Yeah, I think a lot of it was the fact that Conway would go off-script, sometimes even by accident, and then just run with it. Or he'd toss in one great ad-lib that no one else on stage knew was coming (and he probably didn't either until the moment presented itself). And, for the most part, he'd stay in character while everyone around him had no idea what he might do or say next and would be trying desperately to keep up without cracking up.
He was legendary for breaking up Harvey Korman. Just a small ad-lib in the right place, a look, a bit of unscripted physical humor - and Korman was putty in his hands. Rumor has it the rest of the cast used to take bets on how long Korman could last onstage with Conway without losing it. And that was part of the fun of watching them every week, because you knew it could happen at any moment.
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