Carl Reiner, Writer, Producer, Performer, Veteran, Activist, Appreciator (1922-2020)

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Carl Reiner, comedian, actor, director, and screenwriter, passed away yesterday at the age of 98.

Since 1950, Carl Reiner was a key player in American comedy on stage, TV and film. Performing double duty as a performer and a writer for Your Show Of Shows and Caesar’s Hour, Reiner played a crucial role in creating the American sketch comedy series as we know it. The writing staff reads like a comedy’s Murderer’s Row: Neil and Danny Simon, Larry Gelbart, Mel Tolkin, Aaron Ruben, Woody Allen and, Reiner’s best friend and collaborator for 70 years, Mel Brooks.

It was in the Your Show Of Shows writer’s room where Reiner and Brooks originally conceived The 2,000 Year Old Man. At first, they only perform the heavily improvised bit at parties, but it was so well received, that Reiner started recording the routines. After performing it on The Steve Allen Show, Allen encouraged the duo to release an album. 60 years, 5 albums and an animated special later, The 2,000 Year Old Man remains a timeless, seminal comedic piece.

Reiner’s experiences working with Sid Casear gave Reiner the premise for another comedy classic. Originally titled, Head Of The Family, it centered on the professional and personal life of a TV comedy writer. Reiner was originally slated to play Rob Petrie, but after seeing Dick Van Dyke’s performance in Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway, Reiner decided to center the show around Van Dyke. Going on producer Danny Thomas’ recommendation, Reiner picked 24 year old Mary Tyler Moore as Rob’s wife, Laura. Though he didn’t get the chance to play Rob Petrie, Reiner stayed on as the producer, writer and, had a recurring role as Alan Brady, which was largely based on Sid Caesar. Rebranded as The Dick Van Dyke Show, the show ran for five successful seasons, winning 15 Emmys and is now a pop culture touchstone.

With the success of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Reiner moved into directing, scoring a massive hit with Oh, God!, starring long time friend George Burns and written by another Casear alum, Larry Gelbart. Reiner was a key player in helping Steve Martin transition into movies, collaborating on four films: the breakout hit, The Jerk; the wildly inventive Dead Man Don’t Wear Plaid; the absurdist Sci-fi comedy, The Man With Two Brains, and the body swapping All Of Me.

Reiner never left acting behind, appearing on TV shows such as Two & A Half Men, and Parks & Recreation, Hot In Cleveland, and House, among others. He also made guest appearances on episodes that paid honored The Dick Van Dyke Show such as Mad About You (in which he played Alan Brady), and wrote an episode of The Cleveland Show entitled ‘Your Show Of Shows’, after the show that launched his career. He also played himself on The Larry Sanders Show and The Bernie Mac Show, both of whom proudly cited Reiner as a influence. At the age of 78, Carl Reiner was introduced to a new generation of movie fans when he played Saul Bloom, an elderly, but savvy con man in Steven Soderburgh’s Ocean’s Eleven series.

In addition to launching the careers of Mary Tyler Moore and Steve Martin as a bankable film star, and predicting Dick Van Dyke would be a giant star, Reiner recognized the incredible talents of a young Albert Brooks. Reiner discovered Brooks in his own living room, when a high school aged Brooks would come to the house to hang out with his friend Rob Reiner and performed an escape artist bit in Carl’s living room curtains. Brooks said Reiner was ‘like a second dad to me’;

Incredibly, Reiner never rested on his laurels. He kept acting and writing books well into his 90s. In 2017, he created and starred in an HBO documentary all about staying healthy and creative in your 90s.Produced by his good friend George Shapiro, it’s called If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast and its streaming on HBO and HBO Max.

Carl also retained a constant presence on Twitter. His most recent Tweets – some posted less than a day before his passing – praised his wife and children, The Dick Van Dyke Show, his long time friend Mel Brooks, Noel Coward and trashed the President.

With a body of work spanning 70 years, Carl Reiner leaves behind a legacy that is nothing short of extraordinary.

Rest easy Carl…

 

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Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.