Harvey Korman has died at 81

Farewell, Hedley. . .

Harvey Korman died today at the UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago. Mr.Korman endured several major operations over the last few months; his survival of the initial aneurysm was considered miraculous.

A natural second banana, Korman first gained attention on "The Danny Kaye Show," which he appeared on from 1964 through 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" (Went With the Wind) and soap operas like "As the World Turns" (their version was called "As the Stomach Turns") Here's a look at "Went With the Wind":



Another recurring skit featured them as "Ed and Eunice," a staid married couple who were constantly at odds with the wife's mother (a young Vickie Lawrence in a gray wig). This became the series "Mama's Family":



Korman's most memorable film role, and my personal favorite, was as the outlandish Hedley Lamarr (who was endlessly exasperated when people called him Hedy) in Mel Brooks' 1974 Western satire, "Blazing Saddles":



He also appeared in the Brooks comedies "High Anxiety," "The History of the World Part I" and "Dracula: Dead and Loving It," as well as two "Pink Panther" moves, "Trail of the Pink Panther" in 1982 and "Curse of the Pink Panther" in 1983. Other film credits included "Gypsy," "Huckleberry Finn", "Herbie Goes Bananas" and "Bud and Lou". He also provided the voice of Dictabird in the 1994 live-action feature "The Flintstones."

In addition to Danny Kaye and Carol Burnett's shows, Korman guest-starred in dozens of television series including "The Donna Reed Show," "Dr. Kildare," "Perry Mason," "The Wild Wild West," "The Muppet Show," "The Love Boat," "The Roseanne Show" and "Burke's Law."

Korman is survived by his wife, Deborah Fritz, and children Maria, Kate, Laura, and Christopher. The world just got a whole lot less funny. . .