The Sid Caesar Collection: The Buried Treasures

One could make a strong argument for Your Show of Shows being the single greatest series in the history of American television. With a to-die-for comedy cast of Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris, and a lineup of gag writers that included Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, and Larry Gelbart, the program's sublime mix of deft satire and baggy-pants slapstick kept millions of Americans home every Saturday night. Although many of the greatest sketches have already been available on home video, this collection, aptly dubbed The Buried Treasures since the material has been unseen since its live broadcast a half-century ago, digs up additional comedy gems, including sketches from Caesar's Hour, the 1954 variety show that replaced Your Show of Shows, substituting Nanette Fabray for Imogene Coca (none too successfully, it should be said) and adding a very young comedy writer named Woody Allen to the behind-the-scenes crew. This three-volume collection includes more than a little repetition (Caesar's hilarious double-talking Professor turns up in three separate sketches) and awkwardly frames each vintage performance with overdone recollections by the show's surviving talent (nearly everyone downplays Coca's brilliance in favor of Caesar); still, there are more than enough belly-laughs here to compensate for any minor annoyances. And the thrill of experiencing the Caesar-Coca deadpan pantomime to the “1812 Overture” puts this among the comedy must-haves for any collection. DVD extras include bonus sketches and interviews. Highly recommended. [Note: also available at the same prices on VHS and DVD is the three-volume The Sid Caesar Collection: The Fan Favorites.] Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)