L.A. Jewish Film Festival Pays Tribute to Sid Caesar and Honors Carl Reiner

The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, which began on May 1 and runs through today, kicked off the proceedings with a tribute to legendary comedian and writer Sid Caesar and honored Carl Reiner, his sidekick on Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour.

Esther Kustanowitz, Jewish Humor Central's Hollywood Bureau Chief, was in the audience. As she reported in her blog My Urban Kvetch,

"Sid Caesar invented sketch," said comedy legend Carl Reiner in an interview with Phil Rosenthal (creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond") at the opening night of the L.A. Jewish Film Festival on May 1, which was in honor of Reiner and in memory of Caesar, who died in February. "Sid performed it in such a way that it was never the same after."

As the evening stretched on, the 92-year-old Reiner used his memories of time served on "Your Show of Shows," "The Dick Van Dyck Show" and others to bring the crowd to laughter and applause. Of course, we were there to laugh, and had been warmed up considerably by the film that preceded the conversation: "Ten From 'Your Show of Shows'," a 1973 compilation film by Max Liebman of ten sketches from the show's 1950-1954 run. Although the sketches were first performed 60 years ago, the actors' commitments to character and relationship made the bits are relatable today as they were when first they aired.

Today we're sharing one of the ten sketches, This is Your Story," a spoof of the Ralph Edwards show This is Your Life, which ran on NBC television from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience, including special guest appearances by colleagues, friends and family. This spoof takes the concept to a new high as Carl Reiner surprises Sid Caesar in the audience, escorts him to the stage, and surprises him with appearances from his Uncle Goopy and Aunt Mildred.

Following this clip, we're including the complete 47-minute long interview from the festival opening night.

Enjoy!

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