Customer Reviews

Where Have I Been? : An Autobiography

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What would you do if you earned millions of dollars and were famous throughout the world before the age of thirty? In the 1950's Sid Ceasar's critically acclaimed weekly comedy "Your Show of Shows" ruled Saturday night televison, and brought him world fame and a fortune to match. His authentic, true to life and 100% live and unedited comedy brought a never before attempted challenge to televison that has not been re-created before or since- and people went mad for it. In the eight years Caesar had a slot on the air, ratings sky-rocketed and televison sales (then the latest "must have") went through the roof. This should've been the perfect life for any man...but it wasn't. Unable to deal with the tremendous pressures of his high profile career, Caesar turned to alcohol as a "stress reliever". This eventually turned into a battle with alcoholism that lasted many years and sent Caesar plunging into what he calls his "dark period," which left him unable to recall or enjoy most of the professional milestones he became famous for. After being given drugs to help rid him of his alcohol addiction, Caesar then took on the role of alcoholic-addict, a well hidden secret that nearly cost him his job, his family and his life. Near death, and on the verdge of total ruin, Caesar realizes he must make a change. "Where Have I Been?" is the creatively written, dramatic account of Caesar's own life and times and his rocky journey down the road to recovery. A sure comfort for anyone who has experienced the traumatic realities of substance abuse, and a great book for anyone with a general interest in celebrities.

Not old enough to know Sid Caesar from his 1950's heyday, I first saw him as dentist Melville Crump, with Edie Adams as his wife Monica, in Stanley Kramer's immortal IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963) as a child of 12. Flying in a makeshift plane or trapped in a hardware basement, Mr. Caesar is peerless. Blowing a hole with dynamite in a wall leading to a Chinese laundry, he non-chalantly says in the understatement of the year, "The lock didn't work. The owners will pay for everything." He is fabulously funny in MAD WORLD, which remains my favorite comedy of the sound era.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN, which I read in paperback several years ago, galvanized and overwhelmed me. Its portrait of 1950's live TV and a famous personality addicted to both alcohol and pills and his own fame is dead-on, shattering, and ultimately liberating when Mr. Caesar finally kicks his addictions. The book is truthful and shattering. I read it in one all afternoon and evening sitting. At the end I was crying and wanted to just hug Mr. Caesar and tell him that he is both a brave man and a genius. And, of course, a survivor.

I subsequently had the opportunity--the 1980's?--to see Mr. Csear and Imogene Coca do a live stage revival of YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS in downtown San Francisco. It was in an intimate theater, not one of the giant theaters, and side-splittingly funny, the best of the best. Two fabulous comic actors performing hilarious material.

What I would like to do next is to go back to the 1950's again and see DVD's of CAESAR'S HOUR and YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS for the first time. I am pleased that I have so much to choose from and that the genius behind them is still very much alive to enjoy them with a clear brain. And I want to see MAD WORLD restored to its original 192 minute Cinerama roadshow length; the current DVD only runs 161 minutes, which is the 35mm general release length plus some roadshow music.

I am especially happy that Sid Caesar conquered his alcohol and pill demons to come out into the sunlight and enjoy his past work on DVD. It is great to hear about his swimming daily in his pool and everything else he is doing in the name of good health. He is so very, very funny in the incomparable MAD WORLD. And his book WHERE HAVE I BEEB is an absolute must-read for both its extraordinarily candid portrait of the dark side of alcohol addiction and its authentic behind-the-scenes glimpses of the Golden Age of live TV. Being golden had its price. Sid Caesar is a survivor who should be applauded.

This is the story of the life of one of the greatest comedians ever to grace the television screen. It's the life of Sid Caesar, who broke new ground on Tv with his shows, "Your Show Of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour". Here is a man who was lucky from the start of his life. He went from being a great saxaphonist to a wonderfully instinctive comedian just by chance and meeting the right people. He meets the girl of his dreams by chance, then while joining the Coast Guard in WWII instead of going off to war, he's stationed on Governor's Island in Brooklyn, NY. There he puts on shows which leads to him being sent to Washington and being featured in "Tars And Stars" an big Naval revue show. It then goes on tour and at the end of the tour he's one of the few actors from the show to make the movie version. Then he and his beautiful wife return to New York where he stars in a Broadway show. Then he moves to Television with the biggest show on the box. His writing staff go on to greater success televion, movies and the theater. The writing staff which Sid picked personally included Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Mel Tolkin, Arron Rubin, Joseph Stein, Neil Simon, and later on Woody Allen.

But how does Sid take the success, badly. First he starts to drink way too much. Then to try to get off the sauce he takes pills, but he takes them with the booze. He does things to him and really adds to his already volcanic temper. Then after his show is canceled he goes from years just coasting on his fame, till he ends up in Canada acting in a play that he's been doing for years, only on opening night, he can't remember a line of dialoge. He kn ows he's hit rock bottom, but does something about it. He stops the show at the first intermission, and gets help. Where he reclaims his life and becomes a better man because of it.

It's a facinatic read and does show that you can quite a life of substance control and reclaim your life. But to do it, you have got to want to do it. Sid Caesar is a very lucky man.

This book reminded me of a line from Alice In Wonderland where she says, "Sometimes I pretend there are two of me."

Sid Caesar had no faith in psychotherapy so he invented a way to process his own stuff. He pretended there were two of him, one named Sid, the big comedian, and one named Sidney, the real person.

He then got a tape recorder and talked to Sidney, telling him all of his problems and trying to unravel the knot of why he was so successful and famous and still so unhappy. He was working on a movie and living alone (temporarily) and every night he would come home and talk to Sidney on the tape recorder. It worked, too. Eventually he got a handle on all of his pain and anger and confusion.

I have no idea why Sid was so unhappy, having attained things most people only dream about. I'm sure he doesn't know either. I do think it might be pertinent that he attained massive success at such a young age and had to know, based on basic knowledge of show-biz, that there was no place to go but down. But still, having become a household name why not just coast for a few decades?

Of course it was oscar wilde who said there are two tragedies in life--one is not getting what you want and the other is getting it.

Also Sid was basically an alchoholic and that's just hereditary to a large extent.

At any rate, I saw this as almost a how-to book, how to heal yourself, how to cure your own confusion without paying someone two hundred dollars an hour to say, "And how do you feel about that? Oh, I'm sorry, our time is up."

If you'd like to follow Sid, I'm sure he'd be happy to lead. (Don't forget to bill yourself).

Oh, and when it comes to Sid, I watched him as a child and actually idolized him at one time in my life (along with Jackie Gleason). All I can say is I was always a fan.

By, now, and thanks for all the fun, Sid.

For those that knew him on TV and always wondered about his life this is a good book. I believe there is a more recent biography though.

I never really had much time for wealthy celebrities who got themselves hooked on drugs and destroyed their lives. I picked up Sid Caesar's book only because it was mentioned in a book on over-coming procrastination. Sid has a good story to tell about show business, how doctors used to dole out drugs like a pusher and how Sid brought himself out of his own hole. There are some interesting mention of other celebrities like Mel Brooks. Good read.

Doug Setter Bsc.
Author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim: A Prevention Guide

Sid Caesar's biography is an excellent book for anyone who is recovering (or trying to recover) from alcoholism and drug abuse. It paints a portrait of a man who was overcome by these problems, but found a way out. It is also very entertaining, and easy to read. This biography has had a tremendous impact on my life, and I have bought copies to share with friends who are recovering alcoholics.

I had to read and autobiography for my english class. Well, my dad had the book and he let me read it because i needed a book. It turns out to be an awesome book. I recamend. Besides, where would we be today with out tv comedy?

What would you do if you earned millions of dollars and were famous throughout the world before the age of thirty? In the 1950's Sid Ceasar's critically acclaimed weekly comedy "Your Show of Shows" ruled Saturday night televison, and brought him world fame and a fortune to match. His authentic, true to life and 100% live and unedited comedy brought a never before attempted challenge to televison that has not been re-created before or since- and people went mad for it. In the eight years Caesar had a slot on the air, ratings sky-rocketed and televison sales (then the latest "must have") went through the roof. This should've been the perfect life for any man...but it wasn't. Unable to deal with the tremendous pressures of his high profile career, Caesar turned to alcohol as a "stress reliever". This eventually turned into a battle with alcoholism that lasted many years and sent Caesar plunging into what he calls his "dark period," which left him unable to recall or enjoy most of the professional milestones he became famous for. After being given drugs to help rid him of his alcohol addiction, Caesar then took on the role of alcoholic-addict, a well hidden secret that nearly cost him his job, his family and his life. Near death, and on the verdge of total ruin, Caesar realizes he must make a change. "Where Have I Been?" is the creatively written, dramatic account of Caesar's own life and times and his rocky journey down the road to recovery. A sure comfort for anyone who has experienced the traumatic realities of substance abuse, and a great book for anyone with a general interest in celebrities.