Elephant Story Explained

"Are you sure that litte azzhole's through?" To see Tim total break character, that was so worth it. 😅

The beauty of this skit is watching Tim time his delivery based solely on the actions of his fellow cast members. This is a masterclass on delivering a monologue.

Back in the 70's this was one show that nobody ever wanted to miss and nobody was ever disappointed. 😂😂😂

That line she ad libbed was totally within the character of Mama. Props to Vicki for delivering such a perfect line!

Conway is a master of knowing just how long to wait before delivering his next line.

Tim was well known for keeping a straight face. For her to have him fall over laughing was quite an accomplishment.

Tim Conway... Heros get remembered but legends never die.

That one line gave Vicky Lawrence immortality!

Vicki's deadpan, ticked-off delivery sold the final punchline! Fans of the show will remember how her character in the recurring Family sketches was the crotchety old Mama, Carol's character's mother, although Vicki was 16 years younger. Here, Carol is 45, Vicki is 29, and it's the show's last season in 1978. The two enjoyed a long friendship, starting when a 17-year-old Vicki sent Carol a fan letter, and Carol decided to cast the teen as her younger sister on the show, in 1967 after Vicki turned 18. Now aged 90 and 74 respectively, these two great ladies will always be lovingly remembered by the fans.

Hands down this is the funniest moment of any show ever!! ♥️🙏🏻👏🤣

Probably the absolute funniest piece of television history ever recorded!!🤣 When Tim went "Norrk!" I completely lost it! Then when Vicki as 'Momma' said "Ya think that little as*hole's about through?" I lost it again!😂😆 Tim was one of a kind! R.I.P.!😉

I love the little devil grin on Tim's face during this skit.

Sadly we will never see another show or group to compare to them again. Tim and Harvey were brilliantly funny as was the whole cast. Every week without special effects, or anything else everyone else seems to rely on, they made us laugh and have this time together

I remember watching the show during it's original run, with my parents. Tim was always my favorite. And the "elephant story" has always been tied with "the dentist" as my favorite.

That rumbling in the heavens you hear on a clear day is simply Tim Conway and Harvey Korman hanging out 😂

Conway kept stoking the fire until he had that pot at a boil. Then Vicki turned it up just 1°. 🤣🤣🤣

I always remember that when Tim and Harvey went at it, Tim almost always winning, Carol and Vicki would just step back as a Greek Chorus and just become part of the audience. The strength of Carol to let that happen on her show was one of the things that make it so great.

No matter how many times I see this sketch — and know what's coming...— it's ALWAYS hilarious. Vicki's/Mama's response was PRICELESS!!!

I’ve heard that Tim almost NEVER broke character (in other sketches he has this mischievous glint in his eye when he makes others laugh, but won’t do it himself). This is one of the rare instances in which he totally lost it.

This is kind of a bittersweet thing to watch. My mother loved that show, and that bit was her all-time favorite T.V. Moments. She loved to tell people about it. In fact, that was the last thing she ever did. She was in the hospital recovering from a major heart attack. My brother and a family friend were visiting her and she was talking about that skit. When she finished the story, she laid back and she was gone. It hurt to see her go, but a few months later I was discussing her passing with a coworker and I said, "she finished her story and then she was gone." There's just something beautiful about that realization and the fact that this was the last story she wanted to tell.