the best (and even the merely good) of the great SID CAESAR

Possibly still the greatest sketch-comedy performer in the history of TV, mentor to writers Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart etc.

The regular doo wop spoof The 3 Haircuts, w/ Carl Reiner & Howard Morris:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He4S5UdQ76Y&feature=related

This Is Your Story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNbT9Lf9xZo
There was a time when some people thought this was the funniest thing ever and that time might just have been five minutes ago.

Still alive! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Caesar

you do scare me when this thread is bumped.

yes, just him & Rooney left from Mad Mad World?

Think so. Aside from the cameos, like Jerry Lewis.

Watching this opera parody right now, "Gallipacci." Don't know if it's The Best Of yet but that patter thing he does of imitating any language ever by throwing in a few real words now and then but surrounding it with authentic-sounding gibberish is amazing. Even if you know the language it sounds like it could be some dialect your are unfamiliar with.

OK, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OW7GoIl0T8

May even spam it on an opera thread or two.

Also should go back and read one of those Benchley opera parodies to see how it compares.

Thanks.

RIP Sid.

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/sid-caesar-master-of-tv-comedy-dies-at-91-1201100019/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCfUEsQZkME

What a giant.

I went with my dad to see Caesar & Coca live at Michael's Pub in 1990 -- I'm sure the last entertainment event I saw with him -- and they did the movie theater sketch and a bunch of others from Show of Shows.

just the most ridiculous collection of talent that actually produced something befitting their talent i can think of

my uncle gave me a huge sid caesar set a few years ago and it was a revelation. "the commuters" in particular i could have watched like 20 seasons of.

my dad's favorite thing he did was probably his "languages". i remember being like 8 years old and going wow, he really does know all those languages!

RIP.

http://www.toplessrobot.com/cidc.jpg

yes, just him & Rooney left from Mad Mad World?

Stan Freberg's still around.

Quick google search gives Rooney, Lewis, Freberg, Marvin Kaplan, Carl Reiner and Barrie Chase as the only surviving cast members

Freberg doesn't even have any lines! (Barrie Chase only does in the restored footage.)

No recollection of ever watching Sid Caesar as a kid. I was born in '61, and I have very clear memories of Skelton, Berle, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, and a lot of the earliest TV stars and shows. Either it was a case of syndication, or my parents just didn't watch Your Show of Shows.

this stuff was never syndicated afaik

Aside from assorted clips/excerpts on tribute or anthology specials, the PBS station in NYC would run the '73 compilation film Ten from Your Show of Shows now and then. I probably saw stuff at the Museum of Broadcasting too.

But yeah the first two things I prob saw him in were Mad Mad World and Silent Movie.

Don't think Show of Shows ever meant much in the UK - p. sure the first thing I saw him in was Grease

Dave Foley ‏@DaveSFoley Feb 13
Many years ago I saved Sid Caesar from being accosted by Andy Dick in a men's room at an NBC party. Maybe my best comedic contribution.

More stuff, including Brooks on Conan and Kael's review of Ten from Your Show of Shows:

http://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-remembering-sid-caesar

eh, Kael is subscriber-walled

i'm watching the 3-DVD "50th anniversary" set that's selling for $260 on Amazon; the library had it. I wonder how often Sid injured himself? He's a wildman.

In that "This Is Your Story" sketch, Howard Morris truly is more monkey than man.

more on that sketch:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/02/sid-caesars-finest-sketch.html

i'm also fond of the silent-era spoof "Aggravation Boulevard"

from a blogger who quite meticulously and smartly reviews old SNLs, Sid's '83 host gig analyzed. (they were really reverent and accommodating to his style)

http://www.bendouwsma.com/blog/1760

RIP Nanette Fabray

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-1SBZJIrgg