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Before ‘SNL,’ there was Sid Caesar — and a roomful of Jewish writers

JL;DR SUMMARY Sid Caesar, a pivotal figure in early American television comedy, revolutionized the medium with his live sketch-comedy program "Your Show of Shows" in the early 1950s. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish WritersMel BrooksJewish ComedyComedySid CaesarYour Show Of ShowsTelevision HistoryDavid Margolick1950s TelevisionGibberish Language

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"In a recent public conversation held as part of New York Jewish Weeks Folio series, Margolick"
Yonkers, New York, United States
"And then theres Yonkers [Caesars hometown just north of New York City]."
Poconos, Pennsylvania, United States
"The Poconos [in Pennsylvania] were actually just as important as the Catskills in Sids case."

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Cairo Item ID 71347
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Retrieved 2025-12-26 18:00:45 UTC
Curated 2025-12-26 19:00:52 UTC