Tim Conway as the 35-Year-Old Orphan: The Sketch That Broke Harvey Korman (Again)
The Carol Burnett Show | Classic Comedy Clip
In the long, bright timeline of American sketch comedy, Tim Conway holds a place all his own. Nobody could turn pure innocence into a comedic weapon quite like he did — and “The 35-Year-Old Orphan” is one of the sharpest examples of his genius.
The setup is simple: Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman arrive at an orphanage hoping to adopt a child. What they don’t expect is a full-grown man — played by Conway — shuffling into the room with the wide-eyed confusion of a lost toddler, introducing himself as an orphan who’s still waiting for parents. From the moment he speaks, it’s over. His soft, baby-like voice. His hesitant steps. His squishy, bewildered facial expressions that make him look like a 5-year-old trapped in a 35-year-old body. It’s comedy delivered with surgical precision.
And of course, this is Tim Conway — which means Harvey Korman never stood a chance. Every time Conway tilts his head, fidgets with his hands, or answers a question with exaggerated innocence, you can see Korman’s composure dissolving. He fights it, he bites his lip, he turns away from the camera… and then Conway pushes just a bit further, and Harvey breaks. Hard. Carol tries to hold the scene steady, but once Harvey is gone, the whole sketch teeters delightfully on the edge of collapse.
That chaos is exactly why people still watch this clip decades later. Conway doesn’t rely on big jokes or oversized punchlines; he does it all with timing, stillness, and a fearless commitment to the character. He plays the orphan with such sincerity — not mocking, not winking — that the absurdity becomes irresistible.
It’s one of those rare comedy moments where the actors’ laughter becomes part of the show’s charm. Tim Conway doesn’t just perform the scene… he disarms it. He turns grown adults into giggling children and reminds us why The Carol Burnett Show remains one of the greatest sketch programs ever made.
Sometimes the funniest thing in the world is a man acting like a child — as long as the man is Tim Conway.
