In Praise Of Soupy Sales

Filmmaking - There Was A Man Dept.

Soupy Sales was so funny and so talented. I loved him as a kid, and still remember many of his great jokes.

"If you brush your teeth twice a year, you'll see your Dentist three times a day!"

I remember seeing his tv show in black-and-white (tape or kinescope, it wasn't live in Seattle).

He did his noon show "Lunch with Soupy" from Detroit, and later an evening show from KABC in Los Angeles, with occasional big-name drop-ins. Other shows, in New York and L.A. again, oh it was wild.

Soupy was a regular panelist on lots of other national shows, like "Hollywood Squares," "To Tell The Truth," and "What's My Line."

Soupy's real name was Milton Supman, and his stage and radio name for a while was Soupy Hines (as the autographed picture reads).

Soupy was always funny, and what's as important, good-natured. A sweet guy. And...with the occasional wicked sense of humor. Maybe you've seen the clip where the crew sent a birthday topless stripper to his kiddie-show door.

Or the New Year's show, when Soupy (stuck working on a holiday) asked his kiddie minions to send him "funny green pieces of paper" from Mom and Dad's wallet or purse.

Soupy collected $80,000 in US and Monopoly money, got suspended a week, and then went back on the air.

Parents were outraged, but why? What he did was not that much different from telling kids to buy cereal and send in the box tops, is it? On that level, his bit was high-level satire. Go Soupy!

Soupy Sales was such a fixture in my youth, and he lasted 83 years until today, and if you didn't see him growing up, well I just feel sorry for you.

I have Soupy Sales in my DVD collection.

Goodbye Soupy, and thanks for all the fun.



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