I expected not to like Laughter on the 23rd Floor, the new Showtime movie written by Neil Simon and drawn from his days working for Sid Caesar. Critics have been generally unkind to it and, besides, I liked but did not love the Broadway play of the same name, which also starred Nathan Lane in a role corresponding to Mr. Caesar. But of course, I had to watch this new work, fascinated as I am by the history of Your Show of Shows and Caesar's other programs. (And isn't it interesting that, with no other TV show, do we see so little of the show itself but get endless documentaries and dramatizations about the backstage stuff and the writers' room?) But I really enjoyed the film, in large part because I thought Mssrs. Simon and Lane, working seamlessly in tandem, etched an amazingly-penetrating portrait of Mr. Caesar.
That was, for me, missing in the stage version, where Lane seemed to be playing Jackie Gleason, and Simon seemed to be extra-cautious about not offending his former colleagues. Neither is the case in the TV-movie, which skews more dramatic and gets more in-depth, not about the Camelot aspects of the Caesar output but of its slow, pain-filled disintegration. For good or ill, it all struck me as an honest portrait, if not of reality, then certainly of the reality Simon witnessed. And for those of you who need help with the little game of Who Represents Who?, here's a quick crib sheet…
- Max Prince was based on Sid Caesar and played by Nathan Lane
- Val was based on Mel Tolkin and played by Mark-Linn Baker
- Milt was based on Sheldon Keller and played by Dan Castellaneta
- Carol was based on Lucille Kallen and played by Peri Gilpin
- Kenny was based on Neil Simon and played by MacKenzie Astin
- Lucas was based on Larry Gelbart and played by Victor Garber
- Ira was based on Mel Brooks and played by Saul Rubinek
- Harry was based on Dave Caesar and played by Richard Portnow
- Brian was based on Tony Webster and played by Zach Grenler
Were it not for its roman à clef simplifications, this film might be the definitive biographical portrait of Sid Caesar, but I suspect it won't be.