Sid Caesar: On the Language of Comedy

Sid Caesar is a founding father of modern American comedy.  As a critical architect of 20th century comedic television, Sid’s groundbreaking series, Your Show of Shows, pioneered ensemble and sketch comedy.  Sid was responsible for forging “the writer’s room” and his writers Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart and Woody Allen would go on to define the field of comedy in the second half of the twentieth century.

A master social satirist, Caesar skewed, parodied and poked fun at power in all its forms: celebrities, politicians, corporate America, the sexes and the media; all wrapped up in a live, hour-and-a-half sketch television program with music and an occasional guest host on Saturday night.  Sound familiar?  This is the format of “Saturday Night Live.”

In association with the Comedy Hall of Fame Foundation, Sid Caesar: On the Language of Comedy premiered on WNET in 2019.