The Hilarious Gas Station Meltdown That Broke TV History — When Tim Conway’s Improv Sent Harvey Korman Into Total Collapse

It’s one of those rare comedy moments that refuses to age — the kind of sketch that fans still replay decades later because nothing this chaotic, this unpredictable, and this brilliantly stupid has ever been done quite like it again.

In what has now become known simply as “the gas station sketch,” Tim Conway stars as the world’s most cheerful yet utterly incompetent gas station attendant… and Harvey Korman plays the unfortunate driver who just wants a routine fill-up. Instead, he ends up trapped in one of the most disastrously funny service experiences ever captured on television.

A Simple Gas Stop Turns Into Full-Blown Comic Disaster

From the moment Conway steps into the frame — smiling cluelessly, holding a gas nozzle like he’s never seen one — you can sense the disaster brewing.

What starts as harmless confusion quickly escalates into a masterpiece of slapstick insanity:

• Conway accidentally pumps gas everywhere except the car
• He trips, rolls, flips, and somehow ends up upside down in the passenger seat
• The hose gets tangled, the tools get dropped, and the customers lose all hope

Korman tries — really tries — to keep a straight face. But the more Conway improvises, the more impossible that becomes.

The Moment That Broke Harvey Korman (and Made TV Gold)

Midway through the sketch, Conway begins riffing lines that were not in the script. Each new improv is more absurd than the last: rambling instructions, goofy facial expressions, bizarre gas-station “policies” he invents on the spot.

That’s when it happens —
Korman breaks. Completely.

He folds over laughing, burying his face, shaking uncontrollably while Conway stays in character as if nothing unusual is happening. It’s the exact brand of comedic chemistry that made their duo legendary.

Why Fans Still Call It “The Sketch That Never Gets Old”

Even in a series packed with iconic moments, this one stands out. It’s messy, physical, unpredictable, and has the genuine spark of something happening right there in the moment — no second takes, no corrections, no polishing.

What you see on screen is exactly what the live audience saw:
two comedic giants pushing each other to the edge until someone finally cracks.

And that’s why fans still share it today. It’s comedy at its purest — timing, talent, and a little bit of beautiful chaos.

A Timeless Reminder of Why Conway & Korman Worked So Well

Their on-screen relationship was built on contrast:

• Conway: quiet, unpredictable, childlike mischief
• Korman: elegant, refined, desperately trying not to laugh

Put them together, and even a gas station became a circus.

More than 40 years later, this sketch remains one of the most replayed clips from The Carol Burnett Show — a reminder that when Conway and Korman collided, comedy gold was guaranteed every single time.