SID CAESAR: Emergency! (YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS - VERY rare sketch)

Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca, Howard Morris and guest Pat Crowley in a spoof of the medical shows that were all the rage at the time. At over 18 minutes, this is one of the longest sketches from Your Show of Shows we have available today.
NOTE: No date is available for this sketch, which has only been released on very rare out of print VHS/Betamax tapes. My undying gratitude to KJH, the uber-fan of Sid Caesar in Pennsylvania who found these tapes, had them transferred digitally, and shared them with me so that I could make them available on KZbin

[@Lynda-oo7ey]

In all my 84 years,I have never seen anything funnier than this group.

[@zekelucente9702]

This incredible group of actors produced 90 minutes of live TV every week and they were the first and still the best. The list of talented writers on this show is epic.

[@mvies77]

Genius at work. Great comedy. Sid and Imogene perfection!

[@tonynicholas5539]

Best sitcom ever

[@Brace67]

What a great comedy sketch and what a trooper Imogene Coca was. This was live TV. No chance to do something over again if a mistake happened. It was on with the show. I remember watching “Your Show of Shows” but do not remember this particular sketch. The one I do remember is of course Sid Caesar as the former German General who was dressed so elaborately by Howard Morris, only to go outside and take up his position as a hotel doorman. Who could ever forget that one. My understanding is that Mel Brooks wrote that memorable sketch.

[@luisreyes1963]

A great medical drama parody. A fitting tribute to Carl Reiner.

[@Gypsyqueen-lt7tq]

Carl's fabulous here -- as are Sid, "Howie" & Imogene. I always got a a kick out of the fact that Sid's own son became a medical doctor -- from my own background, I know that was the great dream of "respectability" for the post-war generation. It's probably what Sid himself & the others all truly wanted to be -- thank God they were too poor to attend college, and so went into comedy instead . . . and are still keeping us laughing 70+ years hence.

[@georgekokoris6035]

Off-camera, it sounds like the good doctor’s daughter had difficulty opening the office door. Sid doesn’t miss a beat, remarking that he’s not sure she knows if she’s coming or going- then a long pause for the audience and Carl Reiner to catch up- then back to the script. It appears Sid was about to crack a smile- but only for a millisecond. He always let the jokes work without a net.

[@sidcaesaryourshowofshowsca2250]

There are at least 3 Caesarean adlibs in that scene! And you're right--he was a real comedic Stoic. He didn't like corpsing. In the 130 or so Your Show of Shows episodes that I've seen, he spontaneously laughs only once. No prizes for guessing that it was at Imogene Coca! --- kjh

[@74bx]

I got such a kick out of that blooper that I watched it at least 3 or 4 times getting such a kick out of it... even Sid gave away which way she opened the door and had that difficulty when his character needed to know how to open the door to the consultation room lmaooo....

[@epsteinisms1483]

"I remember!" "Who are you?" "Esther Williams!!" Just hysterical! And the smock riding up in the water........

[@sidcaesaryourshowofshowsca2250]

Let us not forget the seal bark! -kjh

[@quabledistocficklepo3597]

EZPSTEINSMS # Yeah, remember when women were expected to be modest?

[@jeffreygedacht4242]

The best collection of talent ever Incredible to think that they produced this quality humor every week live for an hour and a half

[@Merry-ne4mr]

Funny little skit, very enjoyable! Thank you!

[@sidcaesaryourshowofshowsca2250]

Glad you're enjoying them. YSOS is classic comedy. Spread the word! --kjh

[@johnmitchelljr]

Another fine sketch. I think Imogene was the star of this one. Thank you.

[@tonynicholas5539]

Best sitcom

[@daniellack3559]

Very interesting...considering this is from YSOS, the air date certainly had to be from the early 50's...I did not realize that medical shows were popular so early on...My memory is of the giant med successes shows like Ben Casey, Dr, Kildare and others which I think aired in the very late 50s and early 60s...but obviously Sid and Company would not have done a send-up of med shows, unless they were popular at that time.....

[@sidcaesaryourshowofshowsca2250]

This is from '53 or '54 and there had already been at least two medical shows aired by then. (Medic, with Richard Boone, wouldn't debut until after YSOS' last episode.) I also suspect a dollop of the old Dr. Kildare films--they were certainly ripe for parody! --kjh

[@frankrolls6834]

it is not a rare sketch. Another lie. Kepp them coming!!

[@tonynicholas5539]

Best sitcom ever