It was October, 1963, and several Mad staffers were sunning themselves on the sands of the Condado Beach Hotel in San Juan. Arnie Kogen emerged from a dip in the ocean and joined his colleagues.
“How’s the water?” asked Nick Meglin.
“It needs salt,” replied Kogen.
From The MAD World of William M. Gaines, by Frank Jacobs
I first became aware of Arnie Kogen 40 years ago, around the same time I first saw Mark Evanier’s name in print. Arnie Kogen is a comedy writer with a long list of credits, not the least of which is being the father of Jay Kogen, also a noted writer of funny stuff.
MAD Magazine was my introduction to the humor of Arnie Kogen, whose TV resume includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and both of Bob Newhart’s sitcoms. (Oops! Let’s not forget Newhart as a cartoonist in Bob! Don’t know if Kogen wrote for that one.) Kogen also wrote for my late mother’s all-time favorite, The Carol Burnett Show, for which he was nominated, and won, a bunch of Emmys.
Mr. Kogen’s first TV writing job was for The Funny Company, a kid’s show in New York, hosted by Morty Gunty. My Morty Gunty story starts here.
I am indebted to you Arnie Kogen, for appearing out of nowhere to assure me that my letter of complaint to Morty was not the reason why he lost his show.
Morty was the first comic I ever wrote for. I did material for his act and then, in 1963, Morty asked me to write for his kiddie show called, “The Funny Company” It was my first TV writing gig. The show had a good run but then some kid wrote a letter — Doug, kidding! You were not the cause of Morty Gunty losing his TV show. The Funny Company had run its course. Morty was a terrific guy and would have understood your dilemma.
I know of course that it wasn’t my fault, but I had to tell the story from the perspective of how I had felt until I was grown up and had seen enough of life to know better. Mr. Kogen’s comments are here.
In an unbelievable coincidence worthy of Dickens, my twin sister Jean (who writes the Jeanie Beanie comments) dated a nephew of Arnie Kogen. On one occasion in the 1970’s, Kogen was visiting his sister when my sister was there. If only she’d known about the Morty Gunty connection! But it’s just as well, because I was a rabid MAD fan, and would have made a major pest of myself; so today, instead of being so nice to me, Mr. Kogen would be saying, “Oh God, no. Not him!”
Thank you, Arnie Kogen! Besides being one heck of a funny guy, you truly are a gentleman and a scholar. And thanks for helping Morty Gunty make The Funny Company funny!
A Morty Gunty autograph is for sale on eBay. The seller notes, “This is an authentic hand signed item and is NOT a preprint.” If only that had been true of Morty’s autograph back in ‘64. It would have saved both him and me a lot of pain.
After I inadvertently caused Morty Gunty to lose his show on WOR-TV, he returned to doing stand-up comedy, working the clubs in New York that were celebrated by Woody Allen in his 1984 movie, Broadway Danny Rose. Gunty appeared on The Mike Douglas Show and he landed a spot on “That Girl”, playing Marlo Thomas’ agent, Sandy Stone.
In 1969 Morty was on the United Cerebal Palsy Telethon, hosted by Dennis James. The telethon had an unforgettable theme song with the lyric, “Look at us we’re walking, look at us we’re talking…” The show originated from WOR-TV. Once again inside the studios he had once called home, Gunty got in a well-deserved knock at his former employer … and at me.
I was caught off guard when James introduced Gunty. It surprised me every bit as much as when Morty had read my letter on the air, at the end of the last installment of The Morty Gunty Show. This time, however, I didn’t have to call for my twin sister. She was sitting right next to me. “YOU GOT HIM FIRED!”, Jean shrieked when Morty Gunty walked on stage.
Dennis James asked Morty Gunty what he had been up to, and the first thing he said was, “Well, I used to have a kid’s show on TV here in New York, but I got fired because of some kid.” Boom! There it was. The thing I had wanted for five years. Confirmation. Obviously, today such an admission would be worded differently, to avoid giving the wrong impression. I wonder if Morty was hoping that the kid who got him fired was watching? By then I was 14 years old, and I had a keen appreciation for what losing his show must have done to Morty not only as an entertainer, but as a person.
But Morty didn’t linger on the bad news from the past. He told Dennis James that he was doing all right, getting work, and he proceeded to launch into his stand-up routine. I don’t remember much about it, as I was feeling rather stunned.
The next, and last, time I saw Morty Gunty was 15 years later, in Broadway Danny Rose. After appearing in the film, Morty was featured in a Parade Magazine article. I saved the issue, but unfortunately I can’t find it. I was close to 30 at that time, and I was tempted to contact Morty to introduce myself and apologize for what had happened 20 years in the past. But before I could act on that impulse, Morty Gunty was dead.
Morty Gunty with Steve Lawrence, Totie Fields, and Eydie Gorme
In 1996 Morty Gunty was made an honoree in Brooklyn’s Celebrity Path by BRIC/Brooklyn Information and Culture.
Born in Brooklyn in 1929, Gunty went to Midwood High School and to Brooklyn College, where he received a Master’s Degree in Speech. His position as a teacher in the New York City Public School system provided material for his career as a comedian. Starting locally in Brooklyn, he became a frequent entertainer at Ben Masik’s Town and Country Club, and later starred at the Copacabana and the Latin Quarter nightclubs. In 1952, he won Arthur Godfrey’s “Talent Scouts,” and went on to host his own TV show for children entitled “The Funny Company.” Gunty worked with many headliners, including Liza Minnelli, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. He also devoted his time to United Cerebral Palsy of New York City.
Here’s to you, Morty Gunty! Sorry about what happened. I hope this makes up for it a little.
New York TV had a lot of great kid shows. My favorite hosts were Soupy Sales, Chuck McCann and Morty Gunty. Sandy Becker was also great, and who could forget Sonny Fox’s show, Wonderama?
For some reason I particularly enjoyed watching Morty Gunty, who came on the air when I was only 8 years old. Gunty clowned around like Sales and McCann, but in a different way. I agree with the opinion on the TV Party.com link that Gunty didn’t seem to want to be a TV kid show host. And I guess maybe I liked that.
Towards the end of 1964 Morty offered free, autographed pictures of himself. Wow! Without delay I wrote a letter to the station, asking for my free autographed photo of Morty Gunty. And a week or two later it came!
The photo was on the front of an oversized postcard. That was fine with me. It was printed in blue ink, and that was all right, too. But the autograph was obviously only part of the printing process, and that wasn’t all right. I had expected Morty would sign his photo personally!
So I wrote back, expressing my disappointment. Keep in mind that I was all of 9 years old. I don’t remember exactly what I wrote, but I’m pretty sure I was nice about it. I was a huge Morty Gunty fan, and I was desperate for his autograph, so being nice about it was the only way to be.
Some weeks later, on a Friday, at the end of his show, Morty sat in front of the TV camera, looking rather quiet and somber. He said he wanted to read a letter he had received. It took only a few moments to realize it was my letter! I sat stunned, listening to my own words being read out loud by my idol, right on TV!
Then I sprang into action and ran to the stairs to call for my twin sister Jean to come downstairs. I remember yelling for her to hurry. When I got back to the TV I knew immediately that it was a bad idea to have left the set, because Morty had already finished reading my letter, and I had missed some of what he said. I don’t know if he gave my name over the air.
The gist of what I caught was Morty Gunty explaining that my letter had caused some trouble, and that day’s show would be his last. And it was. The Morty Gunty Show was gone forever from New York TV.
I don’t know where the postcard is. I’m pretty sure I kept it and didn’t return it with the letter, but I can’t find it amongst any of my childhood keepsakes.
After a few years, as I began to grow up, I wondered what had happened. Had I really been the cause of Morty Gunty losing his show, and being fired from WOR-TV? Then, after our family moved to Massachusetts, Morty confirmed that yes indeed, it had been my fault.
After starting his stint as a TV kid’s show host in New York, Morty Gunty got his big break. The one that every entertainer once dreamed of getting. The Ed Sullivan Show!
Morty seemed a little nervous at the start, and he probably should have cut his notorious mother-in-law chair joke to have extra time to slow down his delivery, but nothing Morty Gunty did or didn’t do that night mattered, because in the entire history of show business the circumstances couldn’t possibly have been worse. As you will see, Morty was the lead-in to an act that nobody would ever want to appear before, or after.
And then I went and got Morty fired from his day job.
The Morty Gunty Show, WOR-TV, Channel 9, NYC