The legendary Sid Caesar appeared at the Historic Elitch Theatre twice, and both times it was in a comedy by Neil Simon. In 1971 he starred in The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and in 1974 he returned in The Prisoner of Second Avenue.
Honored in numerous ways over 60 years, he was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, winning twice. He was also a saxophonist and author of several books, including two autobiographies in which he described his career and later struggle to overcome years of alcoholism and addiction to barbiturates. [Wikipedia]
Caesar’s 1974 Program Bio for The Prisoner of Second Avenue:
SID CAESAR (Mel Edison) is a comedian without a joke file. A laugh maker without gags. And There’s no one quite like Sid Caesar. His career spans every facet of comedic entertainment — motion pictures, the Broadway stage, and, of course, television. In addition, he recently established Sid Caesar Productions, Inc., a multi-interest company with the primary goal of rejuvenating comedy in entertainment.
Sid was born (September 8) the youngest of three sons, in Yonkers, N.Y. His father operated the St. Clair Lunch, a restaurant where Sid worked during his early teens. Clientele of the eatery were chiefly Polish, Russian and Italian laborers, whose dialects and accents carved indelible images on the comedian’s creative mind — all resulting in marvelous impressions that have helped make Sid’s comedy sketches so hilarious. His earliest ambition was to be a musician, and his earnings were invested in a saxophone and music lessons.
After graduating from high school, he took his sax to New York City but ended up as a movie usher for $15-a-week. He still studied and subsequently, he joined such top bands as Charlie Spivak, Claude Thornhill, and Shep Fields. In the Fall of 1942, Sid enlisted in the Coast Guard Revue, “Six On, Twelve Off.” In the Fall of 1942, Sid enlisted in the Coast Guard Orchestra, and between numbers, amused his fellow sidemen with impromptu monologues, dialects and satiric take-off’s on military officers. Noting these comedy antics, Max Liebman, producer of the Guard Revue, moved Sid from the bandstand to the stage for “Tars and Spars.” After a national tour, Hollywood filmed the revue, with Sid the only member of the original cast to appear in the motion picture. He was hailed as a “new comedy find” by film critics.
Bitten by the Hollywood bug, Sid moved to California to concentrate on a film career. After a year of “undisturbed activity,” he returned to New York where he was cast in the musical revue, “Make Mine Manhattan,” which earned him the 1948 Donaldson Award for the best debut of an authentic clown, and his career was again rolling. The following year, 1949, began his phenomenal TV career.
Introduced, first, on “Broadway Revue, “Caesar became a legitimate overnight sensation. That series was succeeded by the historic “Your Show of Shows,” then “Caesar’s Hour” (which won five Emmy Awards in 1957), and finally, “Sid Caesar Invites You.”
During the next few years, Sid relaxed from the 10-year grind of turning out a weekly series, and concentrated on television specials and the nightclub circuit, headlining in the finer clubs from Las Vegas to New York’s Copacabana. His movie career includes Stanley Kramer’s classic comedy extravaganza, “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” “The Spirit Is Willing,” “The Busy Body.” and “A Guide for The Married Man.” Sid Caesar Productions is involved in all aspects of entertainment, including the production of motion pictures, television series and specials, and television-radio commercials. Caesar says, “I think comedy has a place in American entertainment. During the past few years we seem to have forgotten how to laugh. We take ourselves too seriously. So, I’m going to do what I can to put back the laugh in life.”
1974 Elitch Theatre Program Bio for Caesar’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1971
- 1974
Elitch Theatre Productions/Roles:
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- Your Show of Shows and its cast received seven Emmy nominations between the years 1953 and 1954 and tallied two wins.
- AFI’s Greatest Movie Musicals: #20 Grease
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- Grease starred two other Elitch Theatre alumni: Edd Byrnes and Eve Arden!
Wikipedia Link:
