Sid Caesar: Sketch Comedy Actor and Writer, Superstar of 1950s American Television

Comedy sketch actor and writer Sid Caesar (Sept. 8, 1922 – Feb. 12, 2014) had a show business career spanning six decades. He was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: Your Show of Shows (1950-1954), a 90-minute weekly program watched by 60 million people, and its successor, Caesar’s Hour (1954-1957). Caesar also acted in movies: He played Coach Calhoun in Grease (1978) and its sequel Grease 2 (1982); he also appeared in the films It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Silent Movie (1976), History of the World, Part I (1981), Cannonball Run II (1984), and Vegas Vacation (1997).
 
Quote: “Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end.” | “People come up to me and they thank me: ‘I thank you for the many, many hours of laughter.’ ” | “The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius.”
 
Sources: Wikipedia (introduction), BrainyQuote (quotations)
 
Learn more about Sid Caesar from Wikipedia. ►
 
Watch “Remembering Sid Caesar A.K.A. The World Of Comedies (1922-2014)” [2:32] ►
 
Watch ” Sid Caesar Interviewed by Dick Cavett 1971″ [16:09]. ►
 
Watch “Sid Caesar — Health Food Restaurant” [7:20]. ►
 
Photo: NPR
 
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