Caesar's Comedy: A TV Revolution

0:00This is Cory with the story, and here's what's trending across entertainment and celebrity news right now. A new biography called, When Caesar Was King, dives into how comedian Sid Caesar transformed television comedy back in the 1950s. Written by David Margolick and published by Shocking Books, it's Spotlight Caesar's work on your show of shows, where he brought fresh energy to the medium that many dismissed as half-baked. Even comedy legend Fred Allen, a radio star, made an exception for Caesar and learned from him during rehearsals. Caesar kicked off each live show with a formal welcome, but nerves often led to flood blinds like garbled welcomes or mixed-up guest intros. Viewers loved those slip-ups, feeling like they were part of the action, and they added real tension to the broadcasts. Critics rave too, calling Caesar television's top comic and comparing him to giants like Charlie Chaplin and WC Fields. The shows got saved on kinescopes, not for history, but to reuse strong sketches when new ones flopped.

1:01That helped keep things fresh amid grabs of our repetition just months in. Praise poured in from stars like Groucho Marx and outlets like TV Guide, cementing Caesar's spot as a pioneer, while networks posted about owning. Primetime. The Daily News Now is powered by our sponsor. It looks like a pillow, it sounds like headphones, built for comfort and sound, S-O-L-I, solely pillow.com.