Ed Higgins

Ed Higgins is a character in "The Family" sketches on The Carol Burnett Show and, to a lesser extent, on the sitcom spinoff Mama's Family. In both cases, he was played by Harvey Korman.

Ed, the owner of Central Hardware store, in Raytown was married to the most trying of women, Eunice Harper Higgins. They eloped, much against her mother Thelma Harper's wishes, and that set up years of contention. Among other things, he was a dolt and somewhat of a dimwit. In his wife's eyes, he was a dumb cluck and a goon. At the Hardware store, he had an assistant named Mickey Hart (Tim Conway), but he was only seen on The Carol Burnett Show.

He had a lot of troubles, some would say more than his share, married to a woman who was not only always thinking she was better than everyone else, but she also felt she could do no wrong when in reality, she always managed to ruin everything.

Ed was asked by his brother in-law's soon-to-be wife, Naomi Harper to give her away at her wedding. This earned him the wrath of Eunice, who wanted to do some singing at the wedding, but was told by everyone, no.

During said wedding, Eunice, typically, decided to destroy the festivities, by railing and ranting at every member of her family, because once again, she was overshadowed by them, and the spotlight was never on her.

However, it is possible Ed has some relief from Eunice, in the form of prostitutes. We know this from the episode where Thelma and Eunice are in jail together, with a prostitue who sets them both straight (briefly). When Ed comes to bail the women out, he and the prostitute recognize each other suggestively.

The couple, for all their contention, had two sons, Bubba and Billy Joe, but had abandoned Bubba while he was in juvenile hall, and they moved to Florida, without even telling him.