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Customer Reviews (4)

A Pioneer
Here is a man that not only made the world laugh, he could poke fun at himself.Sid Caesar set an example for countless comedians to follow.He makes the history of early television come alive. This is a wonderful way to spend a few hours.

HAIL, CAESAR!...
This is a wonderful memoir that takes the reader down memory lane. As anyone one reading this biography knows, Sid Caesar was one of the foremost comedians of his time. In fact, he was actually ranked the third all time greatcomedian (after Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball) by a documentary about the greatest comedians of all time, which documentary was featured on the A & E cable television channel.

I know that my parents used to watch Cid Caesar's ground breaking television program, "YourShow of Shows".I myself was too young to have any recollection of it. I do, however, recall that as a young child, together with my family, I watched his subsequent show in the latter half of the nineteen fifties, "Caesar's Hour". Sid Caesar was the then king ofcomedy, and he broke trail for many of the comedians that were to follow him.Many of the greatest comedic writers to ever write for television started out writing for his shows. Greats such as Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Woody Allen were among some of his writers. No wonder that era was heralded as the Golden Age of Television!

In his memoir, Sid Caesar talks only a little about himself on a very personal level. Still, he comes across as an intelligent man who dearly loves his wife of over sixty years. He acknowledges his personal foibles, such as a drinking problem that, at times,threatened to overwhelm him, as well as a never ending quest for creative perfection. This book is not so much about Caesar, the man, but rather about Caesar, the performing artist. Consequently, Sid Caesar the man remains a bit of a mystery. On the other hand, Sid Caesar, the performer, comes vividly to life. This is more of an artistic autobiography rather than a personal one.

He lovingly reminisces about how he got his start on the road to fame and fortune. Born in 1922 in Yonkers, New York, to Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia, Sid was an accomplished musician who could play the saxophone with the best of them.Having started out asa musician,Sid Caesar would cut hiscomedic teeth in the borscht belt of the Catskill Mountains. It was there that he would also meet Florence, the love of his life. At the onset of World War II, Sid would play with a number of orchestras in Manhattan, before signing up with the Coast Guard in 1942, and in 1943 he married his beloved Florence.

While in the Coast Guard, Sid became part of a successful revue for the troops, which raised his profile. This propelled him to Hollywood after his discharge from the Coast Guard, where he would become involved in the movie industry, starring in a number of comedies. From there, he would go on to perform for the nightclub circuit on the East Coast.Sid was not a stand-up comedian, but rather, a comedic sketch artist. From there it would be a short trip to Broadway, where Sid would achieve tremendous success in a revue called "Make Mine Manhattan", in which he would turn in an award-winning performance. This would lead him right to television, which was still in its nascent stage, and into the homes and hearts of millions of Americans.

This book is chock full of information on the early days of television, which had more in common with theatre and stage work than with film, as it was live television. Undoubtedly, this factor was responsible for much of the frenetic pace and spontaneity which existed. Today, television is more like film rather than stage work, as very little is shot live. Sid Caesar lovingly lays out for the reader many of his comedic sketches that were his special shtick. He meticulously explains how his comedic routines were fashioned and performed.

He speaks glowingly abouthis wonderful professional partnership with the late Imogene Coca, the googly-eyed comedienne, with whom he would be in perfect comedic harmony. They would make beautiful music together with their hilarious sketches that parodied slices of life and the human condition. Together, these two would touch a chord among audiences that would forever enshrine them in television history, making them the golden couple of the Golden Age of Television.

This is an engaging artistic biography that will appeal to fans of Sid Caesar and to those with an interest in the early years of television. Those readers who enjoy memoirs and biographies will likewise find this to be a worthwhile and interesting book.

Tells how his routines were fashioned and performed
Sid Caesar was the star of Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, two of the most innovative and popular programs in the Age of Television and a creator of some of the greatest comedy writers of his times. This informative autobiography tells how his routines were fashioned and performed, and examines the methods and creations of the writers who made him famous.

A Masterpiece!
I wholeheartedly recommend Caesar's Hours. Not only is this book an autobiography, but also an encyclopedia of sorts. Sid eloquently writes of his early years growing up in New York, his numerous tries at breaking into show business, his service to the country during WWII, and finally, his years on 'Your Show of Shows' and 'Caesar's Hour'. Along the way, Sid shares some of his favorite jokes and sketches that he has used during his reign as TV legend.

What makes Sid even more commendable and the book even more facinating, is how Sid gives credit to all those who helped him along the way. While most entertainers take all the credit, Sid carefully notes his comedy writers and fellow actors who, together, are the reason for his and the shows' great success.

I recommend this book to anyone wishing to read about Sid's life, and all those who want to know just how difficult it was to produce a show a week, in an entertainment medium that was in its infancy.

A magnificant work from the last of the Televion Legends! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A great and fasinating read
This is the story of the life of one of the greatest comedians ever to grace the television screen. It's the life of Sid Caesar, who broke new ground on Tv with his shows, "Your Show Of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour". Here is a man who was lucky from the start of his life. He went from being a great saxaphonist to a wonderfully instinctive comedian just by chance and meeting the right people. He meets the girl of his dreams by chance, then while joining the Coast Guard in WWII instead of going off to war, he's stationed on Governor's Island in Brooklyn, NY. There he puts on shows which leads to him being sent to Washington and being featured in "Tars And Stars" an big Naval revue show. It then goes on tour and at the end of the tour he's one of the few actors from the show to make the movie version. Then he and his beautiful wife return to New York where he stars in a Broadway show. Then he moves to Television with the biggest show on the box. His writing staff go on to greater success televion, movies and the theater. The writing staff which Sid picked personally included Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Mel Tolkin, Arron Rubin, Joseph Stein, Neil Simon, and later on Woody Allen.

But how does Sid take the success, badly. First he starts to drink way too much. Then to try to get off the sauce he takes pills, but he takes them with the booze. He does things to him and really addsto his already volcanic temper. Then after his show is canceled he goes from years just coasting on his fame, till he ends up in Canada acting in a play that he's been doing for years, only on opening night, he can't remember a line of dialoge. He kn ows he's hit rock bottom, but does something about it. He stops the show at the first intermission, and gets help. Where he reclaims his life and becomes a better man because of it.

It's a facinatic read and does show that you can quite a life of substance control and reclaim your life. But to do it, you have got to want to do it. Sid Caesar is a very lucky man.

Sometimes I Pretend There Are Two of Me
This book reminded me of a line from Alice In Wonderland where she says, "Sometimes I pretend there are two of me."

Sid Caesar had no faith in psychotherapy so he invented a way to process his own stuff.He pretended there were two of him, one named Sid, the big comedian, and one named Sidney, the real person.

He then got a tape recorder and talked to Sidney, telling him all of his problems and trying to unravel the knot of why he was so successful and famous and still so unhappy.He was working on a movie and living alone (temporarily) and every night he would come home and talk to Sidney on the tape recorder.It worked, too.Eventually he got a handle on all of his pain and anger and confusion.

I have no idea why Sid was so unhappy, having attained things most people only dream about.I'm sure he doesn't know either.I do think it might be pertinent that he attained massive success at such a young age and had to know, based on basic knowledge of show-biz, that there was no place to go but down.But still, having become a household name why not just coast for a few decades?

Of course it was oscar wilde who said there are two tragedies in life--one is not getting what you want and the other is getting it.

Also Sid was basically an alchoholic and that's just hereditary to a large extent.

At any rate, I saw this as almost a how-to book, how to heal yourself, how to cure your own confusion without paying someone two hundred dollars an hour to say, "And how do you feel about that?Oh, I'm sorry, our time is up."

If you'd like to follow Sid, I'm sure he'd be happy to lead.(Don't forget to bill yourself).

Oh, and when it comes to Sid, I watched him as a child and actually idolized him at one time in my life (along with Jackie Gleason).All I can say is I was always a fan.

By, now, and thanks for all the fun, Sid.

Trials of tribulations of a great comic
For those that knew him on TV and always wondered about his life this is a good book. I believe there is a more recent biography though.

Honest, funny and inspiring
I never really had much time for wealthy celebrities who got themselves hooked on drugs and destroyed their lives.I picked up Sid Caesar's book only because it was mentioned in a book on over-coming procrastination.Sid has a good story to tell about show business, how doctors used to dole out drugs like a pusher and how Sid brought himself out of his own hole.There are some interesting mention of other celebrities like Mel Brooks.Good read.

Doug Setter Bsc.
Author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim: A Prevention Guide

To hell and back
Sid Caesar's biography is an excellent book for anyone who is recovering (or trying to recover) from alcoholism and drug abuse.It paints a portrait of a man who was overcome by these problems, but found a way out.It is also very entertaining, and easy to read.This biography has had a tremendous impact on my life, and I have bought copies to share with friends who are recovering alcoholics. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of (Isaac) Sid(ney) Caesar, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1366 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
Edited by Harvey Kurtzman. Cartoons by Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Arnold Roth. Stories by by Rod Serling and Robert Sheckley. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on March 14, 2004. The length of the article is 789 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: On the set of TV's golden age.(Entertainment)(Actors Cabaret stages Neil Simon's play about his days on Sid Caesar's ``This Show of Shows'')
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: March 14, 2004
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: L4

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 893 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Signed essays ranging from 500 to 2,500 words, written by subject experts and edited to form a consistent, readable, and straightforward reference. Entries include subject-specific bibliographies and textual cross-references to related essays. ... Read more

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The magazine of then and now... nostalgia... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

HAIL, CAESAR!...
This is a wonderful memoir that takes the reader down memory lane. As anyone one reading this biography knows, Sid Caesar was one of the foremost comedians of his time. In fact, he was actually ranked the third all time great comedian (after Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball) by a documentary about the greatest comedians of all time, which documentary was featured on the A & E cable television channel.

I know that my parents used to watch Cid Caesar's ground breaking television program, "Your Show of Shows". I myself was too young to have any recollection of it. I do, however, recall that as a young child, together with my family, I watched his subsequent show in the latter half of the nineteen fifties, "Caesar's Hour". Sid Caesar was the then king of comedy, and he broke trail for many of the comedians that were to follow him. Many of the greatest comedic writers to ever write for television started out writing for his shows. Greats such as Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Woody Allen were among some of his writers. No wonder that era was heralded as the Golden Age of Television!

In his memoir, Sid Caesar talks only a little about himself on a very personal level. Still, he comes across as an intelligent man who dearly loves his wife of over sixty years. He acknowledges his personal foibles, such as a drinking problem that, at times, threatened to overwhelm him, as well as a never ending quest for creative perfection. This book is not so much about Caesar, the man, but rather about Caesar, the performing artist. Consequently, Sid Caesar the man remains a bit of a mystery. On the other hand, Sid Caesar, the performer, comes vividly to life. This is more of an artistic autobiography rather than a personal one.

He lovingly reminisces about how he got his start on the road to fame and fortune. Born in 1922 in Yonkers, New York, to Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia, Sid was an accomplished musician who could play the saxophone with the best of them. Having started out as a musician, Sid Caesar would cut his comedic teeth in the borscht belt of the Catskill Mountains. It was there that he would also meet Florence, the love of his life. At the onset of World War II, Sid would play with a number of orchestras in Manhattan, before signing up with the Coast Guard in 1942, and in 1943 he married his beloved Florence.

While in the Coast Guard, Sid became part of a successful revue for the troops, which raised his profile. This propelled him to Hollywood after his discharge from the Coast Guard, where he would become involved in the movie industry, starring in a number of comedies. From there, he would go on to perform for the nightclub circuit on the East Coast. Sid was not a stand-up comedian, but rather, a comedic sketch artist. From there it would be a short trip to Broadway, where Sid would achieve tremendous success in a revue called "Make Mine Manhattan", in which he would turn in an award-winning performance. This would lead him right to television, which was still in its nascent stage, and into the homes and hearts of millions of Americans.

This book is chock full of information on the early days of television, which had more in common with theatre and stage work than with film, as it was live television. Undoubtedly, this factor was responsible for much of the frenetic pace and spontaneity which existed. Today, television is more like film rather than stage work, as very little is shot live. Sid Caesar lovingly lays out for the reader many of his comedic sketches that were his special shtick. He meticulously explains how his comedic routines were fashioned and performed.

He speaks glowingly about his wonderful professional partnership with the late Imogene Coca, the googly-eyed comedienne, with whom he would be in perfect comedic harmony. They would make beautiful music together with their hilarious sketches that parodied slices of life and the human condition. Together, these two would touch a chord among audiences that would forever enshrine them in television history, making them the golden couple of the Golden Age of Television.

This is an engaging artistic biography that will appeal to fans of Sid Caesar and to those with an interest in the early years of television. Those readers who enjoy memoirs and biographies will likewise find this to be a worthwhile and interesting book. ... Read more

Product Description
What does it mean to be an old guy?The shock of becoming an old guy can be devastating, but there is hope.Bill Kilpatrick wrote How to be an Old Guy as a comprehensive guide to life for any guy sixty or older.He also got some help from legendary comedian Sid Caesar, who provides the foreword. Some of the topics covered include sex and marriage, coping with stress, staying tuned in, the loss of a spouse, meeting new people, the pet trap, maintaining health, and losing one's marbles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

how to be an old guy
well worth reading..in a funny way it tels guys what to avoid as tey get older..it certainly will help any guysself esteem..every gal should get one for her man

In the game
I have a friend who was an editor for a major publishing house in New York City before he retired. His main responsibility was to acquire and publish books dealing with psychology, sociology and philosophy. He would have jumped at the chance to handle the manuscript of Bill Kilpatrick's new book "How to be an Old Guy: Dispatches from the retiree front." This humorous and timely edition touches all three of those bases, and then throws in a few medical tips. In the style ofa newspaper columnist, Kilpatrick exposes the pitfalls of retired life and suggests actions to avoid them. It's a guide for over-the-hillers who, as Kilpatrick so often reminds us, "want to stay in the game."

Wisdom for the wise
If you are looking for additional enlightenment at retirement age, you more than likely have experienced just about everything written in this book.There are nineteen brief chapters on topics like money, health, self-respect, sex, stress, how to dress, and "losing one's marbles."Bill Kilpatrick, an experienced newspaper writer, is a "old guy" in his eighties.I'm a "don't wannabe" old guy in his mid-sixties.Kilpatrick hangs with the South Florida senior retirement crowd, whereas I am still living in suburbia with my wife and neighbors who average 15 years younger.The question is will this book prepare others for what lies ahead as their minds and bodies slowly disintegrate.Having witnessed my father's physical and mental demise is enough reality for me.If you are lucky to be alive and well in your 80's it's more about your genes, and how well you took care of yourself long before you became an old guy.

The book starts out with an introduction from Sid Caesar, and continued to hold my attention until about the middle of the book.At that point I began to realize that the writer has become a grumpy old man exposing a few old guy types who might be a disappointment to some at any age."How to be an Old Guy" is series of lecture/stories on things like hair loss, dentures, body odor, bad grooming and dress habits, loss of a spouse, why you shouldn't own a dog... basically, how to behave or act classy in various situations like an old guy should.Some might find amusing Kilpartick's examples of clueless seniors who don't act their age, or embarass the entire retirement community, as he puts it.

I am not sure what age group this book will appeal.Really old guys aren't going to be buying many copies.People who are 65 probably are either experiencing it now, or have prepared for it.Guys in their 40-50s don't care (yet).That leaves it to an old guy's kids who might give it as a gag gift for their friends 5 years older than they are. Overall, it's an OK book, but $19.95 is a little pricey for just an OK. ... Read more

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Unusual Gifts for Family & FriendsHow to Butter Up a CatBe a Good Gravy MakerParty Dresses ... Read more