"Your Show of Shows" 60th Anniversary

Sixty years ago today Your Show of Shows debuted, creating a blueprint for American TV sketch comedy to come. The forerunner of such shows as The Carol Burnett Show and Saturday Night Live, Your Show of Shows is a touchstone of the kind of programming for which the Golden Age of Television is known.

Following the demise of the short-lived 1949 series Admiral Broadway Revue, many of the talents from that show were assembled to make up Your Show of Shows, including producer Max Liebman, writers Mel Tolkin and Lucille Kallen; and stars Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Additionally, such stars as Carl Reiner and Howard Morris and such writers as Mel Brooks and Neil Simon contributed to the show's legendary behind-the-scenes and in-front-of-the camera chemistry. Memorable sketches include the Bavarian "Clock" that goes awry with the performers as mechanical figures; "This Is Your Story" a take-off of "This Is Your Life" with an unforgettable Howard Morris as "Uncle Goopy"; the recurring Professor sketch with Carl Reiner interviewing Sid Caesar's eminent expert; and the movie parodies, such as "From Here to Obscurity" a send-up of "For Here to Eternity" in which Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca are splashed by the waves as they lay on the beach.

Not to be forgotten is that in addition to the famed comedy sketches, Your Show of Shows, as a variety series, also employed the considerable talents of such regulars as singer Bill Hayes and choreographer James Starbuck (working with such talents as Bambi Linn & Rod Alexander and Marge & Gower Champion).

"My view of comedy is you have to believe what the [performers] are doing. You have to believe it, so you can laugh. Because if it's off the wall, you'll laugh one time. If they can't follow the story, and they don't believe it, they lose interest. Even though it's a comedy. So they have to believe you, [as if] you're doing a drama. It's a funny drama. You don't know it's funny. The fun is that you don't know it's funny. Let the audience find out." — Sid Caesar

The Archive of American Television interviewed many of the contributors to Your Show of Shows including Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, and Marge Champion; and late greats Lucille Kallen, Mel Tolkin, and Howard Morris. Check out the Archive's curated Your Show of Shows page (with links to Caesar's other "live" series: Admiral Broadway Revue and Caesar's Hour) to watch reminiscences of these interviewees on this classic series.

Sid Caesar on "Your Show of Shows," and "Caesar's Hour"

Sid Caesar's Archive of American Television Interview is now fully catalogued. Caesar is a seminal figure in early TV comedy and one of the first recipients of the Emmy Award for Best Actor (in 1952).

Interview description:
Sid Caesar emphasizes the challenge of doing live TV in the early days of the medium: “Doing a show live on television is a different animal altogether than doing TV today. I mean on tape, that's like relaxing. That's like going on vacation!” He recounts his early years as a performer, including his time writing and acting in shows for the Armed Forces. He notes how his first series, Admiral Broadway Revue was launched, that gave way to the now classic Your Show of Shows. He speaks about the phenomenon of “live” TV and the pressures and rewards of helming an hour-and-a-half weekly variety series. Caesar speaks about NBC’s decision to separate the network’s Your Show of Shows commodities by having producer Max Liebman do TV “spectaculars” and giving Caesar and co-star Imogene Coca their own shows. He expresses how surprised he was that Your Show of Shows was ending: “I said we've got a winning combination. What are you breaking things up for? Four years. That's it?” Caesar then discusses his next successful venue, the variety series Caesar’s Hour, with Nanette Fabray filling the void left by Imogene Coca. From both Your Show of Shows and Caesar’s Hour, Caesar chronicles such famous sketches as “The Professor,” “The Hickenloopers” and “The Haircuts.” He also humorously recounts many of the gaffes that occurred on “live” television, including the time he forgot the name of the guest star during the show’s introduction, when he was dressed in the wrong costume seconds before going on, and when his make-up pencil broke during his Pagliacci take-off (leading to one of his most-famous ad-libs). He then frankly discusses his bout with alcoholism and his decision to get sober. Lastly, he give his impressions of the many talented collaborators he worked with over the years, including: writers Larry Gelbart and Mel Brooks, and performers Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris. Sid Caesar was interviewed in Beverly Hills, CA on March 14, 1997; Dan Pasternack conducted the three-hour interview.

Actress Beatrice Arthur Dies at 86 - Interview Online

Bea Arthur, the Emmy-winning star of Maude and The Golden Girls, who also garnered a Tony Award for the musical Mame, died Saturday at 86. In January, one of her last public appearances, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. She was interviewed by the Archive in 2001. Click here for her New York Times obituary (with a reference to our interview). The entire 2-1/2 hour interview can be viewed here.

When asked in her interview how she'd like to be remembered, she responded: "As an artist. An important artist."

Here's a selection of clips from the Archive's interview:



Interview Description:
Beatrice Arthur was interviewed for two hours plus in Brentwood, CA. In the interview, Arthur talked about the origins of her stage name and how she started out in plays, off and on Broadway. She then talked about her first movie roles and her appearances on The George Gobel Show and Caesar’s Hour. She described her other early appearances on television in The Seven Lively Arts, Omnibus, Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall and her role in the play and feature film Mame (with Angela Lansbury and Lucille Ball, respectively). She talked about her appearances on All in the Family as the liberal cousin Maude. She then discussed the controversial issues and topics that the series Maude tackled, (such as alcoholism, abortion, death, infidelity and feminism). Arthur also talked extensively about working with Norman Lear on All in the Family and Maude, watching the show 20 years after it first aired and why she eventually left the show. She then briefly talked about her series Amanda’s and then talked affectionately about The Golden Girls. The interview was conducted on March 15, 2001.

Writer Mel Tolkin Dies at 94 - Archive Interview Online

We're sad to report that comedy writer Mel Tolkin passed away yesterday, November 26th, at his home in Century City. Mel Tolkin was interviewed for the Archive of American Television for four hours. In his interview, Mr. Tolkin discussed his long writing partnership with Lucille Kallen (also an Archive interviewee) and writing for such shows as Admiral Broadway Revue and Your Show of Shows, Caesar's Hour, The Sid Caesar Show and The Danny Kaye Show, as well as writing for All in the Family. The interview was conducted by Bob Claster on November 4, 1997.

Link to his New York Times obituary.

From his Archive Interview:

On teaching comedy.
First I'd say that humor cannot be taught. Humor is an attitude towards life. It's a rather cynical approach. It's a negative approach. It's saying people misbehave. People put on shows. People wear masks. People are proud of what they shouldn't be. People compete unfairly. If you think life is wonderful, you don't belong in comedy. Of course, there's a lot that can be taught and at UCLA I taught very detailed things. Some of the things I mention here: how people recognize themselves on the screen and so on. What people are funny? And I quote the opening line of Anna Karenina by Tolstoy when she says, happy people are alike in their happiness. Only unhappy people are different from each other, and that's all there is. Because she proceeded to have one of the unhappiest marriages of all time, Karenina. But she left him. So that's an important lesson. Happy people are dull conversationalists -- no fun to be with and probably vote Republican.

On how he would like to be remembered.
I will be remembered and that's good enough. I speak about that subject to my son, Michael, and said if I never wrote another line, I've done my share. I'm pretty proud of what happened up to now.

Click here to access Mel Tolkin's Archive of American Television Interview.

Yes, Yes, Nanette Fabray's Archive of American Television Interview Is Now Online

Get set to watch tonight's 58th Annual Emmy Awards on NBC (8 p.m.EST)! In celebration, we've chosen to highlight one of the medium's most versatile performers, Nanette Fabray. Fifty Emmys-years ago, at the 1956 Emmy Awards ceremony, Fabray won an Emmy for Best Comedienne (winning out against nominees Gracie Allen, Eve Arden, Lucille Ball and Ann Sothern) AND she picked up an Emmy for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work on Caesar's Hour!


Her 3-hour Archive of American Television interview is available for viewing on Google Video.
Click here to access all Nanette Fabray interview segments. Remember, if you'd like to watch the interview in chronological order, select the parts in order (1,2,3...).

About the interview:
Fabray talks about her early years in theater and in early experimental television where she served as an NBC “color girl” -- where women of particular complexions were cast to calibrate the then-new color cameras. She speaks in great detail about her work with Sid Caesar on the variety series Caesar’s Hour -- including some of the series most memorable comedy sketches including “Shadow Waltz” (a take-off on Your Hit Parade) and “The Commuters” (a recurring high-strung-husband and his wife sketch). She discusses her own short-lived series Yes Yes Nanette as well as guest appearances on such series as The Carol Burnett Show, The Jerry Lewis Show, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (she played Mary's mom). She talks about her recurring role on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time, where she plays Ann Romano's mother. She also discusses her passion for raising awareness of hearing impairment issues. The interview was conducted by Jennifer Howard on August 12, 2004.