ENGLISH LIT 344 / COMEDY & SATIRE

Who's Who in American Comedy

Comedian best known for his 1950's television series Your Show of Shows (a Saturday night ninety-minute variety show) and Caesar's Hour. (You might know him better as Coach Calhoun from Grease. He began as a saxophonist, but while in the military his wisecracks and routines done as 'filler' between songs caused him to gain a reputation as a comic. He appeared on Broadway and was offered the lead in Your Show of Shows along with Imogene Coca and a writing staff that included many of the best writer's of the time. [See also Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Neil Simon, Mel Tolkin, and Larry Gelbart.] Here he is performing one of his classic 'foreign language' routines (with Howie Morris), "The German General." (Note that neither of them is relly speaking German.)