REMEMBERING SID CAESAR PIONEER TELEVISION COMEDY LEGENDLONG BEFORE THERE WAS A SNL..............

Milton Berle, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, George Burns, and Gracie Allen.  These were seven of the pioneers of comedy on television who shaped the place of the comedic genre in the early  days of television from 1948 into the 1950's.  Also among them was a younger performer who beginning on February 25, premiered a groundbreaking comedy variety show,"Your Show Of Shows", that would make him, his co-stars, and writer hugely popular and iconic luminaries in comedy entertanment.  He is Sid  Caesar, who died on Wednesday at age 91.  For over four years Sid Caesar made Saturday bights on NBC TV, a place of innovative comedy sketches and send ups of funny dialects.  His comedy variety show also shone a spotlight on performers such as Imogene Coca and Howard Morris, and some times featured some of his caravan of comedy writers, including Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks.  Caesar revolved into a second successful series, "Caesar's World", from 1954-1957. and with the departure of Coca for her own tv series, was joined by Nanette Fabray.  Among the many honors given to him as a comedian were 2 Emmys for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 1952 and 1958; induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1985; The TV Land Pioneer Award in 2006; and the Television Critics Career Achievement 2001; / Lifetime Achievement 2011; Awards.  His contribution to Comedy entertainment on television, stage, and screen provides a lasting legacy, as he now joins in eternity Berle, Ball,Hope, Benny, Skelton,Burns and Allen, in the gift of Laughter they perfectly possessed on earth..............fr.tdp