39 Facts About Mort Sahl

Morton Lyon Sahl was a Canadian-born American comedian, actor, and social satirist, considered the first modern comedian.

Mort Sahl pioneered a style of social satire that pokes fun at political and current event topics using improvised monologues and only a newspaper as a prop.

Mort Sahl's popularity grew quickly, and after a year at the club he traveled the country doing shows at established nightclubs, theaters, and college campuses.

Mort Sahl appeared on various television shows, played a number of film roles, and performed a one-man show on Broadway.

Television host Steve Allen said that Mort Sahl was "the only real political philosopher we have in modern comedy".

Mort Sahl was born on May 11,1927, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the only child of Jewish parents.

Mort Sahl won a medal for marksmanship and an American Legion "Americanism award".

Mort Sahl's mother tracked him down and brought him back home two weeks later after she had revealed his true age.

Mort Sahl was later stationed in Alaska with the 93rd Air Depot Group.

Mort Sahl expressed his nonconformity by growing a beard and refusing to wear a cap as required.

Mort Sahl wrote articles for a small newspaper criticizing the military that resulted in his being penalized with three months of KP duty.

Mort Sahl was discharged in 1947 and enrolled in Compton College, followed by the University of Southern California.

Mort Sahl continued with a masters program, but dropped out to become an actor and playwright.

Between 1950 and 1953 Mort Sahl attempted to get jobs as a stand-up comedian in about 30 nightclubs throughout Los Angeles, but with no success.

Mort Sahl even offered to perform free during intermissions for the chance to show his talent.

Mort Sahl worked as a used car salesman and a messenger, and wrote a novel, which went unpublished, and short stories.

Mort Sahl went to New York hoping to sell his plays, but only managed to earn about eighteen dollars a week.

Mort Sahl felt it would be easier to do his monologue on stage instead of trying to sell it to others.

Mort Sahl returned to Los Angeles where he appeared at some clubs, but his new style of monologue comedy received little attention.

When she moved to Berkeley to study at the University of California, Mort Sahl hitchhiked there to be with her.

Mort Sahl spent his time auditing classes and hanging out at local coffee houses.

Mort Sahl slept in the back seat of a friend's car, since Babior was living with roommates.

Mort Sahl sought out any clubs where he could perform as a stand-up, and Babior suggested he audition for the hungry i, a nightclub in San Francisco.

Mort Sahl received good reviews from influential newspaper columnist Herb Caen that gave him instant credibility: "I don't know where Mr Sahl came from but I'm glad he's here," he wrote after watching his show.

Mort Sahl noted that all the previous successful comics dressed formally, were glib and well-rehearsed, and were always in control of their audiences.

Mort Sahl dressed casually, with no tie and usually wearing his trademark V-neck campus-style sweater.

Mort Sahl was one of the interim hosts on The Tonight Show following Jack Paar's departure as the network waited for Johnny Carson to become available.

Mort Sahl's audience had widened to include not only students and a "hip" public, but now even noted politicians sought out his shows.

Mort Sahl kept his material fresh, wrote few notes, and entertained his audiences by presenting otherwise serious news with his brand of humor.

Mort Sahl alienated much of his audience, was effectively blacklisted, and more of his planned shows were cancelled.

Mort Sahl's income dropped from $1 million to $13,000 by 1964.

Mort Sahl has charted one of the most precipitous courses in American entertainment for last thirty years and has gone from celebrity to internal exile.

Mort Sahl found his previous level of success increasingly difficult to recapture.

Mort Sahl was dubbed "Will Rogers with fangs" by Time magazine in 1960.

Mort Sahl would discuss people or events almost as if he were reporting them for the first time, and would digress into related stories or his own experiences.

TV executive Roger Ailes said he saw him read the paper one day and after a few hours Mort Sahl got up onstage with an entire evening's worth of new material.

Mort Sahl wedded Sue Babior in 1955; the marriage ended in divorce less than three years later.

In 2008, Mort Sahl moved from Los Angeles to Mill Valley, California, a suburb of San Francisco, where he became friends with comedian Robin Williams, who lived nearby.

Mort Sahl died of natural causes at his home in Mill Valley on October 26,2021, at age 94.