AMERICAN MASTERS: MORT SAHL: THE LOYAL OPPOSITION (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series that explores the lives and achievements of America's most celebrated native-born and adopted artists and performers. This edition examines the career of comedian Mort Sahl. It consists of interviews with Sahl and colleagues, archival footage, and excerpts from SahlÕs performances and television appearances, along with narration by Richard Crenna. The program opens with clips from SahlÕs August 1987 stand-up performance, in which he mocks George Bush. Comedian Steve Allen and journalist John Hart attribute the continuing success of SahlÕs comedy to his intelligence and extensive knowlege of world events. Sahl then explains his daily schedule of reading a wide array of newspapers and magazines, which are the source of his material. Next, journalist Lawrence Christon describes the conservative atmosphere in America during the 1950s, the period in which Sahl first emerged as a comedian. In a field dominated by highly polished comedians from the burlesque tradition, Sahl became known as the "rebel without a pause" because of the content and delivery of his stand-up routines. He first became acquainted with the world of entertainment through jazz clubs and musicians -- like his mentor, Stan Kenton -- and later performed on the jazz-club circuit. Club owner Enrico Banducci recalls his introduction to Sahl in 1953 and SahlÕs initial performances at Banducci's club, the hungry i. SahlÕs political commentary was unpopular, the program suggests, until columnist Herb Caen began to write favorably about it. Through the 1950s, SahlÕs career grew as he toured the U.S., released his first live comedy album, and appeared on television. In 1960, he was featured on the cover of Time magazine, which hailed him as ""the patriarch of a new school of comedians"; his work was compared to that of humorist Will Rogers. Sahl refers to his favorite films, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "One Eyed Jacks," as he talks about the presidential campaign of 1960, which drew him further into the world of politics. When he was hired to write jokes for John F. KennedyÕs campaign speeches, he began a long-running and controversial involvement with the Kennedy family. After Kennedy's inauguration, Sahl continued with his independent comedy career and included Kennedy, among other politicians, in his routines. Banducci and Sahl describe the threats they received from the Kennedy camp because of comedy material directed at the Democratic party. Sahl recalls a fundamentally good relationship with John Kennedy, however, and expresses his sense of outrage at KennedyÕs assassination. Unsatisfied with the consensus that Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone assassin, Sahl began to work with New Orleans District Attorney Jim GarrisonÕs investigation into a possible conspiracy. Assistant D.A. Andrew Sciambra explains that this work harmed Sahl's career as an entertainer. He was dimissed as a conspiracy theorist and lost jobs, money, and a solid reputation. It was only with the Watergate scandal that Sahl came into demand once more as a social commentator. Included in this portion of the program are clips from SahlÕs appearances on "Playboy After Dark," "ABC News," "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," "Dinah," and "The Late Show with David Letterman," in which the comic discusses his feelings about the Warren Report, his fluctuating career, and AmericaÕs disenchantment with Richard Nixon, Watergate, and the Vietnam War. The program concludes with excerpts of performances by Sahl in 1987 and 1989, in which he pokes fun at President Ronald Reagan and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Sahl reflects on his career, stating that his longevity is due to his steadfast artistic honesty.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by Rosalind P. Walter, 1999.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: September 18, 1989 Monday 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:24:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:58849
- GENRE: Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Assassination; Biography; Comedy; Political satire; Stand-up comedy
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1986-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Susan Lacy … Executive Producer
- Robert B. Weide … Executive Producer, Director, Writer
- Joanne Connon … Associate Producer
- Don Great Music … Music (Misc. Credits), Additional Music by
- Richard Crenna … Narrator
- Steve Allen
- Enrico Banducci
- George Bush
- Herb Caen
- Lawrence Christon
- Jim Garrison
- John Hart
- Jesse Jackson
- John F. Kennedy
- Stan Kenton
- David Letterman
- Richard M. Nixon
- Lee Harvey Oswald
- Ronald Reagan
- Will Rogers
- Mort Sahl
- Andrew Sciambra
- Dinah Shore
- Dick Smothers
- Tom Smothers
- Smothers Brothers, The