Out of all of Tim Conway’s memorable characters on the Carol Burnett show, most fans would probably name “Mr. Tudball” as their personal favorite. The skits featuring Mrs. Wiggins (played by Carol Burnett) are hilarious, but Mr. Tudball can also hold his own in solo skits.
Mr. Tudball’s character wears a very ill-fitting three-piece business suit, a terrible toupee, and speaks with a heavy Romanian accent. And while Tim usually plays screwball characters in skits, however, one could argue that Mr. Tudball is the closest thing to a “straight” character Tim played on the show. Tudball is a straight-laced character who endures working with Mrs. Wiggins (the worst secretary on Earth).
However, in this solo skit featuring Harvey Korman as a security guard, Mr. Tudball must deal with a new antagonist — the office vending machine.
In the scene, Tudball walks up to the machine and drops a coin in. He then waits for his coffee to come out, to no avail. Eventually, he begins furiously pushing and hitting the coin release to get his money back, and that’s when Harvey walks up behind him to see what all the fuss is about. Almost immediately, Tim makes Harvey break character after muttering his first line. And from their hilarity ensues. Check out the scene in the video below.
Tim Conway had a special gift for turning any scene into a laugh-out-loud riot using a subtle combination of body language and perfect delivery that most comedians couldn’t master in a lifetime. We hope this clip brought a few laughs into your day, and please be sure to share it with your friends and family.
