Argument to Beethoven's 5th
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- No cue cards, no teleprompters, and no second takes--legendary funnyman Sid Caesar pioneered live television sketch comedy with his 1950s sitcoms Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. This classic sketch is "Argument to Beethoven's 5th," Sid Caesar and Nanette Fabray play a married couple in a argument with pantomimed action and the dialogue is classic music.Enjoy!
Nanette Fabray passed away today (Feb. 23, 2018) at age 97. RIP. This skit is a piece of genius!
It most certainly IS!!!!
It looks just like Beethoven watched this video and then wrote the music for it. Absolutely dead-on!
when you see art like this, pure genius that you can both appreciate and emotionally be aroused by, you wonder how we ended up in our state of artistic complacency today.
I saw Sid Caeasr do this live with Imogene Coca on their "Together Again" tour in 1991. One of the best shows I ever saw!
I thought my mind was playing tricks on me because I remembered Imogene Coca doing this skit. Nannette Fabray is also terrific. I guess they both did it with Sid Caesar at different times. It's brilliantly conceived and carried out.
Considering Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Danny and Neil Simon and others were writing behind the scenes, it has to be brilliant. I wonder who helped block the piece? And the live directing with probably two cameras (maybe 3) was brilliantly crafted. Genius on all accounts!
Still one of the best interpretations and commentary on Beethoven's Fifth, opening movement.
Wow! That's really all I can say! This is the greatest pantomime I've ever seen, hands down.
OK, OK, Sid's a genius, but let's hear it for Nanette a little. Fabulous piece!
She is his equal here!
@Aritosthenes She was delightful. Thanks for sharing!
At the end I laughed so much my cats came over to see why I was cracking up. Sid Cesar and Nanette Fabray were outstanding!! I wonder how many times they rehearsed this classic. This is ENTERTAINMENT!!! Thanks for sharing!!
A brilliant talented performance - with a real twist to the ending!
Sid Caesar was my role model or idol as a kid. Loved this show immensely. One reason I went into acting was because of him. A genius in many ways.
Tremendous classic! Thanks. You are super-conservator!
Standing ovation!! I used to "play" to classical my mom had on the "hi-fi" - what a reminder of what the mind can come up with!
Brilliant! What extraordinary musicianship it takes to do this!!! Love it love it.
Ahhh, refreshing! Television the way it was meant to be. I'd gladly trade anything on TV nowadays for pure talent such as this.
I reckon even Ludwig Van Beethoven himself would be delighted by this. It's brilliant!
Simplemente, un homenaje impecable al padre de la música! Magnifico...
HAHAHAHAHAH THIS IS HILARIOUS!! totally brilliant. it really is hearing the piece in a new way... such a serious piece too, it's amazing what they did with it. The choreography is perfect.
Love this! Priceless - they were both so talented.
Pure genius. And it stands the test of time.
Very funny. I laughed out loud. Everyone here gives Sid Caeser credit and he was extremely funny but the woman (I don't know her name) made a great contribution to this sketch too.
Nanette Fabray. She was extremely talented and a funny lady.
Wonderful and great......Classic Television that will NEVER NEVER be seen again...these days are passed and gone....even though it was before my time....i still treasure Classics performances like these
Thanks very much for posting this. A routine such as this one requires a level of talent, timing, and cultural literacy found all too rarely amongst today's performers (and audiences).
Absolutely BRILLIANT! Who could do this today? No one. Sid Caesar, Nanette Fabray, Danny Kaye, Imogene Coca, Mel Brooks, Lucille Ball, Steve Allen, etc. - a specific glorious time. Wonderfully funny things are done today - just different thought processes. I LOVE this era. I also wish we ladies could wear clothes like the movie characters of the 40's did. What marvelous dresses, shoes, hats and coats. Gloves! Like Bette Davis in Now, Voyager. Bless the technology that preserves this wonder.
Just....
I...
I am speechless. This is absolutely masterful. One of the most brilliant things I've ever seen
I saw it when it was broadcast on "Your Shows of Show." It's just as funny today and I'll be rewatching many more. (Aug 8, 2024)
Downright brilliant! Thanks for posting this gem.
It's not just the acting, but the story that makes it amazing :)
it gave the symphony some spirit!!!! i love it
Bravo and Brava! A classic masterpiece.
Absolutely brilliant!...Beethoven's Fifth is one of my favorites. But now I'm afraid I'll only laugh every time I hear it again. ;-)
magnifico bravo!!! una obra de arte..aprendan artistas de estos dos genios!
They get it so right.
This piece speaks to you exactly like an argument or a battle.
This show and his previous shows are pure genius, true comedy. Much missed.
The best part is "YOUR MOTHER!" "MY MOTHER?!" at 2:00.
Supreme demonstration of nonverbal communication in fusion with one of the greatest classicals! I'm so glad I chanced upon this!! (Oh where have all the great comedies gone now...)
this proofs that you don't need words to tell a story in music!
R. I. P. Sid
Fabulous... I love the yes/no argument where they switch over. I can never listen to Beethoven 5 the same again!
That was brilliant! Thanks for posting this!
A brilliant idea, conceived by Sid and his legendary writing staff, and flawlessly carried out by Sid and Nanette.
One of the most glorious pieces of television ever made. I hope there's a higher quality copy out there somewhere, and that it will find its way to the general public. :)
One of the first (and greatest) comedians on television. It doesn't get any better than Cid Caesar. Thanks for posting this.
This gives me joy. Nobody's born knowing about everybody... good for you, seeing quality on an initial exposure to a performer who is new to you, and seeking out more of his work.
I love this clip! I remember having to memorize this movement chord by chord at Eastman for a quiz. Wish I had this video back then. I'm sure Professor Marvin would have loved it too!
Liren Chen We studied the Fifth for a week or two fifty years ago at Stanford in Germany. The University organist was over with us as our professor. It still pays in my mind as I hear it.
Cool! Old film that's actually still cool 60 years later!
I think this is brilliant and one of the funniest things I've ever seen!
this video relaxes me at night.The music, the classic acting. Brilliant
Marvelous!! What memories.
I am in awe. Live TV... thank god the tape still exists.
its like dance, the music is the script, they are interpreting the music following an argument inspired in the music caracter, one of many interpretation,what achievment!!
Nanette Fabray's 6 part archive interview is on You Tube. She is 84 years old in the interview and does wonderfully In part 3 14:40 she is asked about this Argument sketch. Although her memory seems excellent she doesn't recall doing it. This is an indication of how incredibly routine brilliant productions were at the time.
haha the repetitive motif does really sound like ramblings...brilliant!
Awesome! There's true comedic genius at work here.
Gee, I just love Sid, and especially Nanette Fabray. Who could believe that we once had this level of quality on TV. What happened? Isn't it interesting that their emotions and gestures match the music so cleverly?
I rarely comment on videos- but thank you so much for adding this. What a gem!
FANTASTIC !!!
My day, will be BETTER ...
Thanks to you and Uploader !!!
Que --MARAVILHA --!!!!
15-05-2013
The arguments I had with my wife were more like Stravinsky's Rites of Spring.
That's kind of hot.
L00ks fantastic with the body language actions and the music thanks for sharing Pia
YES, YES, YES, "High culture" meeting popular culture in a way that we somehow simply cannot manage right now. Makes me want to cry.
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
Absolutely brilliant. Thanks for the post.
This was really funny. It's not what the actual emotion of the song is, but the implication is hysterical. Good job.
Classics never die.
Amazing!!! I love the yes, no, yes, no part and of course the ending... what talent...
Excellent. Thanks you SO much for posting this!
Magnificent and sublime.
Extraordinary.
This extradinarily well done... and that goes for the camera work and direction, too. No zoom lenses back then, you know.
HAHAHAA!! This is soo funny! XD The "Yes-No" and "Ha-ha-ha"-parts is the funniest XD
Better than anything that has ever been on MTV!
HA HA HA HA - fantastic...genius!
the next time my mom and dad have an argument i gonna put Beethoven's symphoney on heahphones.
A masterpiece!!
- c.a.t.
Now THAT is what I call PURE talent!
Absolutely brilliant.
hahahah this cracked me up... we need more shenanigans like this nowadays. :)
Genius, sheer genius!
Sid Caesar was the best.
This is actually quite enlightening about the dialectic character of this movement, the asking strings, the crushing answers of the brass, every intensifying until the code where brass and timpani cut through the strings' question mercilessly - or should, quite often this essential detail of the score is obscured by an over-sized string section, smeared articulation and the mellower, quieter modern trumpets.
Agreed with most everyone. Brilliant concept and perfectly executed!
Nanette Fabray, beyond the shadow of a doubt!
the single greatest argument EVER!!!!! XD
Mad as a fish! This should inspire non classical listeners to listen
They just don't make tv like they used to! These two were awesome!
This is from 1954. Mr. Caesar and Ms. Fabray are still with us today.
That woman is SO fifties. Excellently done.
This is sheer genius. Almost 6 solid minutes of carefully choreographed "story" timed perfectly to the music. Absolutely BRILLIANT. WHO ARE THESE TWO?
Thanks!!! I will use this for students to write a short scene for English class! :)
This is great. I only knew of him from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
F*cking BRILLIANT! A couple of real pros right there.
R.I.P. Sid you gave a lot to the world.
Very clever. Sid was a genius.
WONDERFUL!!!!!
Wonderful! The dog turned out to be man's best friend In the end.
The Halo Grower, How do you know it wasn't a cat?
Spot on!
Movement One (of four). Sounds like Toscanini's recording of it from that general time. Long live Caesar and Fabray!
The man is Sid Caesar, who worked with the brilliant Imogene Coca. But the lady in this performance is actually Nanette Fabray. The skit is absolutely amazing, and beautifully choreographed. It must have been exhausting to do. It is priceless, from beginning to end. The posters who say that "there is no TV like there used to be"...are regretfully right.
SanJoseMIke
I loved it; thanks for sharing!