< Conversation with a Curator

Sid Caesar’s Comedy Revolution: A Conversation with Biographer David Margolick

And a Special Video from Mel Brooks

Thursday, November 20, 2025 
4:00 pm 
The Paley Museum, 25 West 52 Street, NYC
Curator: Ron Simon

Mel Brooks stated that Sid Caesar was “the best comedian that America produced.” Caesar's groundbreaking work on the live Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour thrilled audiences, where his fearless improvisation, brilliant pantomime, and keen observations of human nature created a new language for TV sketch comedy. Join Curator Ron Simon and author of the definitive biography When Caesar Was King, David Margolick, to explore Sid’s relentless artistry and enduring legacy.

Simon and Margolick will also screen classic Caesar clips from the Paley Archive, from the hilarious intellectual double-talk by The Professor to the uproarious domestic squabbles of “The Hickenloopers” with partner Imogene Coca. They will examine how his writers' room—a legendary "university of comedy" that included Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, and Larry Gelbart—laid the foundation for every sketch show that followed, from The Carol Burnett Show to Saturday Night Live. Mel Brooks will also be supplying a special video, talking about his legendary work with Sid. You will experience why Caesar was indeed King of American TV Comedy.

Free for Paley Members, included in General Admission.
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