Crowned as leading the new breed of modern comedians by Time magazine in 1960, Mort Sahl is the first entertainer ever to appear on its cover. Before comedy clubs existed, Sahl began performing at the hungry i music club in San Francisco in the early 1950s. He differed from other comedians, appearing in casual clothing rather than a suit, skewering popular politicians such as Eisenhower, Joe McCarthy and JFK. Sahl's approach is energetic, tangential, and deep and wide in both social and political scopes, inspiring 'Woody Allen' , selling as Mort Sahl At Sunset, and recently recognized by the Library of Congress as the first stand-up comedy record album. When JFK was assassinated in 1963, Sahl regularly targeted the government's official Warren Commission Report during his routines, resulting in the loss of much of Hollywood's support, while maintaining audience popularity with college tours and a best-selling book, Heartland. Sahl is one of the longest, active, performing social satirists, spanning 60 years and 11 presidents.
Emceed the very first Grammy Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel
(5 Feb 1997 - 19 Feb 1997) Performing "Mort Sahls America" in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Woody Allen said of him, "With Mort Sahl, the whole face of comedy changed completely".
After sitting through three hours of a screening of director Otto Preminger s 3.5-hour film Exodus , Sahl turned to Preminger and said, "Otto, let my people go".
You know me, I love lost causes.
Everything I tell you is true, but this is factual.
I made the mistake early in my career, when I moved to Hollywood, of,being attracted to actresses. I used to go out exclusively with,actresses and other female impersonators.
My life needs editing.
The bravest thing that men do is love women.
Reagan won because he ran against Jimmy Carter. Had he run unopposed he would have lost.
I used to go to two movies every week for the Saturday matinee when I was a kid.
My life needs editing. .
