Sid Caeser died this past Wednesday at the age of 91. He was one of the first starts of television back in the early 1950’s. I have not seen all of his works, but what I have seen has always stuck with me. As a kid, I first saw him in the 1963 movie It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. This was back before cable television when one of the big three networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) played the movie once a year. Later, I saw some of the highlights from Your Show of Shows. It’s slapstick. It’s Vaudeville. It’s Commedia dell’ Arte. It’s hilarious.
Here is the New York Times obituary for Mr. Caesar. I have also included a short video clip of Conan O’Brien’s Salute to Sid Caeser followed by a sketch of Caeser in one of his shows.
DHAltman 