The Great Clowns of American TelevisionThere are generations that have never seen Sid Caesar become an automobile tire or Red Skelton stick his thumbs in his armpits and intone, "Two theagulls...," never journeyed with Ernie Kovacs to a surrealistic world of his warped imagination. Here seventeen comic talents are profiled (with photographs): their early years, marriages and personal challenges, anecdotes about them, the characters they created, their styles, and often representative dialogue or sketch descriptions. There is a listing of all television shows in which each comic starred (giving length, network, air dates). The comics include Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Tim Conway, Jackie Gleason, Danny Kaye, Ernie Kovacs, Olsen and Johnson, Martha Raye, Soupy Sales, Red Skelton, Dick Van Dyke, Flip Wilson, Jonathan Winters, and Ed Wynn. |
Contents
Milton Berle | 24 |
Carol Burnett | 48 |
Imogene Coca | 89 |
Tim Conway | 108 |
Jackie Gleason | 116 |
Olsen and Johnson | 184 |
Dick Van Dyke | 219 |
Jonathan Winters | 229 |
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30 mins actor Admiral Broadway Revue alcohol American appeared audience became began Berle's Caesar's Hour called career Carl Reiner Carol Burnett cast characters clown Club co-starred Coca's comedian comedienne comic Conway dance dancer Danny Kaye debut Desi Dick Van Dyke divorce drink Edie Edna entertainment Ernie Kovacs Ernie's film funny Georgia girl guest star Hollywood husband Imogene Coca Jackie Gleason Jackie's jokes Jonathan Winters later laugh live Love Lucy Lucille Ball Lucy's married Martha Raye Max Liebman Milton Berle mother moved movie never night nightclub pantomime performing played popular produced radio Raye Red Skelton Red's returned Ricky role satire script season September show business Show of Shows show's Sid Caesar singing situation comedy sketches song Soupy stage studio talents television show Texaco Star Theater tour vaudeville week wife writers Wynn York young