A HALF-CENTURY OF HUMOR.

• Author: ROTHENBERG, ROBERT S.
• Position: Review

Tastes change, and what was regarded as wildly entertaining years ago often may seem dated when viewed through a modern perspective. One thing remains steadfast through the ages, though, a mantra that can be chanted over and over with little dispute--funny is funny. As is readily apparent from the huge audiences nostalgia programs on cable networks generate, what made you laugh decades ago makes you laugh today, no matter how many times you see the same favorite scene. In fact, the anticipation of knowing what's coming frequently adds to the enjoyment. With that off our chest, let's take a look at what was funny in the 1950s and what has us laughing today.

The Sid Caesar Collection (Creative Light Entertainment, 240 minutes, $70) salutes what arguably was the greatest collection of talent that ever combined to fill the small screen. The performers on "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour"--Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris (and, to a lesser extent, Nanette Fabray)--were dazzlingly versatile, but, most of all, uproariously funny. Whether performing in sketches that were later reflected in everything from "The Honeymooners" and "I Love Lucy" to "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Frasier"; devastating film parodies such as "From Here to Obscurity" and hysterical send-ups of foreign films; or wildly skewed examinations of everyday life events, like dating, sleeping, or taking an airplane trip, they kept audiences roaring.

When you consider the writing talent behind the shows--Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Neil and Danny Simon, Mel Tolkin, and Reiner--it is no wonder the material sparkled. Yet, Caesar could be equally riotous spewing nonsensical dialogue in foreign film spoofs or mangling the English language in his classic riffs as the German Professor, a self-proclaimed expert on everything.

Salvaged from the original kinescopes (the precursors to video tape) and lovingly restored digitally, these three discs will leave you praying that there is more in the vaults somewhere. Meanwhile, the interviews interspersed with...