Hail, Caesar!

On Wednesday it was announced that one of the “great pioneers” of early television passed. Sid Caesar was 91 years old.

The man was a talent: musician, comedian, writer and actor. He left home at age17 after he graduated from high school to join the Coast Guard and he was stationed in Brooklyn, New York. There he played in military revues and shows. Vernon Duke, the famous composer of "Autumn in New York", "April in Paris" and "Taking a Chance on Love" was stationed at the same base and collaborated with Caesar on musical revues.

In 1943, he married the love of his life, Florence Levy, settled down and had a family. They were a rarity in Hollywood and the entertainment industry. They were together until she passed in 2010.

In 1946, Columbia Pictures released his first film called “Tars and Spars” which was based on the musical revue of the same name that Sid and Duke had produced while still in the service. With this film he was on his way to the great career few really enjoy.

On February 25, 1950, he starred, along with another great, Imogene Coca, in that pioneer TV show called “Your Show of Shows”. This was a 90 minute variety show which aired on Saturday nights. It was here, he met some of our greatest writers of any generation: Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Neil Simon, Howard Morris, Larry Gelbart and the great Mel Brooks. Actors and other entertainers clamored to appear on this show. Some of these greats included: Jackie Cooper, Robert Preston, Rex Harrison, Eddie Albert, Charlton Heston, Geraldine Page, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Pearl Bailey, Fred Allen, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne to name a few. The show finally

Cover of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

ended on June 5, 1954 after 160 episodes.

During the remainder of the 50s, Caesar created additional shows which featured Ms. Coca and other future stars like Bea Arthur, Nanette Fabray, Edie Adams and Gina Lollobrigida.

In 1963, he performed the rare feat of appearing on television, on stage, and in the movies. From Wikipedia: “Several As Caesar Sees It specials evolved into the 1963–

64 Sid Caesar Show (which alternated with Edie Adams in Here's Edie). He starred with Virginia Martin in the Broadway musical “Little Me” which was a book by Neil Simon, choreography by Bob Fosse and music by Cy Coleman. Playing eight parts, with 32 costume changes, he was nominated in 1963 for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Caesar and Edie Adams played a husband and wife drawn into a mad race to find buried loot in the 1963 screwball comedy” It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”.”

Sid Caesar was always showing up somewhere whether on TV, movies or the stage in every decade until 2004. Some of these classic appearances included Airport 1975, Silent Movie, Grease, History of the World: Part I and Vegas Vacation.

He was a genius who loved to perform and loved to make us laugh. He also loved to find new talent, whether a writer, an actor, a musician, a singer or a dancer. He did it all so he knew what was great. He was not threatened by those he knew were better than he was. For Sid, it was all about the laugh.

The likes of Isaac Sidney Caesar will never pass this way again; he will be dearly missed.