The 75th Anniversary of Your Show of Shows

Clockwise from the left, Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris, and Imogene Coca

It was 75 years ago today, on February 25 1950, that Your Show of Shows debuted on NBC. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Your Show of Shows.  It was one of the earliest comedy variety shows and would have a lasting influence on future sketch comedy shows. It introduced the world to performers who would become legends: Sid Casesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris. To this day it is ranked among the greatest shows ever made.

Given the place Your Show of Shows occupies in television history, it should come as no surprise that it was created by two legends. Sylvester "Pat" Weaver was truly pioneering NBC executive. He not only created Your Show of Shows, but also Today and The Tonight Show with Steve Allen, among other programs. Producer Max Liebman could be considered the co-creator of Your Show of Shows. For many years Max Liebman had been the theatre director at Tamiment, a resort in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. He also produced several shows on Broadway.

Max Liebman had earlier created the television variety show Admiral Broadway Revue, which aired simultaneously on NBC and DuMont, making it one of the few shows to air on two different television networks at once. Admiral Broadway Revue could be considered a forerunner of Your Show of Shows in more way than one. Not only was it directed by Max Leibman, but it starred Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Mr. Leibman had earlier worked with Miss Coca on The Straw Hat Revue at Tamiment and later Broadway. Sid Caesar had also worked with Max Liebman prior to Admiral Broadway Revue. He had worked with Mr. Leibman while still in the Coast Guard in the production Tars and Spars and then on Broadway Make Mine Manhattan. Some of the writers from Admiral Broadway Revue would later work on Your Show of Shows, including Mel Brooks, Lucille Kallen and, Mel Tolkin. Admiral Broadway Revue proved to be popular, but ultimately only lasted form January 28 1949 to June 3 1949. The show was so popular that it increased demand for Admiral television sets so much that Admiral could not keep up with the demand. Admiral then cancelled Admiral Broadway Revues so they could shift the money used for the show into manufacturing TV sets.

The ninety-minute long Your Show of Shows was the second half of a two and half hour programming block called Saturday Night Revue. The first half was hosted by comedian Jack Carter.  The Saturday Night Revue would only last until 1951, but Your Show of Shows proved popular enough to last until 1954. Although best remembered for its comedy sketches, Your Show of Shows not only featured sketches, but also musical numbers, stand-up comedians, and yet other acts. Your Show of Shows featured a wide array of guest performers, including Eddie Albert, Robert Cummings, Tom Ewell,  Nanette Fabray, Nina Foch, Paulette Goddard, Marilyn Maxweell, and yet others. Even Kukla, Fran, and Ollie guest starred on Your Show of Shows.

Of course, the writers who worked on Your Show of Shows are now legendary. Although he was also a member of the cast, Carl Reiner also numbered among the writers on the show. Among the other writers were the aforementioned Mel Brooks, Lucille Kallen, and Mel Tolkin. Among the other writers were Selma Diamond, Danny Simon, and  Neil Simon. Contrary to popular belief, Woody Allen did not work on Your Show of Shows, although he would write for Sid Caesar's specials following the end of Caesar's Hour.

The cast of Your Show of Shows would change very little throughout its run. Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca were with the show from the beginning. Originally they were supported by Tom Avera, who was replaced by Carl Reiner after the first season. Howard Morris joined the show just a little later. Choreographer James Starbuck (another veteran of Admiral Broadway Revue) also occasionally appeared on the show. In addition to Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris the show also included singer Bill Hayes, singer Judy Johnson, The Hamilton Trio, and opera singer Marguerite Piazza.

Of course, Your Show of Shows remains best remembered for its sketches. Among these were sketches featuring recurring characters, such as the Hickenloopers, a mismatched couple; storyteller Somerset Winterset; The Professor, who was seemingly an expert on every subject under the sun, The vocal trio The Haircuts;and yet others. Of course, among the best known sketches of Your Show of Shows were its parodies of movies, TV shows, and plays. Among its most famous parodies is "This is Your Story," a parody of the show This is Your Life. Among the films spoofed on the show was the foreign film and now the classic The Bicycle Thief (1948).

Your Show of Shows remained popular in its fourth season, even though it had declined slightly from its height in the ratings. NBC then decided to spin Sid Casear and Imogene Coca off into their own shows. Caesar's Hour debuted on September 27 1954 and, in addition to Sid Caesar, featured Howard Morris and Carl Reiner. It lasted three seasons. The Imogene Coca Show debutd on October 2 1954 and did not prove as successful as Caesar's Hour. It only lasted one season, despire including Mel Brooks and Bill Dana among its writers.

Your Show of Shows was broadcast live, and all that survives of Your Show of Shows are kinescopes. Sadly, this means that many of the series's sketches are either missing or only partially complete. It was in 1973 that a compilation of ten sketches form the show, Ten From Your Show of Shows, was released theatrically. In 1976 a series of half-hour compilations of sketches from Your Show of Shows were syndicated on American television. It was later run on Comedy Central. Compilations of sketches have been released on DVD.

Your Show of Shows was a truly revolutionary show. It is to sketch comedy shows what I Love Lucy is to sitcoms and Tonight Starring Steve Allen is to late night talk shows. It pioneered everything from recurring sketches to movie parodies and established many of the tropes of sketch comedy shows. TV series from The Carol Burnett Show to The Muppet Show to Saturday Night Live have all been influenced by Your Show of Shows. Its cast would go onto further successes. Carl Reiner would create The Dick Van Dyke Show. Howard Morris would become a successful television director and is remembered as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. Its writers, from Mel Brooks to Neil Simon, would go onto further success as well. Seventy-five years after it debuted, Your Show of Shows remains one of the most influential shows of all time.