The Dentist (Carol Burnett Show Sketch)
The De ntist is a sketch that appeared on the 20th episode of the the second season of the Carol Burnett Show. It originally aired on March 3, 1969. In it, Tim Conway plays a newly graduated dentist that has to treat Harvey Korman.
The sketch is notorious as it is considered one of the funniest sketches to appear on the show as Korman was a prisoner in the dentist chair, and he was completely unable to keep a straight face while Conway improvised accidentally injecting himself repeatedly with novocaine throughout the sketch.
SYNOPSIS
At the beginning of the script, a receptionist takes Harvey Korman, who is suffering from a toothache, into a dentist's office only to learn that his usual dentist is not available, but his recently graduated son in law would tend to him. For the first half of the skit Conway shows his lack of experience in a comical way, with Korman acting as his straight man. Eventually it is determined that the tooth has to be pulled.
When Korman learns this, he asks for novocaine to kill the pain. While reading from a textbook, Conway accidentally injects the novocaine into his hand, numbing it. From this point on, Korman is trapped and the scene spirals into increasing silliness, with the audience in total hysterics over Korman's plight.
At another point, Conway accidentally sticks himself in his leg with the needle, numbing his leg. He falls onto that knee, and Korman is cracking up. Conway dragged his leg across the room to get a desk chair, then swinging his numb leg over the chair to sit on it. In a moment of quiet when the audience is slightly giggling the sound of a fly is heard with Conway looking into the air following its movement. Conway then used his numb hand to strike the fly when it landed on the book. Conway then tried to administer the novocaine, only to accidentally stick it into his forehead. Conway looked at Korman with a look as if his face was numb. Finally, they move the script forward again, when Conway brings the light a little closer, striking Korman and knocking out his affected tooth. The skit closes with Conway saying that will cost twenty dollars.
CORPSING
This skit is considered one of the funniest skits to ever air on television. A large part of the humour comes from Korman's reaction throughout the sequence. In the dentist chair, Korman was effectively a prisoner at the mercy of Tim Conway's improvisational skills.
Once Conway started injecting himself with the novocaine, the skit spirals into complete silliness, with Conway pretending to be numb in various areas where he sticks himself with the painkiller. When he first sticks himself with the novocaine, Korman begins laughing when he Korman tries to operate various dental tools with an unresponsive hand. In his second attempt to administer the shot, he accidentally sticks himself in the right leg, numbing it. Korman cracks up when Conway falls onto his knee. When Conway swung his leg over the chair, Korman cracks up again. The audience finally manages to calm down and in that moment, the sound of a fly is heard, with Conway following its movement (Korman could be heard chuckling here). It lands on the book, where Conway uses his numb hand to swat the fly, breaking Korman up once again. The final time he sticks himself with it (in the forehead), Korman breaks character again, this time to a severe extent and unable to hide it anymore. The entire time, the audience is in hysterics.
References[edit]
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