Comedian Sid Caesar was huge, in all ways. Handsome, tall and winged with linebacker shoulders, a fearless physical performer and mimic, creator of a United Nations of international characters (all fluent in gibberish), Caesar dominated television in the 1950s, helping to birth and perfect the sketch format.

"When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy," by veteran New York Times and Vanity Fair writer David Margolick, is an apt title for one of the first in-depth looks at the comedian. Caesar died in 2014, at 91, his best work decades behind him. But his legacy, Margolick persuasively argues, is everywhere. Caesar’s comedy is the wellspring of "Saturday Night Live," now in its 51st season.

"Your Show of Shows" (1950-1954) was a live 90-minute variety program with a c

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