Reiner, Carl 1922-

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REINER, Carl 1922-

Personal

Born March 20, 1922, in New York, NY; son of Irving and Bessie (maiden name, Mathias) Reiner; married Estelle Lebost, December 24, 1943; children: Robert, Sylvia Anne, Lucas. Education: Attended the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Addresses

Agent— George Shapiro, 141 El Camino Drive, #205, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Career

Actor, director, producer, and writer. Actor in films, including (as Bud) Happy Anniversary, United Artists, 1959; (as Harlow Edison) The Gazebo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1960; (as Russ Lawrence) Gidget Goes Hawaiian, Columbia, 1961; (as German officer, cad, and cowboy) The Thrill of It All, 1963; (as Tower Control Rancho Conejo) It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World, 1963; John Goldfarb, Please Come Home, 1965; (as Rodin) The Art of Love, 1965; (as Walt Whittaker) The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, United Artists, 1966; Star Spangled Salesman, 1966; (as bookshop customer) Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title, 1966; (as voice) Alice in Wonderland in Paris, 1966; (as technical adviser) A Guide for the Married Man, 1967; (as Stan Herman) Generation (also known as A Time for Caring and A Time for Giving ), 1969; (as Al Schilling) The Comic (also known as Billy Bright ), Columbia, 1969; Ten from Your Show of Shows, 1973; (as Dinah Shore's guest) Oh, God!, Warner Bros., 1977; (as Dr. Maneet) The End, United Artists, 1978; (as Carl Reiner, the celebrity) The Jerk, Universal, 1979; (as Field Marshal Von Kluck) Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (also known as Dead Men Wear No Plaid ), Universal, 1982; (as Mr. Dearadorian) Summer School, 1987; (as host) Jerry Seinfeld: Stand-up Confidential, 1987; (uncredited; as newsreel editor) In the Mood (also known as The Woo Woo Kid ), 1987; (as Dr. Von Mobil) The Spirit of '76, 1990; (as Judge Ben Arugula) Fatal Instinct, 1993; (as Mickey) Slums of Beverly Hills, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1998; (as P. G. Biggershot) The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Universal, 2000; (as Saul Bloom) Ocean's Eleven, Warner Bros., 2001; (as studio executive) The Majestic, Warner Bros., 2001; (as voice of Shep) Good Boy!, 2003; Sid Caesar Collection (series of videos), 2000-2003; and (as Saul Bloom) Ocean's Twelve, Warner Bros., 2004.

Director of films, including (and producer) Enter Laughing, Columbia, 1967; (with others, and producer, with others) The Comic (also known as Billy Bright ), Columbia, 1969; Where's Poppa? (also known as Going Ape ), United Artists, 1970; (and executive producer, with Mel Brooks) Oh God!, Warner Bros., 1977; The One and Only, Paramount, 1978; The Jerk, Universal, 1979; Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (also known as Dead Men Wear No Plaid ), Universal, 1982; The Man with Two Brains, Warner Bros., 1983; All of Me, Universal, 1984; The Lonely Guy, Universal, 1984; Summer Rental, Paramount, 1985; Summer School, 1987; Bert Rigby, You're a Fool, 1989; Sibling Rivalry, 1990; Fatal Instinct, 1993; and That Old Feeling, 1997.

Actor in television series, including The Fifty-Fourth Street Revue, 1949-50; Your Show of Shows, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 1950-54; (as George Hansen) Caesar's Hour, NBC, 1954-57; Sid Caesar Invites You, American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), 1958; (as host) Keep Talking, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 1958-59; (as panelist) Take a Good Look, 1960-61; (as Alan Lester Brady) The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, 1961-66; The Art Linkletter Show, 1963; The Dinah Shore Show, NBC, 1963; (as host) The Celebrity Game, 1964; (as voice of Sascha Grouse, Dinny Kangaroo, and Rory Raccoon) Linus the Lionhearted, 1964-69; (as Mr. Angel) Good Heavens, ABC, 1976; (as host) Sunday Best, NBC, 1991; and (as voice of Sarmoti) Father of the Pride, 2004.

Appeared in television specials, including The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special, NBC, 1967; This Week in Nemtin, 1972; Annie and the Hoods, 1974; Julie and Dick in Covent Garden, 1974; (as commentator) The Two Thousand Year Old Man, 1975; Van Dyke and Company, 1975; (as host) Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown, 1976; Mitzi … Roarin' in the Twenties, 1976; (as host) The Fabulous Funnies, 1976; A Tribute to "Mr. Television," Milton Berle, 1978; Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes, 1979; Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty, 1980; Walt Disney … One Man's Dream, 1981; Twilight Theater, 1982; All-Star Party for Lucille Ball, 1984; The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, 1984; (as host) Those Wonderful TV Game Shows, 1984; The American Film Institute Salute to Gene Kelly, 1985; Comic Relief, 1986; NBC's Sixtieth Anniversary Celebration, 1986; A Carol Burnett Special: Carol, Carl, Whoopi, and Robin, ABC, 1987; This Is Your Life, NBC, 1987; (as Mel Fellini) Mickey's Sixtieth Birthday Special, The Disney Channel, 1988; (as host) Fifty Years of Television: A Golden Celebration, CBS, 1989; Neil Simon: Not Just for Laughs, Public Broadcasting System (PBS), 1989; The World of Jewish Humor, PBS, 1990; George Burns' Ninety-Fifth Birthday Party, NBC, 1991; Comic Relief, Home Box Office (HBO), 1992; Roseanne and Tom: Getting Away with It, HBO, 1992; Street Scenes: New York on Film, American Movie Classics (AMC), 1992; Laughing Matters, Showtime, 1993; More of the Best of the Hollywood Palace, ABC, 1993; Addicted to Fame, NBC, 1994; Comic Relief VI, HBO, 1994; The Dick Van Dyke Show Remembered, CBS, 1994; Sid Caesar: Television's Comedy Genius, Arts and Entertainment (A&E), 1994; Carl Reiner: Still Laughing, A&E, 1995; A Comedy Salute to Andy Kaufman, NBC, 1995; Danny Kaye: A Legacy of Laughter, PBS, 1996; Caesar's Writers, PBS, 1996; I Am Your Child, ABC, 1997; Intimate Portrait: Bette Midler, Lifetime, 1997; M*A*S*H, Tootsie, and God: A Tribute to Larry Gelbart, PBS, 1998; Steve Martin: A Comic Life, Comedy Central, 1999; AFI's One Hundred Years, One Hundred Laughs: America's Funniest Movies, CBS, 2000; The College of Comedy with Alan King, Part II, PBS, 2000; and Dick Van Dyke: Put on a Happy Face, A&E, 2000.

Guest star on television series, including (as panelist) The Name's the Same, 1953; (as panelist) Droodles, 1954; (in various cameos) The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, 1961-66; The Andy Williams Show, 1966; (as Professor Peabody) "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture," Night Gallery, 1971; (as himself) "Killer Routine," It's Garry Shandling's Show, 1988; A Conversation with Dinah, The Nashville Network, 1989; Alan King: Inside the Comedy Mind, Comedy Central, 1991; (as guest caller Roger) "Selling Out," Frasier, NBC, 1993; (as Alan Brady) "The Alan Brady Show," Mad about You, NBC, 1995; (as voice of salacious priest) "Noir Gang," Duckman, 1996; (as narrator) Sex and the Silver Screen, Showtime, 1996; (as himself) "The Roast," The Larry Sanders Show, HBO, 1997; (as voice of Gary Kasner) "The Unbearable Blindness of Laying," King of the Hill (animated), Fox, 1997; (as voice of Prometheus) "Prometheus Affair," Hercules (also known as Disney's Hercules ), ABC, 1998; (as Sid Barry) "Always Leave 'em Laughing," Beggars and Choosers, 1999; (as Al Lipton) "Decisions," Family Law, CBS, 1999; "Growing Up in Hollywood," Turn Ben Stein On, Comedy Network, 1999; (as Al Lipton) "A Mother's Son," Family Law, CBS, 2000; "The Dick Van Dyke Show," Inside TV Land, TV Land, 2000; (as voice) King of the Hill (animated), Fox, 2000; also appeared in The Carol Burnett Show and The Fashion Story.

Appeared at televised awards presentations, including The Thirtieth Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 1978; The Television Academy Hall of Fame, 1986; The First Annual American Comedy Awards, 1987; The Television Academy Hall of Fame, 1987; (as host) The Fourteenth Annual People's Choice Awards, 1988; The Forty-First Annual Emmy Awards, 1989; The Sixteenth Annual People's Choice Awards, 1990; The Fourth Annual American Comedy Awards, 1990; The Fifth AnnualAmerican Comedy Awards, 1991; (as presenter) The Forty-Seventh Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 1995; The Twenty-Third Annual People's Choice Awards, 1997; (as presenter) The Forty-Ninth Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, 1997; and The Television Academy Hall of Fame, 1999.

Appeared in television specials, including (as Dr. Reiber) Medical Story, 1975; (as Abbot Rosen) Skokie (also known as Once They Marched through a Thousand Towns ), 1981; (as Geppetto) Faerie Tale Theatre: Pinocchio, 1983; (as narrator) The Great Standups: Sixty Years of Laughter, 1983; and (as Norman Friedler) The Right to Remain Silent, Showtime, 1996. Also appeared (in archival footage) in the miniseries The Fifties, 1997.

Worked on television series, including (as creator and executive producer) The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, 1961-66; (as producer) Good Morning, World, 1967; (as producer and creative consultant) The New Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, 1973; (as producer) Heaven Help Us, 1976; (as executive producer) Good Heavens, 1976. Director of episodes of television series, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, between 1961-1966; The New Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, 1973; A Touch of Grace, 1973; and Good Heavens, 1976.

Actor in Broadway productions, including Call Me Mister (musical), 1947-48; Inside U.S.A., 1948-49; and Alive and Kicking, 1949. Toured in the stage production Call Me Mister (musical), U.S. cities, 1947; also toured with Major Maurice Evans's Special Services Unit, South Pacific tour for the armed services, World War II. Director of stage productions, including The Roast, Winter Garden Theatre, New York, NY, 1980; and Something Different, South Street Theatre, New York, 1983.

Appeared on recordings, including Gerald McBoing Boing and Other Heroes, Delos (Hollywood, CA), 1990; The Dybbuk, Dove Audio (Los Angeles, CA), 1999. Reader for books on tape, including Aesop's Fables and Jack and the Beanstalk, Running Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1994; Groucho Marx: And Other Short Stories and Tall Tales, Dove Audio (Los Angeles, CA), 1994; and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Prince and the Pauper, and Letters from Earth by Mark Twain, New Millenium, 2001. Editor and reader of translations (with Eli Wallach) of Yiddish Radio Project, Penguin Audiobooks (New York, NY), 2002. Wartime Service: U.S. Army, 1942-46.

Member

Actor's Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Writers Guild, Dramatists Guild, Directors Guild.

Awards, Honors

Emmy Awards for best supporting actor, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS), 1955 and 1956, for Caesar's Hour; three Emmy Awards, ATAS, for writing for The Dick Van Dyke Show; four Emmy Awards, ATAS, for producer/creator for The Dick Van Dyke Show; Creative Achievement Award, American Comedy Awards, 1991; Emmy Award, ATAS, for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series, 1995, for "The Alan Brady Show" episode of Mad About You; Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement, Writers Guild of America, 1995; Lifetime Achievement Award, Temecula Valley International Film Festival, 1997; inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame, ATAS, 1999; Grammy Award, 1999, for The 2000 Year Old Man: In the Year 2000; received a tribute from the Friars Club of California, 2000; Mark Twain Prize for Comedy, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2000; Career Achievement Award, Television Critics Association, 2003; inducted into Just for Laughs International Comedy Hall of Fame, 2003.

Writings

Enter Laughing (autobiographical novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1958.

The 2000 Year Old Man (transcription of record album), Warner Books (New York, NY), 1981.

All Kinds of Love (novel), Carol Publishing (Secaucus, NJ), 1993.

Continue Laughing (novel), Carol Publishing (Secaucus, NJ), 1995.

(With Mel Brooks) The Two Thousand Year Old Man in the Year 2000: The Book, Cliff Street (New York, NY), 1997.

How Paul Robeson Saved My Life and Other Mostly Happy Stories (short stories), Cliff Street (New York, NY), 1999.

My Anecdotal Life (memoir), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Tell Me a Scary Story … But Not Too Scary! (for children), illustrated by James Bennett, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2003.

COMEDY ALBUMS; WITH MEL BROOKS

Two Thousand Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks (also see below), World-Pacific Records (Hollywood, CA), 1960, Rhino Records (Los Angeles, CA), 1995.

Two Thousand and One Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks (also see below), Capitol (Scranton, PA), 1961, Rhino (Los Angeles, CA), 1995.

Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks at the Cannes Film Festival (also see below), Capitol (Scranton, PA), 1962.

Two Thousand and Thirteen (also see below), Warner Bros. Records (Burbank, CA), 1973.

The Complete Two Thousand Year Old Man (contains Two Thousand Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, Two Thousand and One Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks at the Cannes Film Festival, and Two Thousand and Thirteen ), Rhino (Los Angeles, CA), 1994.

Two Thousand Year Old Man: In the Year 2000, Rhino (Los Angeles, CA), 1997.

SCREENPLAYS

(With others) The Thrill of It All, Universal, 1963.

(With others) The Art of Love, Universal, 1965.

(With Joseph Stein) Enter Laughing (based on the novel by Reiner), Columbia, 1967.

(With Aaron Ruben) The Comic (also known as Billy Bright ), Columbia, 1969.

(With Steve Martin and George Gipe) Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (also known as Dead Men Wear No Plaid ), Universal, 1982.

(With Steve Martin and George Gipe) The Man with Two Brains, Warner Bros., 1983.

(With others) All of Me, Universal, 1984.

Bert Rigby, You're a Fool, Warner Bros., 1989.

TELEVISION SERIES

(With others) Your Show of Shows, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 1950-54.

(With others) Caesar's Hour, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 1954-57.

(With others) Sid Caesar Invites You, American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), 1958.

(With others) The Dick Van Dyke Show (also known as Head of the Family ), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 1961-66.

(With others) The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), 1971-74.

The Alan Brady Show, TV Land, 2003.

TELEVISION SPECIALS

The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 1967.

STAGE PLAYS

Something Different (two-act comedy), Samuel French (New York, NY), 1967.

Also author of (with others) A Child's Guide to Screen-writing, 1964, (with others) Salute to Stan Laurel, 1965, The Nancy Dussault Show, 1973, (with others) Free to Be … You and Me, 1974, (with Mel Brooks) The Two Thousand Year Old Man, 1975, (and producer and director) Flannery and Quilt, 1976.

Adaptations

Joseph Stein adapted Reiner's novel Enter Laughing into a two-act comedy of the same name, Samuel French (New York, NY), 1963, new edition, 1984; How Paul Robeson Saved My Life and Other Mostly Happy Stories, Continue Laughing, and My Anecdotal Life were adapted as audiobooks, read by Reiner, New Millenium Audio (Los Angeles, CA).

Sidelights

To adults of a certain age, Carl Reiner is well known for his contributions to comedy on television and in film, but his comedic genius, critics have noted, has crossed genres and generations. The New York-born actor, writer, and director began his entertainment career playing Sid Caesar's sidekick on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows, and has acted in numerous other television programs and films. However, Reiner told an American Film interviewer, "I think I was meant to be a director." His first big success came with The Dick Van Dyke Show, an enormously popular 1960s situation comedy about a television writer and his family. Later, Reiner moved from television to film, directing such films as Oh God! and the Steve Martin vehicles The Jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, and The Man with Two Brains. He also teamed up with his friend, fellow comedian, and director Mel Brooks to make Two Thousand Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, a popular comedy recording with Reiner playing the straight man to Brook's ancient curmudgeon.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Reiner grew up dreaming about a career on the stage. At the urging of his brother, he began attending free acting classes at a 1930s-era Works Progress Administration dramatic school. From there, while still a teen, he auditioned successfully for the Daily Theater on 63rd Street and Broadway in New York. During the Second World War, he served in an entertainment unit in the South Pacific, and at war's end he toured as a stand-up comic. In 1947, he appeared in his first Broadway musical, Call Me Mister, after touring with the national company for a year, but his true calling as an entertainer would be in television and film.

Reiner was hired as a utility man on the program that would become Your Show of Shows, starring Sid Caesar. Renowned for its creative cast and writers, Your Show of Shows provided Reiner with the opportunity to perform and contribute his ideas to the comedy bits. He also forged the partnership with Mel Brooks that led to the "two thousand year old man" routines, many of which found their way onto recordings that are still in print.

Perhaps Reiner's single greatest success as a writer was The Dick Van Dyke Show, a situation comedy that ran for five years, beginning in 1961. The show featured actor Dick Van Dyke as a television writer, with Mary Tyler Moore as his wife. Reiner appeared occasionally as the conceited, toupee-wearing star Alan Brady, but his lasting contribution to the show was the writing—he authored a great many of the scripts himself and heavily edited the rest, showing great comedic sensitivity to the personal tics and quirks of his cast. After garnering a number of Emmy awards for his scripts—and capturing top ratings—Reiner decided to end the show before its popularity waned. He moved on to films, principally as a director.

A multi-talented artist, Reiner has dabbled in another medium: book-writing. In 1958, he published an autobiographical novel, Enter Laughing, about his early days in show business. Beginning in the 1990s, he has devoted more time to fiction, releasing a sequel to Enter Laughing, Continue Laughing, as well as a purely comedic farce titled All Kinds of Love and a book of short stories called How Paul Robeson Saved My Life and Other Mostly Happy Stories. The new millenium saw Reiner approach a new genre with the publication of his children's book Tell Me a Scary Story … But Not Too Scary!

Tell Me a Scary Story … But Not Too Scary! was inspired by Reiner's grandson, Nicky. Reiner often tells stories to his grandchildren, and one day Nicky asked Reiner to tell him a story that was scary, but not too scary. The phrase "stuck in my head," Reiner told Entertainment Weekly 's Matthew Flamm. The resulting book is written as if Reiner was telling it directly to a child, complete with interjections such as "This isn't too scary for you, is it?" and "Should I keep going?" The story, purportedly one from the narrator's childhood, begins with a man named Mr. Neewollah moving in next door to the narrator's home. The boy, watching him move in, sees something fall from one of Mr. Neewollah's boxes: a marble that looks exactly like an eye. Wondering what else Mr. Neewollah might have, the boy tries to peek in a basement window one night. He sees what looks like a hideous monster before he falls through the window. Inside, he discovers that the monster is not really a monster, just a mask—Mr. Neewollah is a costume-maker. Some reviewers thought that the story, especially with its creepy illustrations by James Bennett, might actually be too scary for some young readers: "the rational explanations come too late to assuage readers already frightened," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. A Publishers Weekly reviewer, on the other hand, declared that "gross-out enthusiasts will probably lap this up."

Asked to explain his ability to make people laugh, Reiner said in American Film: "You have to imagine yourself as not somebody very special but somebody very ordinary. If you imagine yourself as somebody really normal and if it makes you laugh, it's going to make everybody laugh. If you think of yourself as something very special, you'll end up a pedant and a bore." He continued: "If you start thinking about what's funny, you won't be funny, actually. It's like walking. How do you walk? If you start thinking about it, you'll trip."

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Reiner, Carl, Tell Me a Scary Story … But Not Too Scary!, illustrated by James Bennett, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2003.

St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2000.

PERIODICALS

American Film, December, 1981, interview with Reiner, pp. 13-20.

Back Stage, April 9, 1999, p. 42.

Business Wire, August 11, 2000, "Co-Star of Your Show of Shows Receives a Show of His Own from the Friars Club of California," p. 52.

Daily Variety, July 21, 2003, Brendan Kelly, "Splendor Wins at Laughs Fest," p. 13.

Entertainment Weekly, March 26, 1993, p. 82; June 11, 1993, Nisid Hajari, review of All Kinds of Love, p. 55; November 5, 1993, p. 50; July 28, 1995, David Browne, review of The American Comedy Box, 1915-1994: But Seriously …, p. 61; April 18, 1997, p. 50; October 10, 1997, p. 98; November 15, 2002, Matthew Flamm, "Between the Lines," brief interview with Reiner, p. 138.

Film Comment, July-August, 1982, pp. 9-16.

Hollywood Reporter, June 23, 2003, Cynthia Littleton, review of My Anecdotal Life, p. 2.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2003, review of My Anecdotal Life, pp. 524-525; September 1, 2003, review of Tell Me a Scary Story … But Not Too Scary!, p. 1130.

Kliatt, March, 2000, Sherri Forgash Ginsberg, review of The Prince and the Pauper, p. 52.

Library Journal, October 1, 1989, Randy Pitman, review of Bert Rigby, You're a Fool, p. 131; May 1, 2003, Rosalind Dayen, review of My Anecdotal Life, p. 116.

Los Angeles Times, February 22, 1989; February 27, 2001, Susan King, interview with Reiner, p. F-5; May 16, 2003, Tony Peyser, review of My Anecdotal Life, p. E-21.

Modern Maturity, March-April, 1999, p. 44.

New York, October 6, 1997, Judith Stone, interview with Reiner and Mel Brooks, pp. 56-59.

New Yorker, December 13, 1969, pp. 47-49.

New York Times, May 21, 1982; October 26, 2000, Irvin Molotsky, "For Carl Reiner's Comic Mind, a Humor Prize," pp. B5, E5.

New York Times Book Review, April 18, 1993; July 27, 2003, Marilyn Stasio, review of My Anecdotal Life, p. 13.

Premiere, December, 2001, Brantley Bardin, interview with Reiner, p. 116.

Publishers Weekly, February 15, 1993, review of All Kinds of Love, p. 204; January 17, 1994, review of Aesop's Fables, p. 37; June 12, 1995, review of Continue Laughing, p. 49; July 3, 1995, review of Continue Laughing, p. 26; October 28, 1996, "2000 Year Old Man Is Back—Just in Time," p. 25; August 23, 1999, review of How Paul Robeson Saved My Life and Other Mostly Happy Stories, p. 46; August 6, 2001, review of The Prince and the Pauper, p. 32; November 18, 2002, John F. Baker, review of Tell Me a Scary Story … But Not Too Scary!, p. 14; April 14, 2003, review of My Anecdotal Life, p. 60.

School Library Journal, October, 1996, Melissa Hudak, review of The Prince and the Pauper, p. 79; October, 2003, Marilyn Taniguchi, review of Tell Me a Scary Story … But Not Too Scary!, pp. 134-135.

Time, February 27, 1989, Richard Schickel, review of Bert Rigby, You're a Fool, p. 83.

U.S. News and World Report, November 6, 2000, Bruce B. Auster, "A Straight Man Gets a Laugh," p. 12.

Variety, March 1, 1989, review of Bert Rigby, You're a Fool, p. 20.

Washington Post, October 24, 2000, Frank Ahrens, "A Seriously Funny Man: If Life's a Joke, Humorist Carl Reiner Gets It," p. C01; October 26, 2000, Frank Ahrens, "Carl Reiner, Your Comedian of Comedians," p. C10.