Sid Caesar on AllMovie

Influential American comedian Sid Caesar appeared infrequently in films; he is best-known for his work on the '50s TV sketch-comedy series Your Show of Shows. Before becoming a comedian, Caesar studied the saxophone and clarinet at Manhattan's Juilliard School of Music then played with various bands. During his time with the Coast Guard in WW II, he became a featured comedian in the service show Tars and Spars, and then again in its film version (1946). He then appeared in nightclubs and in the Broadway hit Make Mine Manhattan. Caesar began performing on TV in the late 40s; Your Show of Shows started shortly thereafter, a live comedy show with few equals in the history of TV. He began to take pills and drink to excess, however, and after his TV show was canceled he found little work in subsequent years, occasionally turning up in films, usually in cameo or novelty roles. A feature-length compilation of his TV sketches, Ten from Your Show of Shows, was released theatrically in 1973. He authored an autobiography, Where Have I Been? (1979).