Thursday, May 29, 2008

Goodbye, Hedley Lamar


Harvey Korman
1927-2008


"Go do that voodoo that you do so well..."

For those of you not in the US, Harvey Korman was a true comic genius. The heading of this post refers to my favorite characture, in my favorite comedy, Blazing Saddles. If you don't know this movie by heart already, please make it a point to rent it. It can still make me laugh so hard that I hurt for days after watching it. Harvey was key to many of the funniest sections and will be missed by many for the joy his work created.


LOS ANGELES - Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and on the big screen in "Blazing Saddles," died Thursday. He was 81.


Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said in a statement released by the hospital.
His daughter, Kate Korman, said in the statement that it was a "miracle" that her father had survived the aneurysm at all, and that he had several major operations.
"Tragically, after such a hard fought battle he passed away," she said.
A natural second banana, Korman gained attention on "The Danny Kaye Show," appearing in skits with the star. He joined the show in its second season in 1964 and continued until it was canceled in 1967. That same year he became a cast member in the first season of "The Carol Burnett Show."
Burnett and Korman developed into the perfect pair with their burlesques of classic movies such as "Gone With the Wind" and soap operas like "As the World Turns" (their version was called "As the Stomach Turns").

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Harvey made me laugh. A Lot!
Years ago he would come to my area and play tennis for charity. He and Gene Wilder were doubles partners and we would follow them from court to court. They weren't bad players but we followed them because they were so darned funny and kept everyone (including each other) laughing.
He kibbitz with the onlookers and we wuld be sorry when the matches were over.
I loved him. He was a perfect comic partner for Carol Burnett.

Godspeed, I was a fan from way back........Mother Marcus from As The Stomach Turns will always be with me.