SKU: 93107329067

When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy

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When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American ComedyFINALIST FOR THE PEN JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY FINALIST FOR THE MARFIELD PRIZE FEATURED ON CBS SUNDAY MORNING From longtime New York Times and Vanity Fair writer David Margolick comes the first definitive biography of Sid Caesar: founding father of television comedy and icon to generations of Americans. "Whip smart. . . . A nuanced appreciation of Caesar's comedy and the overall atmosphere of TV's early days." Esquire By the spring of

FINALIST FOR THE PEN/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY - FINALIST FOR THE MARFIELD PRIZE - FEATURED ON CBS SUNDAY MORNING - From longtime New York Times and Vanity Fair writer David Margolick comes the first definitive biography of Sid Caesar: founding father of television comedy and icon to generations of Americans.

"Whip smart. . . . A nuanced appreciation of Caesar's comedy and the overall atmosphere of TV's early days." --Esquire

By the spring of 1954, Sid Caesar was the most influential, highly paid, and enigmatic comedian in America. Every week, twenty million people tuned their TVs to his NBC extravaganza, Your Show of Shows, and witnessed his virtuosity in sketches and film spoofs, pantomime and soliloquy. Onstage, Caesar could play any character and make it funny: a befuddled game-show contestant, a pretentious German professor, a beleaguered husband (opposite his redoubtable co-star Imogene Coca)--even a gumball machine and a bottle of seltzer.

To Caesar's mostly urban audience, his comedy was an era-defining leap forward from the days of vaudeville, launching a new style of humor that was multilayered and full of character, yet still uproarious. To his rivals, Caesar was the man to beat. To his fellow American Jews, his show's success meant something more: a post-Holocaust symbol of security and a source of great pride. But behind all that Caesar represented was the real Sid. Introverted and volatile, ill at ease in his own skin, he could terrorize his collaborators but reserved his harshest critiques for himself. After barely a decade, he was essentially off the air, beset by exhaustion, addiction, his own impossibly high standards, and changing viewership as television spread to the American heartland. TV's first true comic creation was also its first spectacular flameout.

But in his wake came the disciples he personally nurtured--including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and more. Caesar left an indelible impact on what still makes us laugh. In When Caesar Was King, veteran journalist David Margolick conjures this complexman as never before. Deeply researched, brimming with love for Caesar and the culture from which he sprang, and reanimating a New York City that has all but vanished, this rollicking and poignant book traces the rise and fall of a legend.

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SKU: 93107329067

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Queen of Anxiety
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 2
Needs editing
Format: Kindle
Cute storyline and promising characters, but the lack of editing is painful to read. I would love to read an edited version.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2025
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Jewell Urbano
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Wow.
Format: Kindle
Okay I’m usually not one for stand-alone’s I’m an avid series reader but my goodness am I so happy I read this! This story was brilliant & so absolutely mesmerizing. I loved reading about each character and their struggles as well as what helped them to move forward. The ending definitely brought tears to my eyes so hard. I truly wasn’t expecting some of what happened in this story. There is about to be a spoiler I am going to reveal so please stop reading if you don’t want the spoiler !!!! ⚠️ ⛔️ ‼️ I loved that the author didn’t do what most authors do with irredeemable male characters. I truly was hoping that Nate Jr. would be apart of the pack after the way he treated Astrea bc he truly didn’t deserve it. Though I must say you did a wonderful job or redeeming him as a person. I cried my eyes out when he walked into the story. I was truly terrified he was going to be a bad guy to the end. However you truly did him such a justice by having him realize his faults & having him redeem himself in the most wonderful way. I’m so sad that he didn’t get to hear how much his brother loved him & forgave him before dying. But again you wrote that ending so beautifully & I just can’t express how much I loved this story & how you took a different route than most authors I have read have. You are a remarkable author Cinder Blaze & I thank you generously for creating such a masterpiece.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2025
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Kristen Linscott
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 4
Omegaverse
Format: Kindle
I was pleasantly surprised by this omega verse book. This 1 definitely had a few new twists And I really enjoyed reading it. The main female character was a badass and awesome. She had 1 best friend I wish we could have seen a little bit more of their friendship in this book. Her relationship with the male characters was good not to contrived or super instantaneous. And we had some fun plot twists that I didn't expect. I wish we had more of a follow up on the situation with her family her background and her mother who was a wench. I would definitely recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2025
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Amanda
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Wow. Just wow. An amazing read
Format: Kindle
This book was eloquently written, or should I say the authors writing style is very eloquent? I loved the characters, and the story was quite compelling. I absolutely loved the FMC, she's a BA who doesn't take any crap & gives as good as she gets. A certain person certainly got his just desserts & then some, the earlier scenes of which were quite satisfying, had me punching the air & everything haha. All in all 20/10, great read
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Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2024
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Lauren
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 3
My opinion
Format: Kindle
Let me preface this by saying I really liked the story and the characters however, this book is in desperate need of some sort of editing. It's not misspelled words or formatting, but continuous run on sentences. Redundancies within the sentences. There were a couple of paragraphs that I had to go back and reread 3 or 4 times. Overall, I'd say it was worth the read.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2025

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