When Caesar Was King

One of Alta Journal’s Most Anticipated Autumn Book Releases

“Whip smart… Sid was one of the first TV comedians to not only conquer the new medium, but pioneer what TV comedy could be… . Margolick’s book is a deep dive that moves quickly, giving the reader a nuanced appreciation of Caesar’s comedy and the overall atmosphere of TV’s early days.” —Esquire

“Both a portrait of an unstable genius and a cultural history of a medium coming to life. Margolick writes in vibrant detail not only of the Caesar shows but of the early-TV world around them… . [Margolick] is an ideal cultural historian … . [and] makes the achievements of Caesar and his gang shine through.” —David Denby, The New Yorker

“Margolick brilliantly summarizes Sid Caesar’s fall… . At its best [Caesar’s] comedy ranks among the very highest… . [And] the world without him is a less amusing place.” —Joseph Epstein, Wall Street Journal

“Margolick is an industrious researcher and skillful writer. One of the first in-depth looks at the comedian… . Caesar dominated television in the 1950s, helping to birth and perfect the sketch format.” —Karen Heller, The Washington Post

“Marvelous… . Margolick offers both the cognoscenti and the newbies a satisfying examination of [Sid Caesar’s] life and career.” —Bettina Berch, Jewish Book Council

“Lively and thoroughly engrossing… . In what is overall a tender and sympathetic portrait, Margolick doesn’t shy away from showing Caesar’s dark side, offering a complex portrait of an enigmatic genius who seemed to be just as much of a mystery to himself as he was to others. Beautifully written and brimming with life, this book establishes Margolick as one of the ultimate mavens of an era of American Jewish history in the mid-to-late 20th century that has all but ceased to exist.” —Ann Levin, Forward

“Well, it’s about time! We are finally treated to a nuanced, perceptive biography written with respect and admiration by veteran journalist Margolick… . [who] also takes us through the history of American comedy, focusing especially on the changes to the television landscape that made Caesar outmoded. A wonderful tribute to a man whose contributions to comedy cannot be overstated.” —David Pitt, Booklist

“When Caesar Was King is more than the story of Sid Caesar and the writers’ regiment he gathered and commanded that revolutionized American sketch comedy. It is a multilayered examination of how comedy and culture collided in the 1950s… . Margolick admires the King and his court, but sees the tragedy clearly: Caesar was the instigator of a cultural revolution he didn’t quite understand and couldn’t survive.” —Thomas Connolly, The Arts Fuse

“A lively biography… . David Margolick chronicles the career highs and two-decade lows of Caesar, ‘the most original and talented television comic there ever was.’ Caesar’s humor, Margolick notes, was zany yet sophisticated, blending slapstick, pantomime, his extraordinary gift for double-talk, and parodies of films… . Margolick covers all of this, as well as the influence of Caesar’s Jewish heritage on his humor, in a lively narrative that explains Caesar’s enduring appeal. Comedy fans will love it.” —Michael Magras, Shelf Awareness

“[A] lively biography of the original king of TV comedy… . Both a life and a cautionary tale, of great interest to any fan of golden era television.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Margolick poignantly assesses the influential comic’s career, noting he was TV’s ‘first great victim and suffer[ed] its most precipitous fall.’ Fans will be riveted.” —Publishers Weekly

David Margolick

David Margolick long reported on legal affairs for The New York Times, where he wrote the weekly “At the Bar” column and covered, among other stories, the trial of O. J. Simpson. He was then a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

His many books include:

• Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink
• Strange Fruit: The Biography of a Song
• Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns
• Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock

He lives in New York City.

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