Caesar's Houris a live, hour-long Americansketch-comedytelevision program that aired onNBCfrom 1954 until 1957. The program starred, among others,Sid Caesar,Nanette Fabray,Carl Reiner,Howard Morris,Janet Blair,andMilt Kamen,and featured a number of cameo roles by famous entertainers such asJoan CrawfordandPeggy Lee.
| Caesar's Hour | |
|---|---|
 Janet Blair and Sid Caesar (1956) | |
| Genre | Sketch comedy |
| Directed by | Clark Jones |
| Starring | Sid Caesar Janet Blair Nanette Fabray Milt Kamen Howard Morris Carl Reiner |
| Composers | Sid Caesar Bernard Green |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No.of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multicamera |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 27, 1954– May 25, 1957 |
| Related | |
Widely considered a continuation of Caesar's earlier programs, theAdmiral Broadway RevueandYour Show of Shows,Caesar's Hourincluded most of the same writers and actors, with the notable addition ofLarry Gelbart(who went on to co-create theM*A*S*HTV series with Gene Reynolds) in the latter show.[1]Nanette Fabray replacedImogene Coca,who opted to star in her own TV series in 1954,The Imogene Coca Show.
Caesar's Hourexpanded on the format ofYour Show of Showswith many sketches running a half-hour or more, including musical parodies such as "There's No Business" and "Towers Trot", and genre parodies such as "Bullets over Broadway" (agangster filmtakeoff) and "Aggravation Boulevard" (with Caesar as aRudolph Valentino/John Gilbertcharacter who fails to make the transition from silents to talkies). Many of the sketches are centered on a domineering star who flames out, prefiguring Caesar's post-series personal and career troubles.[2]
From July to September 1956, NBC ranThe Ernie Kovacs Showas a summer replacement series forCaesar's Hour.
The writing staff of the show was reunited in 1996 for an event at the Writers Guild Theater in Los Angeles calledCaesar's Hour Revisited,excerpts of which were broadcast onPBSunder the titleCaesar's Writers.The full two-hour event was available on VHS as a pledge premium from PBS. It was released on DVD for the first time on December 12, 2011.[3]The reunion featured Caesar withMel Tolkin(head writer),Neil Simon,Danny Simon,Mel Brooks,Carl Reiner,Woody Allen,Larry Gelbart,Sheldon Keller,Aaron Ruben,andGary Belkin.The moderator and researcher wasBob Claster.
Episode status
editAs withYour Show of Shows,most of the original kinescopes ofCaesar's Hourdo survive. Complete episodes and segments (of episodes that only exist in partial form) from the series survive at theUCLA Film and Television Archivein Los Angeles andThe Paley Center for MediainManhattanandBeverly Hills, California.
References
edit- ^"Comic Legend Larry Gelbart's Last In-Depth Interview"
- ^Jay Weiser, “Caesar’s Hour,”Dissent,Summer 1983.
- ^"Caesar's Writers | About"