Comic Harvey Korman Dies At 81

Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamar in "Blazing Saddles"

Award-winning comic Harvey Korman, whose versatility was showcased on "The Carol Burnett Show" and in numerous other TV and film appearances, has died at the age of 81. According to his family, Korman died after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm he suffered four months ago.

Before the days of "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island", "The Carol Burnett Show" was must-see TV for many of us on Saturday night. One of the main attractions was the work of Harvey Korman. Along with the comedic skills he showed in such skits as "Ed and Eunice" and "Old Folks At Home", it was fun to watch Harvey try to prevent himself from laughing during the skits he appeared in with Tim Conway. For his work on "The Carol Burnett Show", Korman received 7 Emmy nominations (winning 4 times) and 4 Golden Globe nods (taking home the award once). Korman appeared on "The Carol Burnett Show" for the first 10 seasons (1967-1977). He left to star in his own series, ABC's "The Harvey Korman Show" (1978). Appearing as his daughter in the short-lived sitcom was a young Christine Lahti. "The Carol Burnett Show" didn't fare any better without Korman than he did without it; it also left the air in 1978.

Among his other famous roles were providing the voice of the Great Gazoo on "The Flintstones" and the villainous State Atty. General Hedley Lamar in the 1974 film "Blazing Saddles". In recent years, Korman made guest appearances on such programs as "ER", "Suddenly Susan", "Ellen", and "Diagnosis Murder". He also toured the country with his former co-star in "Tim Conway and Harvey Korman: Together Again". Korman is survived by his wife and four children.

Below is a skit from "The Carol Burnett Show". Starring Korman and Burnett, it's titled Funt and Mundane (a spoof of the acclaimed acting team Lunt and Fontanne).