Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 October 20

= October 20 =

Sid Caesar monologue from about 65 years ago
Many years ago was a show which I believe was called "Your Show of Shows" featuring (among others) Sid Caesar. I remember him doing a monologue which I think was called "He'll Grow Up". I think it took place in the fathers waiting room while his wife is having a baby. He dramatically goes through every phase of life the baby will experience always referring to the baby as "HE". After going through the baby's entire life he is hit with the thought WHAT IF HE IS A SHE??????!!!!!!!!? This little monologue must be at least 65 years old and I cannot find it anywhere. How can something like that be traced. I wanted desperately to show it to my children as their children were growing up. Is this just an impossible quest?69.114.63.93 (talk) 11:45, 20 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Our article on Your Show of Shows says that most of the kinescopes of the program were discarded. I haven't seen the film compilation Ten from Your Show of Shows since it was originally released in 1973, but I don't recall that skit being in the film. It's quite possible that no visual record of it survives. That said, a number of DVD compilations of material from the show are listed on the Amazon site, though in a quick glance I don't notice any mention of that particular skit. Deor (talk) 12:00, 20 October 2013 (UTC)
 * WP:POV violation coming up Sid Caesar and Ernie Kovacs were geniuses. It is a shame that so little of the work is available to show to younger generations :-( I haven't looked for it but their might be written transcripts of their shows out there somewhere. You might try The Paley Center (formerly the Museum of Radio and Television) website in your search. MarnetteD | Talk 19:05, 20 October 2013 (UTC)
 * There is a very good 3hr Best of Kovacs available from Blockbuster. μηδείς (talk) 15:43, 21 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks μηδείς. I picked up the "Ernie Kovacs Collection" DVD set a year or so ago - many great items on it including Percy Dovetonsils taking a swig of his drink and finding it is filled with real booze. I also have the recent "Vol 2" followup which includes some episodes of his off beat game show Take a Good Look (TV series). Good Stuff. MarnetteD | Talk 00:14, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * That would be the opposite of the famous W.C. Fields incident, i.e. "Who put pineapple juice in my pineapple juice???" ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 01:09, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Absolutely - Thanks for the laugh Bugs!! MarnetteD | Talk 01:13, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * I think Kovacs (and his estate) had more control over his material than Caesar might have. Kovacs' work is still great stuff, and either blatantly stereotyping or ahead of the times with his recurring "Percy Dovetonsils" character, for example. And then there's the Nairobi Trio, another recurring bit. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:13, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

I don't know about Sid Caesar, but the monologue you describe sounds a lot like the song "Soliloquy" from the 1945 Broadway show Carousel (musical), by Rodgers and Hammerstein. If that rendition suits your purposes, you will be able to find the movie version and some filmed productions of the show too. Catrionak (talk) 14:02, 21 October 2013 (UTC)