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Thursday, March 20, 2014

Born Today: Carl Reiner- Biography.com

Carl Reiner biography

Born On This Day

Happy Birthday! Carl Reiner is 92 today.

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Quick Facts

Best Known For

Carl Reiner created, wrote and produced The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was based on his experience as a television writer for Your Show of Shows.

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Synopsis

Carl Reiner was born on March 20, 1922, in the Bronx, New York. He served with an entertainment unit during World War II and entered television in 1949. He worked on what would become Your Show of Shows, where he acted and wrote comedy with Mel Brooks. In 1961, he developed the sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show and occasionally appeared as the character Alan Brady. He also directed films and wrote novels.

Quotes

"A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."
– Carl Reiner

Early Career

Actor, director and writer Carl Reiner was born on March 20, 1922, in the Bronx, New York. Reiner is one of the greatest creative talents in American comedy. Growing up in the Bronx, he was the son of a watchmaker and a housewife. A shy child, he dreamed of becoming an actor. His older brother encouraged him to take a free acting class at a dramatic school run by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. This led to him joining Paul Gilmore's theater company at the Daily Theater at the age of 17.

During World War II, Reiner served in the military. Initially trained as a radio operator, he later studied at Georgetown University to become a French translator. Reiner, after a stint as a teletype operator, joined an entertainment unit and toured the Pacific performing for his fellow servicemen. After the war ended, Reiner spent time honing his chops as a stand-up comedian at a resort in New Hampshire. He then toured with the national company for the Broadway show Call Me Mister. In 1948, Reiner made his Broadway debut in Inside U.S.A., a musical revue.

'Your Show of Shows'

Reiner landed his first job in television in 1949, performing on the Admiral Broadway Revue, which starred the unpredictable comedian Sid Caesar. The program evolved into Your Show of Shows the next year. Your Show of Shows showcased the talents of Caesar and Imogene Coca. During the show, Reiner played a variety of characters, including several slick salesman parts as well as frequently serving as Caesar's straight man and sidekick. The show was a precursor to today's Saturday Night Live, a 90-minute live comedy program. While serving a featured actor on the show, Reiner also worked with the show's writers, including Neil Simon and Mel Brooks.

In the early days of the show, Reiner and Brooks developed a routine known as the 2000 year old man, which they performed at parties and other events. The whole bit, according to Publisher's Weekly, started after Reiner asked Brooks, "Here's a man who was actually at the scene of the crucifixion 2,000 years ago. Isn't that true, sir?" And Brooks just started ad-libbing from there. Steve Allen helped the duo record a hit comedy album of the routine in 1960.

During Your Show of Shows's final year, Reiner received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Series Supporting Actor in 1954. He continued performing with Caesar on his next project, Caesar's Hour. Featuring comedy sketches and music, one of the show's most famous recurring sketches involved Caesar, Reiner and Howard Morris (another alumnus from Your Show of Shows) as suburban commuters on a train.

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