Isaac Sidney Caesar (September , â€" February , ) was an American
comic actor and writer, best known for two pioneering s live
television series: Your Show of Shows, which was a -minute weekly show
watched by million people, and its successor, Caesar's Hour, both of
which influenced later generations of comedians. Your Show of Shows
and its cast received seven Emmy nominations between the years and
and tallied two wins. He also acted in movies; he played Coach Calhoun
in Grease () and its sequel Grease () and appeared in the films It's
a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (), Silent Movie (), History of the World,
Part I (), Cannonball Run II (), and Vegas Vacation ().Caesar was
considered a "sketch comic" and actor, as opposed to a stand-up
comedian. He also relied more on body language, accents, and facial
contortions than simply dialogue. Unlike the slapstick comedy which
was standard on TV, his style was considered "avant garde" in the s.
He conjured up ideas and scene and used writers to flesh out the
concept and create the dialogue. Among the writers who wrote for
Caesar early in their careers were Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Larry
Gelbart, Carl Reiner, Michael Stewart, Mel Tolkin, Selma Diamond, and
Woody Allen. "Sid's was the show to which all comedy writers aspired.
It was the place to be," said Steve Allen.His TV shows' subjects
included satires of real life events and peopleâ€"and parodies of
popular film genres, theater, television shows, and opera. But unlike
other comedy shows at the time, the dialogue was considered sharper,
funnier, and more adult-oriented. He was "...best known as one of the
most intelligent and provocative innovators of television comedy," who
some critics called television's Charlie Chaplin and The New York
Times refers to as the "...comedian of comedians from TV's early
days."Honored in numerous ways over years, he was nominated for Emmy
Awards, winning twice. He was also a saxophonist and author of several
books, including two autobiographies in which he described his career
and later struggle to overcome years of alcoholism and addiction to
barbiturates.
comic actor and writer, best known for two pioneering s live
television series: Your Show of Shows, which was a -minute weekly show
watched by million people, and its successor, Caesar's Hour, both of
which influenced later generations of comedians. Your Show of Shows
and its cast received seven Emmy nominations between the years and
and tallied two wins. He also acted in movies; he played Coach Calhoun
in Grease () and its sequel Grease () and appeared in the films It's
a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (), Silent Movie (), History of the World,
Part I (), Cannonball Run II (), and Vegas Vacation ().Caesar was
considered a "sketch comic" and actor, as opposed to a stand-up
comedian. He also relied more on body language, accents, and facial
contortions than simply dialogue. Unlike the slapstick comedy which
was standard on TV, his style was considered "avant garde" in the s.
He conjured up ideas and scene and used writers to flesh out the
concept and create the dialogue. Among the writers who wrote for
Caesar early in their careers were Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Larry
Gelbart, Carl Reiner, Michael Stewart, Mel Tolkin, Selma Diamond, and
Woody Allen. "Sid's was the show to which all comedy writers aspired.
It was the place to be," said Steve Allen.His TV shows' subjects
included satires of real life events and peopleâ€"and parodies of
popular film genres, theater, television shows, and opera. But unlike
other comedy shows at the time, the dialogue was considered sharper,
funnier, and more adult-oriented. He was "...best known as one of the
most intelligent and provocative innovators of television comedy," who
some critics called television's Charlie Chaplin and The New York
Times refers to as the "...comedian of comedians from TV's early
days."Honored in numerous ways over years, he was nominated for Emmy
Awards, winning twice. He was also a saxophonist and author of several
books, including two autobiographies in which he described his career
and later struggle to overcome years of alcoholism and addiction to
barbiturates.
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