Television Fund, [2] and also in the collector's edition DVD titled Together Again, [3] which includes new sketches starring Tim Conway and Harvey Korman in their classic roles from The Carol Burnett Show. [4]

Contents

The Oldest Man serves as one of the most beloved recurring characters on The Carol Burnett Show, in addition to being one of Conway's most famous characters. Throughout his career, Conway earned five Emmy Awards for his work on the show, and in 2002, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. [5]

Conway cites "The Fireman" as among his favorite sketches he's ever performed. [6] In addition, Carol Burnett included one of "The Oldest Man" sketches - "Galley Slaves" - in her list of All-Time Favorite Sketches from The Carol Burnett Show. [7]

Description

The Oldest Man is known for his signature shuffle, created by his absurdly slow movements. As the Oldest Man, Tim Conway wears a rumpled white wig, typically along with a suit, and speaks in a slurred, droning voice. The character was created by Conway, [6] who began as a recurring guest on The Carol Burnett Show before becoming a series regular beginning with the 1975–1976 season. [8]

The Oldest Man appears in a variety of situations, performing a new type of role in each sketch. Some of the most notable including a slave in a galley ship, a fireman, a clock-maker, a butcher, and a shoe store salesman. Most often, the character plays opposite straight man Harvey Korman, who reacts with frustration and anger to The Oldest Man's lingering pace and unhelpful charades.

The Oldest Man is a strong example of slapstick comedy and clown acting, as the character typically performs exaggerated physical stunts and often injures himself comically in the process. For example, playing the grandfather character to Marion, Conway takes a drastically slow tumble down the stairs in one "As the Stomach Turns" sketch, aired October 20, 1969, or in The Oldest Torturer sketch, aired December 6, 1975, he slowly burns himself with a hot iron.

Origins

Conway remarks that the idea for the Oldest Man character began with memories from earlier in life: “I broke my back in high school,” Conway says, “and walking to and from school that was my speed. That was the way I walked. So that got a lot of laughs.” Later, when working on The Carol Burnett Show, Conway claims the idea for the shuffling walk arrived spontaneously during one sketch. “Carol (Burnett) opened the door and I was supposed to walk to the couch and then I was going to talk to her but I was supposed to be this old man. I started walking that way and as I was walking across the room I said to myself, ‘You know, if they don’t stop this the sketch is going to be about three days long.’ But nobody stopped me, we kept going, and that started that character.”

Conway says the spontaneity of the Oldest Man’s creation served as a way to make fellow actor Korman laugh. “A lot of the characters were created on air... Harvey would fall apart because the first time they saw the old man and the way I walked as the old man was when we were actually taping the show. So, when I started walking from the door and shuffling across the room as the rug was gathering in front of me (laughs), that was the first time that anybody had seen it.” [9]

In regards to the Oldest Man, Carol Burnett also recognized Conway's strong desire to make Korman crack up during the show: "It was Tim's goal in life to destroy Harvey Korman." [10]

Sketches

NºSeasonEpisodeAirdateTitle
1Season 3 (1969–1970)Ep 5October 20, 1969"As the Stomach Turns" (as Grandpa) – The Oldest Man is the grandfather of Marian (Carol Burnett) whom she is planning to send to a retirement home.
2Ep 10December 8, 1969"Pit Stop" – The Oldest Man is a pit crew member who attempts to perform an oil change for a race-car driver (Harvey Korman).
3Season 5 (1971–1972)Ep 6October 27, 1971"The Safecracker" –The Oldest Man is a safecracker and the mastermind of a jewelry heist.
4Season 6 (1972–1973)Ep 7October 25, 1972"Galley Slaves" – The Oldest Man is a galley slave who creates trouble for his rowing partner (Harvey Korman) on a slave ship.
5Ep 20February 17, 1973"The Fireman" – The Oldest Man is a fireman who attempts to rescue a man (Harvey Korman) when a house is on fire.
6Season 7 (1973–1974)Ep 9November 10, 1973"As the Stomach Turns" (as Marvin Peterson Jr.) – The Oldest Man is the obscene phone caller who is telephoning Marian (Carol Burnett).
7Ep 12December 8, 1973"The Conductor" – The Oldest Man is a conductor who leads the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House.
8Ep 17February 2, 1974"The Dresser" – The Oldest Man is a wardrobe dresser having problems helping an actor (Harvey Korman) with a quick change between acts of a play.
9Season 8 (1974–1975)Ep 11December 7, 1974"As the Stomach Turns" (as Uncle Waldo) – The Oldest Man is the wealthy uncle of Marian (Carol Burnett) who is being blackmailed.
10Ep 19February 22, 1975"The Old Witness" – A detective (Harvey Korman) interviews The Oldest Man after he witnesses a murder.
11Ep 24April 5, 1975"Clock Repair" – A business man (Harvey Korman) brings his grandfather clock to The Oldest Man for a repair and is in a hurry to get back to work.
12Season 9 (1975–1976)Ep 10November 15, 1975"The Doctor" – The Oldest Man is a doctor who makes a house call for a man (Harvey Korman) home sick with a bad cold.
13Ep 12December 6, 1975"The Torturer" – The Oldest Man is a royal torturer summoned by HRH (Harvey Korman) to convince a lady (Vicki Lawrence) to accept his marriage proposal.
14Ep 15December 20, 1975"The Shoe Store" – The Oldest Man is a shoe salesman trying to sell a pair of blue slippers to Stella Toddler (Carol Burnett).
15Ep 20February 7, 1976"The Sheriff" – The Oldest Man is a Wild West sheriff who must contend with a bank robber (Harvey Korman) before he can escape town.
16Season 10 (1976–1977)Ep 8November 13, 1976"The Butcher" – The Oldest Man is a butcher who tries to serve an impatient customer (Harvey Korman).
17Ep 9November 20, 1976"The Hot Dog Vendor" – A business man (Harvey Korman) on his lunch hour stops for a hot dog and a milkshake at a shop run by The Oldest Man.
18Ep 20February 26, 1977"As the Stomach Turns" (as Duane Toddleberry) – The Oldest Man is a life insurance agent visiting Marian (Carol Burnett) after she returns from her daughter's funeral.
19Ep 21March 5, 1977"The Captain" – A sailor (Harvey Korman) and The Oldest Man as a ship captain try to keep their ship from hitting an iceberg.
20Ep 22March 19, 1977"The Baggage Handler" – The Oldest Man works as a baggage handler at an airport.
21Season 11 (1977–1978)Ep 9November 19, 1977"Old-Timers" – The Oldest Man and Dick Van Dyke are legendary baseball hall-of-fame players from the turn of the century.

[11] [12] [13] [14]

Later Appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Burnett</span> American comedian and actress (born 1933)

Carol Creighton Burnett is an American comedian, actress, and singer. Her comedy-variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which originally aired on CBS, was one of the first to be hosted by a woman. She has performed on Broadway, on television, and in film of varying genres, including dramatic and comedic roles. She has received numerous accolades, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and seven Golden Globe Awards. Burnett was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Conway</span> American actor and comedian (1933–2019)

Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Conway is perhaps best known as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy The Carol Burnett Show where he portrayed his recurrent iconic characters Mister Tudball and the Oldest Man. Over his career he received numerous accolades including five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. He received the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002.

<i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> American variety/sketch comedy television show (1967–1978)

The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular cast member after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that he was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.

<i>Mamas Family</i> American sitcom (1983–1990)

Mama's Family is an American sitcom television series starring Vicki Lawrence as Mama. The series is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called "The Family" featured on The Carol Burnett Show (1967–78) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979). The sketches led to the television film Eunice, and finally the television series.

In theatre, breaking character occurs when an actor fails to maintain the illusion that they are the character they are supposedly portraying. This is considered unprofessional while performing in front of an audience or camera. One of the most common ways of breaking character is corpsing, in which an actor loses their composure and laughs or giggles in a comedy scene or scene requiring ludicrous actions. If the breaking of character is particularly serious, it would normally result in an abandonment of a take in recorded or filmed drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Korman</span> American actor and comedian (1927–2008)

Harvey Herschel Korman was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. He is best remembered as a main cast member alongside Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence on the CBS sketch comedy series The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1977) for which he won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Lawrence</span> American actress, comedian, and singer (born 1949)

Vicki Lawrence, sometimes credited as Vicki Lawrence Schultz, is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for her character Mama. Lawrence also originated many other characters on CBS's The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1978, the variety show's entire series run.

"As the Stomach Turns" is a series of comedy sketches parodying the soap opera As the World Turns featured on The Carol Burnett Show, with one installment airing on Carol Burnett & Company. The sketch was created by show writers Kenny Solms and Gail Parent. The Carol Burnett Show introduced the series during its first season in 1967–68 and continued to air new installments for the remainder of its 11-season run, through its final season in 1977–78. The final installment of "As the Stomach Turns" did not air until September 8, 1979, on a different four-week summer series titled Carol Burnett & Company. This was the only installment of "As the Stomach Turns" that did not air on The Carol Burnett Show, which completed its run almost a year and a half earlier on March 29, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelma Harper</span> Fictional character

Thelma Harper, better known as Mama, is a fictional character played by American actress Vicki Lawrence. Mama is a purse-lipped, thickset senior citizen in her mid-to-late 60s. She has lived in an unspecified part of the Southern United States called "Raytown" for her entire life, evident from the southern drawl of her speech and customs. Mama is an exaggerated version of a prototypical middle twentieth century lower middle class grandmother in the United States South. The character was originally created for Carol Burnett, however, Burnett preferred to play Mama's daughter Eunice Harper Higgins, resulting in Mama as Lawrence's claim to fame.

Carol Burnett & Company is an American four-episode summer variety/sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, Kenneth Mars and Craig Richard Nelson. The series served as a continuation of The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978) and aired on ABC on four consecutive Saturday nights from August 18, 1979, to September 8, 1979.

<i>The Danny Kaye Show</i> American television variety program

The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show, hosted by the stage and screen star Danny Kaye, which aired on Wednesday nights from September 25, 1963, to June 7, 1967, on the CBS television network. Directed by Robert Scheerer, it premiered in black-and-white. It switched to color broadcasts in the fall of 1965. At the time, Kaye was at the height of his popularity. He starred in a string of successful 1940s and 1950s musical comedy features, made numerous personal appearances at venues such as the London Palladium, and his rare selective visits to the small screen were considered major events. With his recent motion pictures considered disappointments, three triumphant early 1960s television specials led the way to this series. Prior to his film and television career, Kaye had made a name for himself with his own radio show, also titled The Danny Kaye Show. He made numerous guest appearances on other comedy and variety radio shows and headlined in several major Broadway musical revues throughout the 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Family (sketch)</span> Sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show

"The Family" is a series of comedy sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show, with one final installment airing on Carol Burnett & Company. The Carol Burnett Show introduced the skit starting in the 1973-1974 season. Overall, it aired new installments of the skit for the last five seasons of its total 11-season run; the skit aired from the 1973-1974 season to the 1977-1978 season on the show. The final installment of "The Family" aired on September 8, 1979, after Burnett's CBS show had concluded, on a four-week summer series entitled Carol Burnett & Company. This was the only installment of "The Family" that did not air on The Carol Burnett Show. Altogether, there were 31 appearances of "The Family" sketches.

<i>The Tim Conway Show</i> (1980 TV series) US variety program (1980–81)

The Tim Conway Show – the second of two television series of the name – is a 1980–1981 American variety/sketch comedy television show starring Tim Conway. It aired on CBS from March 22, 1980 to May 17, 1980, and from September 20, 1980 to March 7, 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Went with the Wind!</span>

"Went with the Wind!" is a comedy sketch featured on the eighth episode of the tenth season of The Carol Burnett Show. It originally aired in the United States on CBS on November 13, 1976, and is a parody of the 1939 American historical drama film Gone with the Wind. The sketch was written by two young writers, Rick Hawkins and Liz Sage. In 2009, TV Guide ranked the sketch #53 on its list of "Top 100 Episodes of All Time".

Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin is a comedy variety television special which aired on February 10, 1987, on ABC. It starred Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams. Burnett served as the host of the one hour long spinoff special from her variety series The Carol Burnett Show featuring the guest stars, Reiner, Goldberg, and Williams. The special received positive reviews praising the performances of the comedians, and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program for Robin Williams' performance in the special.

Eunice is a 1982 American made-for-television comedy-drama film starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry and Betty White which is based on characters of a recurring series of comedy sketches called "The Family" featured on The Carol Burnett Show (1974–78) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979). The film was broadcast as a "CBS Special Presentation" on March 15, 1982 and served as a precursor to the spin-off television sitcom Mama's Family. It was directed by Roger Beatty and Harvey Korman.

"Mrs. Wiggins" is a series of comedy sketches featured on The Carol Burnett Show, with one installment airing on Carol Burnett & Company. The Carol Burnett Show introduced the skit series during its ninth season in 1975–76 and continued to air new installments for the remainder of its 11-season run, through its final season in 1977–78. However, the final installment of "Mrs. Wiggins" would not air until August 18, 1979 on a different four-week summer series titled Carol Burnett & Company. This was the only installment of "Mrs. Wiggins" that did not air on The Carol Burnett Show, which had completed its run almost a year and a half earlier on March 29, 1978. All together, there were 19 installments of "Mrs. Wiggins" sketches.

"A Special Evening with Carol Burnett" is the two-hour series finale of the American variety/sketch comedy television show The Carol Burnett Show. It is the 279th overall episode of the show and the 24th episode of the eleventh and final season which aired on CBS on Wednesday, March 29, 1978 from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. EST.

<i>In Such Good Company</i>

In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox is a 2016 memoir by Carol Burnett, which, in its audio form, earned Burnett a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. The memoir tells the behind-the-scenes story of The Carol Burnett Show.

References

  1. ↑ Zeke, Jarvis (2015). Make 'em laugh! : American humorists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   9781440829949. OCLC   905543884.
  2. 1 2 Tim Conway and Harvey Korman at MPTF, 2016-09-17, retrieved 2017-04-13
  3. 1 2 Potempa, Philip. "Harvey Korman dead at age 81, but his humor lives on". nwitimes.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  4. ↑ "The Oldest Man" . Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  5. ↑ "Tim Conway | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  6. 1 2 "Tim Conway". Television Academy. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  7. ↑ "Carol Burnett chooses her all-time favorite sketches". Me-TV Network. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  8. ↑ "Herald-Journal - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  9. 1 2 "Tim Conway: The King of Clean". www.cbn.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  10. ↑ Carol Burnett Interview About "The Oldest Man" Sketch, 2012-06-20, retrieved 2017-04-13
  11. ↑ "The Carol Burnett Show". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  12. ↑ Burnett, Carol; Lawrence, Vicki; Korman, Harvey; Waggoner, Lyle (1967-09-11), The Carol Burnett Show , retrieved 2017-04-13
  13. ↑ "Carol Burnett and Friends: Complete Episode List". thetvdb.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  14. ↑ "Oldest Man". Oldest Man. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  15. ↑ Queen Latifah (2015-02-15), Tim Conway Makes A Hilarious Entrance | The Queen Latifah Show , retrieved 2017-04-13
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.