Sid Caesar - "Gallipacci" with Nanette Fabray, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris

[From "Kovacs Corner" on KZbin.com] - First telecast on "Caesar's Hour" on October 10, 1955 over NBC, this kinescoped sketch is a take-off on the Italian opera "Pagliacci" by Ruggero Leoncavallo. Sid plays the role of "Gallipacci" ("Canio" in the real opera) an actor in a traveling Italian comedia dell'arte troupe during the late 19th century. His wife "Rosa" ("Nedda" in tha actual opera), who is played by singer and comedienne Nanette Fabray, falls in love with fellow actor "Emilio" (the opera's "Silvio" character), performed by Carl Reiner, and they make plans to elope. Sid sings a rendition of songs in a jibberish Italian dialect which he picked up in his youth from waiting tables at his father's 24-hour blue-collar diner in Yonkers, New York. Straying off of the real opera's musical score just a bit, we hear hilariously bastardized renditions of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", Cole Porter's "Begin The Beguine", and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" among others. Howie Morris (Ernest T. Bass from "The Andy Griffith Show") is "Vesuvio" (whose real opera character is "Tonio") and he performs a parody song and dance rountine to the tune "If I Know What You Know". In one of the most famous "saves" in the history of live television, Sid was supposed to paint a teardrop on his cheek when the mascara pencil broke at the beginning of his nonsense rendition of "Just One of Those Things". Not breaking his stride, Sid proceeds to pick up one of Nanette's lip brushes and paints an unscripted tic-tac-toe board on his face. The grand finale concluded with a variation of the song "The Yellow Rose of Texas" after Gallipacci takes care of the situation along the lines of a Mafia hit. Also, in the early days of live television, one time "specials" which pre-empted regular series programs were initially called "spectaculars". Listen for a young Don Pardo introducing the sketch.

[@poetcomic1]

At 9:00 Sid broke the pencil and improvised the entire tic tac toe on his face. This was LIVE and it was genius.

[@miggy272009]

I'm the caregiver of Sid Caesar for 9yrs until his death I still miss him:(

[@virtuallyreal4072]

Very interesting post. Was it a hard job?

[@rolko52]

Any living assistance for the elderly is by definition a hard job.

[@keithleeuwen877]

What a Great Guy !

[@caroler01]

Even in those circumstances, it must have been an honor.

[@kwestakwella]

I thought I would die laughing. Saturday nights following Gleason.

[@Convert96]

Never tire of “Too hot to cool down”. Love this.

[@Brace67]

Sid Caesar, an absolute comic genius. The description of the sketch is excellent and written with an obvious excellent knowledge of the opera being spoofed and also the sketch itself. Very well done.

[@Tylerson]

The bit in the beginning with the clown is not only funny, but it's impressive. He was a talented guy.

[@Brace67]

What a magnificent sketch. Comedic history at its finest before our eyes. The entire ensemble preforming brilliantly in this satire of the famous Italian tragic opera.

[@chrisk8187]

Now that was spectacular! "Classical" Slapstick! "Highbrow" and lowbrow at the same time. No performing "down" to the audience. Such talent and execution! Those were wonderful years. Thanks

[@williamschlenger1518]

What a voice Nanette Fabray had.

[@dickmoneysgun]

the part where he began playing tic tac toe on his face happened because the pencils tip broke when he was trying to draw tears... perfectly timed improv.

[@Jaybird196]

LOL, I watched this once as kid. Ahhh, still takes me back :) .

[@elizabethmurphy9384]

Nannette was seriously under rated as a comic if she held her own in that crowd of mad geniuses.

[@Hyman74Roth]

One of my favorite skits from this great man, he will be sorely missed...R.I.P. Sid Caesar.

[@gregoryschmidt1233]

At that time, opera was still close enough to having been popular culture, that most people would have had at least heard of Pagliacci, knew the story, and would somewhat recognize the main arias "Signore", "Vesti la giubba", etc. Tough to imagine trying a sketch like that now.

[@MargaretThornhill]

Pure genius.

[@echadwick3916]

"You sorry?""I'm-a sorry.""Okay, bye-bye." XD LOVE THAT PART

[@kindafoggy]

This film is all the more special today after losing Ms. Fabray this week. They were phenominal people and enjoyed entertaining us over the years. Thank you for the posting.

[@heatherpoet-johnson7315]

Masterful!!! Tummy hurting from laughing. Thanks Sid, Carl, Imogene, Howie, Nanette, Mel

[@kesmarn]

Ha! I never thought of that! It is absolutely delightful -- just full of mirth, no meanness. That's the most difficult type of comedy to pull off.

[@mvies77]

Real comedy, much missed. How wonderful they all were and the original Imogene Coca. Truly a series of masterpieces of comedy.

[@burgzvi]

Sid Caesar and all the others are brilliant. Truly the golden age of comedy. Sad that it doesn't exist anymore.

[@xsagemasterx]

what amazing singers

[@bigred997]

such brilliance. how can you even want to watch today's garbage compared to the genius talent of actors and writers of the 1950s and 1960s.

[@e.goldie6143]

Sid, you were truly an awesome King of Comedy! Thanks for posting this classic piece of comedy from Sid Caesar. He spoke gibberish Italian like an expert Italian speaker! (see some of the other vidoes on KZbin where he's speaking in French, German, Italian, and Japanese) Favorite part here is doing Cole Porter's "Just one of those things" while doing tick tack toe on his face. :)

[@MrTrackman100]

"Show of Shows'------Please bring it back!!

[@Earl_Wild]

The music for this sketch was developed and performed by the great virtuoso concert pianist Earl Wild. Mr. Wild worked for Sid from 1954 to 1958 and performed all the silent sketches and opera take-offs during that time.

[@gerrymcguire7521]

All of them so talented!

[@e.goldie6143]

Ya gotta love Sid doing Cole Porter's "Just one of those things" while playing tic tack toe on his face! LOL Brilliant! RIP Sid!!

[@MoiraRussell]

AWESOME.

[@SuperHartline]

Nanette Fabray was fine comedienne in her own right. And could she sing!

[@2nemobob]

And this was all ad libbed? That's amazing.

[@poetcomic1]

Sid accidentally made a line on his face and then went on on improv a tic tac toe on his cheek!

[@uppityglivestockian]

Simply delightful!

[@rolko52]

@ishouldntbeyoutubing - Thanks for identifying that song! That 's a tune that I can recall hearing on television since childhood, but I never knew it's title.

[@riverebec1]

Larry Gelbart (MASH) was a writer on this show and explained how Sid Ceasar, completely on the spot, improvised the tic tac to on his face when the mascara stick broke in half on LIVE television. "It was just one of those things" Pure genius!!!

[@fromthesidelines]

That "Shadow Waltz" parody was first performed by Sid and Nanette Fabray on "CAESAR'S HOUR" in 1955, and it's also posted on KZbin {"Sid Caesar and Nanette Fabray- TV operetta"}.

[@gerrycappuccio4186]

Funny show ! Thanks for sharing

[@allengumm1157]

I watched this show as a kid with my two brothers and parents. I see now how it appeals to both age groups. And even if I didn't "get" everything, I felt I "got" Sid C. , Nanette Fabray, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris (and Imogene Coca when she was part of the group.) Thanks for posting.

[@GuinnevereB]

What a brilliant sketch! It's as funny today as I remember it from years ago. Maybe funnier. There's another parody that I've only seen once, long ago, and would love to see again: Sid Caesar and Carol Lawrence spoofing an old fashioned musical, in which she played straight, singing Shadow Waltz, while he played a silent, accident-prone "hero" who inadvertently demolished the set around her as he tried earnestly to support her performance. He was even funnier without words, sometimes!

[@michaelrd88]

The music selections and orchestrations for this Opera take off were conceived and made by the very talented classical concert pianist, Earl Wild. He wrote and arranged the music for all of the Caesar Hour Opera take off skits as well as played the off-stage piano for all the silent sketches (including playing the piano in the now famous Grieg Concerto pantomime sketch)! He worked with Sid and the crew from 1954 till 1958. Since he was a well-known classical concert pianist at the time, he asked that his name not be included in the credits.

[@mmjhcb]

Earl Wild studied with Pittsburgh's (Carnegie Tech's Music Dept. Chairman), Selmar Jansen, with whom my mother also studied.

[@polyphoniac]

I knew it! The choice of tune for that opening dance number has Earl written all over it. BTW, Michael, what's the name of the sketch that has Earl's Japanese banjo music in it? I remember him mentioning that with particular pride during a cab ride some 40 years ago.

[@epsteinisms1483]

@@polyphoniac This might be the sketch you're thinking of: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKGcZ5-Lf5Kna9k

[@polyphoniac]

@@epsteinisms1483 That's got to be it! The Gershwin borrowing clinches it. Thanks! That is one I'd not seen before.

[@AbuseDaForce]

I basially died laughing at those high notes at 5:55

[@gerontius3]

The man behind the musical arrangements/take-offs was none other than Earl Wild, the pianist

[@StevenTorrey]

It would be nice if this (Your Show of Shows) was available on any of the many streaming channels.

[@judylabensohn1954]

Grandpa loved him.

[@jeffreygreentranslator]

Who would have thought that Carl Reiner could sing so well?

[@luishumbertovega3900]

When they began with the Santa Claus Is Coming To Town melody I knew this was going to be Great, and it was !!! Brilliant, perfect combination of comedy & music, 1-derful rendition by a talented, funny cast of extraordinary versatile performers, writing, staging, directing, this was catching lightning in a bottle !!! Blessings from San Juan PR !!!

[@kesmarn]

Truly brilliant. I'm impressed that it was all so seamless -- no blunders, every song started at just the right time. I'm assuming this was live and it was perfect. Using tunes like "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" and "Yellow Rose of Texas" just adds to the hilarity. Carl Reiner actually had a superb singing voice! Thanks for posting. I'd never seen this before.

[@kevinbutler7255]

He does a gibberish version of David Rose's "Holiday For Strings".

[@Ronclown]

This was indeed a classic from "Your Show of Shows". Ofcourse Sid is always great and his supporting cast was just as good. A unique takeoff on Pagliacci and very well done. Thanks for sharing.

[@StevenTorrey]

Inspired lunacy...

[@StevenTorrey]

Keep in mind, when this came out in the early 1950s, there were still many people fresh from the Old Country who knew their Italian Opera.

[@Marathonracer]

Great sketches like Gallipacci and all the others that Sid Caesar and the amazing cast and writers of the original Your Show of Shows and then Caesar's Hour ( Gallipacci) did will be enjoyed by generations to come because they're timeless. I disagree with the assumption (Jon Weiss) that this sketch "definitely would not fly today" because people "apparently knew opera" then - most people didn't. The parody is pretty obvious especially with the smattering of English in the double - talk, and the whole point of it is that it's based on a classic opera and an all too familiar story line, although thanks for the excellent description of all the details by you, Kovacs Corner. If it were done today, I think it would be done exactly the same way by Sid Caesar, and wouldn't be based on "Glee", which would be a completely different sketch. It's hilarious because it's a parody of a famous opera and the melodrama of opera itself. The reason this is so timeless is that it wasn't based on anything "current", although some other sketches they did were, like the side splitting "This is Your Story". But it's also true that television itself has changed. Early television was more experimental and appreciated by generally better educated viewers because TV's were new and relatively expensive and there wasn't all the other competition there is today. So it's hard to know if many of these skits could ever be done today.

[@joewehbbaltimore2284]

Ive never seen this skit before... Totally Hilarious.

[@keithleeuwen877]

Great !

[@chrisk8187]

We did a take off of the opera/ballet Swan Lake for one of the acts for an annual fund raising variety show. Had our own band members in costume in the pit do comic performing as they "presented" an adapted rendition sung operadically with a large moving sailing ship. It was a successful parody that that the audience "got" (1965), probably influenced by this type of grown-up tv show.

[@rolko52]

@Ronclown - It's somtimes confusing concerning Sid's television appearances. Actually, by the time Nanette Fabray performed with Sid, the show had morphed into "Caesar's Hour". "Your Show of Shows" featured Imogene Coca.

[@author7027]

it resembles opera a lot . character. and funny.

[@jeffreymiller4814]

Didn’t he do this sketch later (in the 1960s) with Imogene Coca? This one with Nanette is truly spectacular!!

[@epsteinisms1483]

The version with Imogene Coca was part of this hour long special. Here's a link. The quality is not that great, though. The sketch begins at 35:50. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZTUi4pog7aqhrs

[@author7027]

15 people made opera finalle . grande.

[@sheilabloom6735]

R.I. P. Carl Reiner

[@br21-]

I think this is what you might call "inspired lunacy."

[@GuinnevereB]

Thank you, I have seen that clip recently, but Sid Caesar also did that sketch with Carol Lawrence. On reflection, I suspect that was AFTER Nanette Fabray's version, because while both were utterly hilarious, in the version with Ms. Lawrence the physical jokes seemed less impromptu. It ended with her character stalking off in disgust, and his character still trying stoically to maintain the play's illusion for the audience, even after his bumbling had flattened the set! Thanks for the clips!

[@fromthesidelines]

Note the fallacies of live television- and how Sid managed to truimph over them. Look at 8:44, when his make-up pencil accidentally broke. How did he get around it? He uses it to play "tic-tac-toe" on his face...brilliant improvisation!!!

[@rolko52]

@orqsilva - Agreed. Today the topic would have to be surrounding the program "Glee".

[@rolko52]

I recently posted the SId Caesar, Nanette Fabray clip "Shadow Waltz" on my channel. This is probably what you want!

[@orqsilva]

Great parody. Of course in those days, apparently people knew something about opera and the story of "Pagliacci." This would definitely not fly today.

[@JoeLibby]

I suspect Carl's held out notes are courtesy of an off-screen stunt singer. It IS a brilliant parody.

[@davidferguson777]

I believe that is truly all Carl Reiner. He has a great set of pipes, but as he confessed, "pitch and timing" stopped him from going pro. See this interview: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4bWqIKVbpWLrZI

[@rolko52]

@jaskatube16 - "Non rovinate queste opere sacre...levatela da Yuo tube (Do not ruin this sacred works ... Take it away from yuo tube) You are about 55 years too late. You need to develop a sense of humor. (Sei di circa 55 anni troppo tardi. È necessario sviluppare un senso di umorismo.)

[@flobberworm1999]

Busta Rhymes could learn from this guy

[@cagoodno]

George Konstanza.

[@pylgrym]

Happigaccci Birtha Day a to the grosso-clowno Seed Sees Her !

[@LouieBeethoven]

Reality TV sure sucks.

[@jaskatube16]

Non rovinate queste opere sacre...levatela da Yuo tube

[@DrDespicable]

You do realize that none of the songs from the actual opera are used in this send-up, yes?