It’s looking like one of those weeks…..

How ironic that in the midst of Madeline Kahn Appreciation Day, would mark the sad passing of another of her Blazing Saddles costars, Harvey Korman, a fine comic actor and inarguably one of the greatest sketch comedy comedians in television history and, obviously, as a huge fan of The Carol Burnett Show growing up, a personal favorite of mine. Like M. Kahn, Alec Baldwin, Phil Hartman and his most frequent scene partner, Carol Burnett, he could either be the silliest character on stage or the straightest of straight men — and generate gigantic laughs by doing next to nothing. In either role, he nearly always made the scene funnier, finding just the right note of eccentricity or concealed bombast to make the moment sing.

As the scenes below show, he was also a consummate ensemble player, never hogging the spotlight and allowing the scene to kind of take shape. As his slapstick collaborations with Tim Conway made all too clear, he had no problem with being upstaged. Watching the four-person scenes below show him as a virtuoso ensemble player among virtuosos.

First, an example of probably my favorite series of Carol Burnett Show sketches, which paired him and Burnett as a sort of comic opera version of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip (though he refers to himself as a king in the sketch below), inevitably facing off against Conway as an imbecilic American war hero. (The push-up bra wearing actress playing the soldier’s “friend” is, yes, Dame Maggie Smith.)

And here’s another sketch featuring the four main players from the Burnett show — Korman, Conway, Burnett, and the underrated Vicki Lawrence — working like a well oiled machine on a scene which, once again, milks class warfare for laughs.

And, though it runs a bit long, a scene for us film geeks with references sure to baffle large majorities, but who doesn’t understand a pratfall?

There’s more from the esteemed Will Harris (who stole my pic!) over at my other blog home, Premium Hollywood.

UPDATE: There’s more, of course. Brian Doan adds a great deal and Dennis Cozzalio eulogizes Hedley Lamarr and joins the “let’s all use the same picture club.” Also, the Los Angeles Times has a more complete obituary that includes some poignant reminisces from Tim Conway.