When Caesar Was King

How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy

De: David Margolick

Narrado por: Rob Shapiro

LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY • From longtime New York Times and Vanity Fair writer David Margolick comes the first definitive biography of Sid Caesar: founding father of television comedy and icon to generations of Americans.

“Whip smart. . . . A nuanced appreciation of Caesar’s comedy and the overall atmosphere of TV’s early days.” —Esquire

By the spring of 1954, Sid Caesar was the most influential, highly paid, and enigmatic comedian in America. Every week, twenty million people tuned their TVs to his NBC extravaganza, Your Show of Shows, and witnessed his virtuosity in sketches and film spoofs, pantomime and soliloquy. Onstage, Caesar could play any character and make it funny: a befuddled game-show contestant, a pretentious German professor, a beleaguered husband (opposite his redoubtable co-star Imogene Coca)—even a gumball machine and a bottle of seltzer.

To Caesar’s mostly urban audience, his comedy was an era-defining leap forward from the days of vaudeville, launching a new style of humor that was multilayered and full of character, yet still uproarious. To his rivals, Caesar was the man to beat. To his fellow American Jews, his show’s success meant something more: a post-Holocaust symbol of security and a source of great pride. But behind all that Caesar represented was the real Sid. Introverted and volatile, ill at ease in his own skin, he could terrorize his collaborators but reserved his harshest critiques for himself. After barely a decade, he was essentially off the air, beset by exhaustion, addiction, his own impossibly high standards, and changing viewership as television spread to the American heartland. TV’s first true comic creation was also its first spectacular flameout.

But in his wake came the disciples he personally nurtured—including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and more. Caesar left an indelible impact on what still makes us laugh. In When Caesar Was King, veteran journalist David Margolick conjures this complexman as never before. Deeply researched, brimming with love for Caesar and the culture from which he sprang, and reanimating a New York City that has all but vanished, this rollicking and poignant book traces the rise and fall of a legend.

Reseñas de la Crítica

One of Alta Journal’s Most Anticipated Autumn Book Releases

“Whip smart. . . Sid was one of the first TV comedians to not only conquer the new medium, but pioneer what TV comedy could be. . . . Margolick’s book is a deep dive that moves quickly, giving the reader a nuanced appreciation of Caesar’s comedy and the overall atmosphere of TV’s early days.” —Esquire

“Both a portrait of an unstable genius and a cultural history of a medium coming to life. Margolick writes in vibrant detail not only of the Caesar shows but of the early-TV world around them. . . . [Margolick] is an ideal cultural historian . . . . [and] makes the achievements of Caesar and his gang shine through.” —David Denby, The New Yorker

“Margolick brilliantly summarizes Sid Caesar’s fall. . . . At its best [Caesar’s] comedy ranks among the very highest. . . . [And] the world without him is a less amusing place.” —Joseph Epstein, Wall Street Journal

“Marvelous. . . . Margolick offers both the cognoscenti and the newbies a satisfying examination of [Sid Caesar’s] life and career.” —Bettina Berch, Jewish Book Council

“Lively and thoroughly engrossing. . . . In what is overall a tender and sympathetic portrait, Margolick doesn’t shy away from showing Caesar’s dark side, offering a complex portrait of an enigmatic genius who seemed to be just as much of a mystery to himself as he was to others. Beautifully written and brimming with life, this book establishes Margolick as one of the ultimate mavens of an era of American Jewish history in the mid-to-late 20th century that has all but ceased to exist.” —Ann Levin, Forward

“Well, it's about time! We are finally treated to a nuanced, perceptive biography written with respect and admiration by veteran journalist Margolick. . . . [who] also takes us through the history of American comedy, focusing especially on the changes to the television landscape that made Caesar outmoded. A wonderful tribute to a man whose contributions to comedy cannot be overstated.” —David Pitt, Booklist

“[A] lively biography of the original king of TV comedy. . . . Both a life and a cautionary tale, of great interest to any fan of golden era television.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Margolick poignantly assesses the influential comic’s career, noting he was TV’s ‘first great victim and suffer[ed] its most precipitous fall.’ Fans will be riveted.” —Publishers Weekly

Informative Biography of an Early Television Icon

I was born just as Sid Caesar's most productive years on television were ending. I saw him from time to time on TV in the late 1960s and beyond and viewed him as a bit of a has been. Although not charitable, that was probably accurate.

This book explained what Caesar was before I was born--a TV icon and probably TV's first superstar. It is a rather fascinating recreation of an important era that did not last long. And of what television might have been.

The book goes into detail about Sid's many struggles to carry a weekly live television show (usually 90 minutes) for 39 weeks a year (back before a "season" was a handful of scripted taped episodes). Sid had some issues and could be a pain in the neck, only lower. But a talented pain. His struggles continued for many years.

In addition to going in detail into Sid's life, the book chronicles the contributions of Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca, and Howard Morris, along with the many writers, including, among others, Larry Gelbart, Neil Simon, and especially Mel Brooks. Brooks is almost as much a subject of the book as Caesar.

I enjoyed the book and the narration is very good. The book does double back a little too much. It also drones on a bit, in large part because Caesar had a long period of decline after his heyday (which ended in his mid-30s) and before a bit of a renaissance later in life.

Outstanding book

Insights to early TV comedy. Value of Sid Caesar’s past to present day comedy. How it failed because of Lawrence Welk Show.

Genius

Would have liked to hear more about Florence and what she loved about Sid.
The book, like so many others, was much too long.

Terrific Treatment of Sid Caesar’s Place in History

Everything about this was very entertaining and offers the opportunity to learn plenty of new things about the amazing impact of Sid Caesar on comedy in this country.

Highly recommended.