Mort Sahl

Morton Lyon Sahl (born May 11, 1927) is a Montreal-born comedian credited with pioneering a style of stand-up comedy that paved the way for Lenny Bruce, Nichols & May, Dick Gregory, and others.

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His humor was and remains based on current events, particularly politics, drawing many of his monologues from the day's newspaper headlines. His trademark gimmick was appearing on stage with a newspaper in hand, casually dressed in a pullover sweater.

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Following the John F. Kennedy assassination in 1963, Sahl's interest in who was behind it became so great that he became a deputized member of the team that District Attorney Jim Garrison created to investigate the assassination. As a result of this pursuit, Sahl's comedy took a back seat to his politics; his act started including readings and commentary on the Warren Commission Report. As a result, he fell out of the national spotlight for several years.

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Sahl was married to China Lee, Playmate of the Month for August 1964 and the dancer with an uncredited appearance at the end of Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily?.

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He is now married to Kenslea Sahl, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant.

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He is one of Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.

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In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1970s, Sahl told this story: He said one time he was flying on Air Force One during the Kennedy years, when they hit a pocket of rough turbulence. JFK said to Mort, 'You know, if this plane crashed, we would probably all be killed, wouldn't we?' Sahl responded, 'Yes, Mr. President.' To which JFK then said, 'And it occurs to me that your name would be in very small print!'"

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May 11: May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). There are 234 days remaining....

1927: 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar)....

Montreal: Montreal or Montr?al1 (pronounced in Canadian English, in standard French, and in Quebecois French) is the second largest city in Canada. According to the most recent Canadian census (2001), the city itself has 1,812,723 inhabitants while 3,426,350 people live in the Greater Montreal Area (Statis...

Mort Sahl related Images and Photos (experimental)

Comedian Mort Sahl During Night-Club Routine	Comedian Mort Sahl Entertaining at a Night-Club Called "Mister Kelly's"	Mort Kunstler Civil War 2011 Wall Calendar	Mort Kunstler Civil War 2012 Wall Calendar
Jean Desailly: La Mort De Belle 1961	Mort Kunstler Legends in Gray 2011 Wall Calendar	Mort Kunstler Legends in Gray 2012 Wall Calendar	L'Absinthe c'est la Mort
Alexandra Stewart and Jean Desailly: La Mort De Belle 1961	Ivan Desny: Oss 117 N'Est Pas Mort 1956	Costume Design For Julius Caesar from La Mort de Pompee by Corneille 1906	Sherlock Holmes et le Collier de la Mort