American Film Comedy: Biography: Carl Reiner

by Kristen St. John

Carl Reiner didn’t create TV, but he was there for its birth as one of the first people seen on the television screen. His career has spanned over almost seven decades and his comic genius has made him be named, one of the best in the business. He has been the only guest on every aspect of the Tonight Show, and was a guest over 47 times, while Johnny Carson was the host. At the age of 94, he is still active, and could surprise us by living forever!

He was born in the Bronx, New York on March 20, 1922. His parents were both Jewish immigrants, his father a watchmaker by trade and his mother a housewife. At the age of 16, his older brother Charlie, persuaded him to participate in a free dramatic workshop available through the Works Progress Administration. He has often accredited Charlie for pushing him towards the career that has been so good to him. He married his wife Estelle in 1943, and they were married for 64 years until her death in 2008. They had three children, one being Rob Reiner, who is also a very well received actor and director. His mother said the famous line from When Harry Met Sally, “I’ll Have What She’s Having”, which is a movie that Rob Reiner directed.

The same year he was married 1943, he began serving in World War Two, and served through the year 1946. He was training to be a radio operator, but his path was forever changed again, when he was ordered to serve under Major Maurice Evans in the Army entertainment section. They toured the Pacific, entertaining others serving our country.

His first stop, after the war ended, was a stand-up comedy gig in New Hampshire, but soon he would make his Broadway debut. The year was 1948 and the show was Inside the USA, a musical revue. This was the beginning, but far from the things coming in his future that would bring him his greatest successes.

His entrance to Hollywood was in 1950, when he was cast on the sketch comedy ensemble, Your Show of Shows. He was a part of the cast, and co-wrote along with Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Mel Tolkin. The show was originally called the Admiral Broadway Revue, but evolved in to Your Show of Shows, starring the very unpredictable Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. It was here that Reiner and Brooks began performing the 2000 Year Old Man routine. They later recorded an album surrounding it, with the help of Steve Allen in 1961, and won his only Grammy Award for it. At the time when he started on the show, he didn’t own a television at home. When they did finally purchase a TV, his children would watch him on every episode. His son Rob asked him to say hello to him on television, but because he couldn’t, he would lift his tie at the end of every show as a gesture to his son. This is a very touching piece of television history. Reiner received his first Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1954, and this was also the final year of the show. When the show ended, Reiner and Caesar continued with a similar show called Caesar’s Hour, where he won two Emmy’s in the years 1957 and 1958. His first book was also published in the year 1958, Enter Laughing, which later became a play and a movie.

Reiner began working on writing a sitcom of his own, based on his own experiences personally and as a television writer. The original name was Head of the Family, and he wrote the main character for himself to play. For unknown reasons, the network didn’t like Reiner in the lead role, and he thought he had failed. One of the producers, Sheldon Leonard, believed that they still had a hit and suggested Dick Van Dyke to step in as the main character. The iconic show, now called the Dick Van Dyke Show, starred Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Sally Rogers, and Maurice “Buddy” Sorrell. Reiner appeared as Alan Brady, the arrogant star that they wrote for on the show, in multiple episodes. Once again he gives a nod to the family he cherishes so much, by basing Mary Tyler Moore’s character off of his real-life wife Estelle. Reiner wrote most of the episodes over the five year span, produced, and for the first time directed. He won Five Emmy’s for writing and producing, and the show won Best Show (1965) and Best Comedy (1966). They decided to end the show at the height of its career and The Dick Van Dyke Show can still be seen in syndication till this day. Reiner reprised the role of Alan Brady on Mad About You in 1992, which landed him an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor.

He moved to the film world in 1967 with Enter Laughing, based off Joseph Stein’s play that was based off Reiner’s first book. This was obviously a full circle point in his life. He was a large part of Steve Martin’s early career, co-writing and directing multiple films of his. Two of my own personal favorites would be The Jerk in 1979 and All of Me in 1984. Reiner also appeared in The Jerk. Another box office hit that he directed was Oh God, starring George burns, in 1977.

Reiner’s career has continued for almost seven decades, with great success. In 2000, he was recognized with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and he is also an inductee of the Television Hall of Fame. He became an Honorary Life Member of the Director’s Guild of America, in 2007. He was a part of the Ocean’s Eleven Trilogy as one of the main characters, Saul Bloom, in the years 2001, 2004, and 2007. He has even been a guest voice on the animated series The Cleveland Show, and wrote an episode based on his experience on Your Show of Shows. In 2004, the entire surviving cast of the Dick Van Dyke Show, came together for a television reunion that of course was a ratings winner of the night.

Much of Reiner’s written works were based on real-life experiences, personally and in the show business world. He once quoted, “Inviting people to laugh with you while you are laughing at yourself is a good thing to do. You may be the fool, but you’re the fool in charge”. His career has managed longevity with major success, and his legacy will live on long after he is gone!

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