Your Show of Shows was a live 90-minute
sketch comedy television series appearing weekly in the
United States on
NBC, from
February 25,
1950 until
June 5,
1954, featuring
Sid Caesar and
Imogene Coca. Other featured performers were
Carl Reiner,
Howard Morris,
Nanette Fabray,
Bill Hayes, Judy Johnson, The Hamilton Trio and the soprano
Marguerite Piazza.
José Ferrer made several guest appearances on the show.
The show was created by
Sylvester Weaver and directed by
Max Liebman. Writers for the show included
Mel Brooks,
Neil Simon,
Danny Simon,
Larry Gelbart,
Mel Tolkin, and
Carl Reiner who, though a cast member, always sat in with the writers. A common misconception is that
Woody Allen wrote for
Your Show of Shows; he in fact wrote for its successor program,
Caesar's Hour, which ran from 1954 to 1957. Caesar, Coca, and Liebman had worked on
The Admiral Broadway Revue from January to June 1949.
Carl Reiner has stated that the time he spent on
Your Show of Shows was the inspiration for
The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Your Show of Shows also inspired the 1982 film
My Favorite Year, produced by Mel Brooks, and the play
Laughter on the 23rd Floor written by Neil Simon.