Facts About Tim Conway

He was amazing on The Carol Burnett Show.

Tim ConwayPhoto byCreative Commons: Alex Erde

The Carol Burnett Show was one of the best sketch comedy shows of all time. And Tim Conway was a big part of that. His Old Man and Mr. Tudball characters were two of the best parts of that show. While the cast as a whole was great in sketches, almost invariably the best sketches were ones that featured Tim Conway.

Of course, Tim also appeared in a number of notable movies with Don Knotts. And many TV viewers remember him from his work on McHale’s Navy. Beyond those things, here are some things you might not have known about Tim Conway.

1: Tim was part of the shortest running series in TV history.

Turn-on lasted for one episode. Less than that in some markets. A couple of stations pulled it at the first commercial break. In some respects, the show was like Laugh-In on speed. Minus the laughs.

2: Conway was noted for his lack of success in solo TV projects. His customized license plate read, “13 WKS.”

Compared to “Turn-on,” that was an eternity.

3: Tim replaced Lyle Waggoner as a regular on The Carol Brunett Show for the 1975–76 season.

When I think of replacements for Lyle Waggoner, Tim Conway isn’t the first name that comes to my mind.

4: Being a comedian wasn’t his original career choice.

He actually wanted to be a jockey. That didn’t work out, but he did have the opportunity to wear jockeys if he so desired.

5: Even after his career took off, his mother had her doubts.

When visiting home his mother suggested he move back home and get a job at the hardware store. Which proves you can come home. And maybe work in a hardware store.

6: Tim wasn’t a fan of modern comedy.

Tim said, “the punchline of a joke is not a swear word, in my book.” Tim liked to keep profanity in the family, where it belongs.

7: Tim was also known to cause incontinence.

On one occasion, Tim broke up Harvey Korman to the point Harvey wet himself. Maybe Tim should have been a spokesperson for Depends.

8: Tim and Harvey Korman obviously worked together a lot. Tim had an interesting take on Harvey saying, “We’re friends; He’s a bright guy; he can do The New York Times crossword puzzle in about five minutes, but he can’t tie his shoes.”

If Harvey was so smart, you would think he would have gone with Velcro.

9: He not only starred with Don Knotts in “The Prize Fighter” and “The Private Eyes,” he also wrote both movies.

The Prize Fighter kind of reminds me of Rocky. Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in Rocky, Tim Conway wrote in starred in The Prize Fighter. Of course, The Prize Fighter didn’t have as many sequels. Or any.

10: Tim provided the voice of Barnacle Boy in SpongeBob SquarePants.

Barnacle Boy is an aging, somewhat irritable superhero. Maybe he’s irritable because he’s old and is still referred to as Barnacle Boy.