Mort Sahl was a stand-up comedian who pioneered a conversational style of comedy that influenced generations of comics.When Sahl began doing stand-up in the early 1950s, comedy was still evolving from its vaudeville roots, and nobody was doing quite what he’d do when he first stepped on a stage.
Carrying a newspaper under one arm, Sahl offered a rapid-fire, conversational patter that sounded utterly natural and unscripted (and it often was – Sahl frequently improvised).
Focusing on political satire and commentary, Sahl’s dark humor appealed to young humorists including Woody Allen and John Cleese, who were profoundly influenced by him.
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