Harvey Korman has died…and, man, am I bummed.
If the guy had never done anything other than “The Carol Burnett Show,” he’d still be a comedy legend, but his resume was filled with plenty of reasons for you to mourn his passing. Heck, the realization that the Great Gazoo will never again call Fred Flintstone “dum-dum” in quite the same way is getting me misty enough that I can forgive him for those appearances he made on “Mama’s Family.” Besides, even if I didn’t like the show, it’s not like I can blame the guy for taking the opportunity to play with Vicki Lawrence again. Plus, he survived the experience of playing no less than three roles in “The Star Wars Holiday Special” – Krelman, Chef Gormaand, and the Amorphian instructor – and that’s the Hollywood equivalent of earning half a dozen Purple Hearts and a couple of Bronze Stars.
Korman was great at playing the too-stern-for-his-own-good authority figure who always got his comeuppance and, when he did, you were laughing all the way. Mel Brooks knew this and took advantage of it, providing him with classic roles like Dr. Charles Montague in “High Anxiety” and Hedy…sorry, Hedley Lamarr…in “Blazing Saddles.” Okay, so his role in “Dracula: Dead and Loving It” might not have been on the same level, but it was still nice to see him on the big screen again.
Over at NewsFromMe.com, Mark Evanier has promised to provide some of his favorite anecdotes about Korman, but he’s already declared him “one of the funniest people I ever encountered…and easily the best audience.” I can absolutely believe that, based on the way he used to explode with laughter at Tim Conway; those two together will likely always be remembered as one of the best comedy duos in the history of TV sketch comedy, and rightfully so.
I suppose it’s only appropriate that, even in the process of researching IMDB.com to write this piece, Korman is still making me laugh, courtesy of the names of the characters he’s played over the years:
Prof. Fagenspahen (“The Munsters”)
Col. Heindreich von Zeppel (“F-Troop”)
Baron Hinterstoisser (“The Wild, Wild West”)
And let us not forget his recurring role in the “Pink Panther” saga: Prof. Auguste Balls.
I’m really gonna miss that guy. Hasta la vista, Harvey.
