Conway plays the role with earnest sincerity, pleading his case with a wide-eyed charm only he could pull off. He assures Carol and Harvey that he desperately wants a family, a home, and parents who will love him. He explains how he plays catch by himself, tossing the ball into the air because he has no one to throw it to. By the time he’s finished telling his tragic backstory, Carol and Harvey are visibly shaking with laughter, unable to look him in the eye.
This is the magic of Conway’s comedy: the slow builds, the absurd sincerity, the pauses that stretch just a hair too long. And as always, watching Korman try — and fail — to resist him is almost as funny as the sketch itself.
For fans of The Carol Burnett Show, this orphan sketch sits right alongside classics like “The Oldest Man” and “Clock Repair,” where Conway’s commitment to the bit turns an ordinary scene into timeless comedy. It’s living proof that the funniest moments aren’t always written — sometimes they happen when a cast is simply trying to survive Tim Conway.
And in this sketch? They absolutely do not survive. Not even close.
