Staff Writer
The comedy community has lost an absolute legend…
Sid Caesar, a man noted for his contributions to the world of comedy most notably the iconic Your Show of Shows, died on Wednesday at the age of 91 at his home.
Your Show of Shows was notable for being one of the first true sketch shows – there were no routines or vaudeville, just longer skits that all held Caesar’s trademark humor, and gave starts to the careers of several of our most treasured comedians. Some of which included Lily Tomlin, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Neil Simon.
At the time Sid Caesar started on television, there were only two million television sets in America, and half were in New York City. By the time he went off the air a few years later, that number had increased by 21, and the vast majority were not only in New York anymore.
Your Show of Shows was also one of the very first live variety show, which was groundbreaking at the time and would certainly go on to inspire a young Lorne Michaels to create his very famous show, Saturday Night Live, now in its 39th season, still shows some of the features and characteristics Caesar brought to comedy and television.
Caesar did try his hand at movies, but television comedy was always the place where he was adored the most. He might be known to younger audiences for his scene-stealing role in Grease as Coach Calhoun. Caesar also had other interests – he was a fantastic saxophonist and has written several books, including two autobiographies.
Sid Caesar made television comedy a sacred institution. Those who were alive during the time he was the king of comedy television look fondly back at Saturday nights, when Sid Caesar would parody and mock the state of the world and their favorite films, whether it is a High Noon rip-off, or a Japanese film by the studio “Take-a-Kuki” studios.
Farewell to a true legend.
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