At the 1973 Emmy Awards, Harvey Korman accepted a trophy for an absent Tim Conway. Then Harvey Korman opened a note that turned an acceptance speech into another encounter with a familiar problem: Tim Conway knew exactly how to make Harvey Korman laugh.
Tim Conway was working in Las Vegas. The arrangement required only a piece of paper and a friend willing to read it aloud.
A Deal Between Two Comedy Partners
In a 2013 interview with the Television Academy, Tim Conway recalled that both performers had been nominated in the same category. Tim Conway and Harvey Korman agreed to vote for each other. If either comedian won, both would walk onto the stage.
A work commitment prevented Tim Conway from attending. Instead, Tim Conway left Harvey Korman a note with a condition: Harvey Korman should open it only if Tim Conway won.
When Tim Conway’s name was announced, Harvey Korman accepted the Emmy on Tim Conway’s behalf. During the acceptance, Harvey Korman explained that the message had remained unread until that moment.
The Letter Had More Than One Punch Line
The opening of the note prepared for either possible winner. If the Emmy carried Harvey Korman’s name, Tim Conway offered congratulations. If the trophy carried Tim Conway’s name, the message assured Harvey Korman that Harvey Korman had been robbed.
That mock sympathy was only the setup. The postscript returned to the agreement about voting for each other.
Years later, Tim Conway recalled the punch line this way:
“Remember when we said we’d vote for each other? Well… I lied.”
The audience laughed as Harvey Korman finished the message. Tim Conway had arranged for Harvey Korman to announce Tim Conway’s victory and deliver a joke at Harvey Korman’s own expense.
The note also gave Harvey Korman an essential role in the performance. Tim Conway supplied the words; Harvey Korman supplied the delivery and reaction.
A Familiar Partnership in a Different Setting
Viewers of The Carol Burnett Show already knew the pleasure of watching Harvey Korman try to remain composed around Tim Conway.
In the Television Academy’s tribute celebrating the pair’s 2002 Hall of Fame induction, Tim Conway explained one method behind those encounters: a sketch could be written one way, then performed with an unexpected change. Harvey Korman sometimes discovered the surprise along with the audience.
The Emmy note used that same advantage. Harvey Korman knew there was a message to read, but the contents were new. The ceremony supplied the setting, and the unopened note preserved the surprise.
The following year brought a different variation. Carol Burnett recalled that, before the 1974 ceremony, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman planned a routine in case either won. When Harvey Korman received the award, Tim Conway followed onto the stage and stood behind Harvey Korman, gazing longingly at the trophy during an intentionally rambling speech.
That appearance was a planned performance by both comedians. The earlier letter worked through the surprise waiting on the page.
The Detail Tim Conway Still Enjoyed
Decades later, Tim Conway’s account of the letter ended with particular satisfaction over the distance involved. From Las Vegas, Tim Conway had managed to make Harvey Korman crack up roughly 400 miles away.
Harvey Korman carried the trophy and read the message. Tim Conway had left the punch line folded inside.