[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 138 (Saturday, October 28, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF CARL REINER

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Saturday, October 28, 2000

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the comedic 
legend, Carl Reiner, and in recognition of his remarkable achievement 
of being awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. A writer, 
performer, humorist, producer and director, his range of talent and 
contributions to American television are without bounds.
  Reiner, now 78, has had a lengthy and multi-faceted career. In 1950 
Reiner joined Sid Caesar's ``Your Show of Shows,'' the precursor to 
sketch-comedies such as the ``Carol Burnette Show'' and ``Saturday 
Night Live.'' There he honed his comedic talents with other giants of 
laughter, like the legendary Mel Brooks, and began the writing for 
which he gained his unique reputation. After the show left the air in 
1954, Reiner went to work writing TV pilots. Seven years later, CBS 
bought the ``Dick Van Dyke Show,'' one of televisions first and best 
sitcoms. Reiner went on to win 11 Emmy awards for the show.
  Throughout the sixties, Reiner wrote semi-autobiographical comic 
novels, as well as short stories; his current collection is titled, 
``How Paul Robeson Saved My Life.'' He has produced comic television 
shows and movies, and most recently, he created the hysterical comedy 
album, ``The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Man,'' with Mel Brooks.
  Despite Carl Reiner's unmistakable gift for comedy, he remains a man 
of family, and a ``normal'' one, at that. He is married to Estelle 
Reiner, and is a loving father of three. Carl Reiner's universal appeal 
can, at least in part, be attributed to his straight sense of humor, 
unmarred by the vulgar and raunchy comedy too often presented just to 
make a buck. Of course, Reiner has said, ``If it's funnier than it is 
dirty, then let's have it.''
  Let us recognize and honor the man who has shaped so much of our 
shared American culture since the early fifties. A television and comic 
pioneer, Carl Reiner has become a legend in his own time. I 
congratulate his distinct genius and commend him on receiving the Mark 
Twain Prize for American Humor.

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