A Dental Visit That Went Completely Off the Rails
Tim Conway and Harvey Korman delivered one of television’s most memorable comedic moments in the legendary “Dentist” sketch from The Carol Burnett Show. What started as a straightforward routine quickly collapsed into hilarious mayhem as Conway’s inexperienced dentist attempted to care for Korman’s growingly terrified patient. The laughs began the second Korman learned that the “new dentist” had graduated just a few days earlier, setting the stage for the escalating madness that followed.
Novocaine Turns Into Total Chaos
Conway entered the sketch just as fans remembered him — timid, soft-spoken, and wildly unprepared. His very first attempt at giving a novocaine shot ended with him jabbing his own hand, leaving it instantly numb. Determined to carry on, he managed to make things even worse by accidentally injecting his leg next. Watching him try to function with one dangling hand and a completely useless leg sent the audience into uncontrollable laughter. Even Korman, well-known for cracking whenever Conway went off the rails, started to lose his composure.
Harvey Korman Finally Loses It
As Conway kept performing with a perfectly straight face and increasingly absurd physical gags, Korman’s ability to stay professional completely unraveled. Every effort he made to hold it together only amplified his laughter. He doubled over, hid his face, and shook with barely contained giggles — until he finally gave in entirely. The audience exploded right along with him, fully aware they were witnessing a moment that wasn’t just hilarious, but legendary.
The Story Behind the Iconic Sketch
Years later, Conway explained on Conan that Korman was laughing so uncontrollably during the scene that he actually wet his pants. It wasn’t only the acting that triggered it — it was the sheer unpredictability. Conway never told Korman what he intended to do beforehand, which meant every reaction Korman had was completely authentic. Adding to the surprise, the entire premise was inspired by something that really happened to Conway in the Army, when a military dentist accidentally numbed his own thumb while treating him.
A Comedy Moment That Became Legend
“The Dentist” has stayed one of the most beloved sketches in the show’s entire history, highlighting Conway’s brilliance with physical comedy and Korman’s hopeless inability to keep a straight face. It represents comedy in its most genuine form — two performers, a simple scenario, and an explosion of joyful chaos that feels almost impossible to replicate today. Decades later, fans still return to this sketch not only for the laughs, but to revisit a time when comedy felt spontaneous, fearless, and beautifully human.