A Television Gem That Keeps Making Us Laugh
Some moments in television history only get better with time, just like an excellent wine. One such gem is the comedic skit “The Dentist” from The Carol Burnett Show. This skit continues to make audiences of all ages laugh aloud, solidifying its status as one of the funniest television moments ever.
The Carol Burnett Show, which ran for eleven years, won an impressive 25 Emmy Awards and eight Golden Globes. It introduced us to many talented comedians and remains one of the most prestigious programs in television history.
The Unforgettable Chemistry of Tim Conway and Harvey Korman
One skit from The Carol Burnett Show that still circulates today is “The Dentist,” featuring the hilarious duo, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman. It’s one of those scenes that once seen, you can’t get it out of your head. Conway and Korman struggle to contain their laughter as they watch the act, because it’s just that funny.
The Toothache That Leads to Hilarity
In “The Dentist,” Korman plays the patient with a horrible toothache. To his dismay, when he visits the dentist on a Sunday, he discovers that Conway, the nephew of his regular dentist, is filling in. It turns out that Conway has just finished dentistry school and Korman will be his first patient.
The nervous dentist does everything in his power to get his first client to leave or settle for a cleaning. He even lies, claiming that during dental school, he only pulled teeth from animals and received mediocre grades. However, poor Korman is in too much pain to care about any excuses.
Hilarious Mishaps and Numb Hands
Conway, forced to consult a manual, attempts to figure out how to extract Korman’s tooth. In a hilarious turn of events, he mistakenly injects Novocain into his own hand during the procedure. The numbness leads to a series of funny mishaps, causing Korman to frequently cover his face to prevent breaking character.
Conway later admitted that Korman was laughing so hard during the skit that he actually wet his pants. That’s how funny it was! Conway also revealed that the skit was partly inspired by a military dentist he had encountered in real life.
A Comedy That Leaves Everything but Laughter Numb
By the time the comedy is over, almost everything is numb, except for the laughter echoing from the audience and the patient’s mouth. Of course, the primary goal of this comedy is to make people laugh, but you’ll have to watch to find out if the patient’s tooth is ever actually pulled out.
The ridicule of a terrible dental experience is relatable to a majority of people. From 1967 to 1978, The Carol Burnett Show entertained audiences with its realistic, family-friendly, and non-partisan comedy. It’s easy to understand why this priceless piece of television history continues to amuse viewers of all ages.
Sit back, relax, and prepare for a good laugh as you watch the hilarious video:
