SID CAESAR: The Bellini Cup (CAESAR'S HOUR, Nov 3, 1956)

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[@jackmcqueen979]

His genius grows in my mind every day I watch him.

[@DieGroteske]

I honestly think that Sid & Co. were unmatched in their brilliance and perfect execution of comedy. You can see traces of these sketches in the works of Python or SNL, but never with such an outstanding sort of equilibrium of old and new gags, expertly crafted storylines and daring use of technical experimentation. They would never veer into self-indulgent bits like Python did, yet try out things like staring at the audience for a whole minute without any action ('The Four Englishmen'). They wouln't fall back on old vaudeville routines like Berle and Skelton were doing at the time, yet were able to perfectly recreate silent films for spoofs. It's just the perfect amount of everything that was and still is considered funny, produced with care and intelligence. That might be the key to this shows longevity: Everyone who worked on it really cared about it.

[@sidcaesaryourshowofshowsca2250]

I totally agree--Your Show of Shows was the Ur-television comedy. And the kinds of things they did--the movie parodies, the domestic sit-com (the Hickenloopers, not the Kramdens, were the first in a recurring sketch format), etc., etc., etc. can be seen--and heard--in successful TV comedy afterward. I sometimes think that Sid's NOT having experience with vaudeville or for that matter radio (he and his writers were really too young for either) was a good thing. He adapted his theatrical experience, brief though it was, to the brand new medium of TV and he and that brilliant staff exploited its potential for comedy that, as you point out, wasn't just a rehash of old vaudeville and radio routines. IMHO, YSOS was the first genuine television comedy and Sid the first genuine television comedian. --kjh

[@pamhamilton3488]

GENIUS‼️They only had 1minute.. to change clothes, scenery ,etc behind a sheet & keep going.”NO MATTER WHAT‼️”

[@daniellack3559]

Carl Reiner, such an outstanding professional , actually lost it here at around the 8:20 mark, for at least 10 seconds, laughing to himself, trying to recover...hysterical...

[@rockopolo3247]

He always had that tendency .

[@poetcomic1]

Best of all is the Somerset Maugham intro spoofing the 'anthology movies' of Maugham. Only a few viewers even knew what he was spoofing and how deliciously Sid did it... but they did not CARE if you didn't know... the viewer knew it was funny.

[@sidcaesaryourshowofshowsca2250]

I'm glad someone else appreciated it! A great spoof--and I lose it every time he goes through the "and now on with our show"s. You're right: yet another example of Sid and the writers doing what amused them and trusting that some viewers would find it funny as well. (Something they had been doing since Your Show of Shows.) --kjh

[@nicholaspascal3029]

This skit is a parody of French thriller Rififi.A pretty good caper flick that has many good reviews

[@littlegelland]

They really set themselves up for corpsing here - the accents, the soaked overcoat, talking in each others faces and those ridiculous shoes! But they got through it. Great Rififi/heist movie spoof!

[@wsegen]

great percy dovetonsils.

[@sidneygoldberg6647]

Funny

[@avival66]

Lejhaim 😆