Imogene Coca is best remembered as one of the driving forces behind the popular variety show Your Show of Shows (1950-54), in which she starred with Sid Caesar. Her physical, non-verbal comedy perfectly offset Caesar's bizarre characterizations and antics. Coca won an Emmy for Best Actress in 1951 for her work on the series. After Your Show of Shows was canceled, however, neither Coca nor Caesar were ever able to attain a similar level of popularity and all of Coca's sitcom attempts were soon canceled. Even a series that reunited the two in 1958 was unsuccessful, proving that television popularity is more a function of viewer mood than an actor's talent.

Further Reading:

Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York, Ballentine Books, 1995.

Martin, Jean. Who's Who of Women in the Twentieth Century. New York, Crescent Books, 1995.