No more Soupy for you !

I pay tribute to entertainer, Soupy Sales, who died yesterday in a Bronx hospice after a long illness. He was born Milton Supman and grew up in Franklinton, NC, where they were the only Jewish family in town. His father was a dry goods merchant, who ironicly sold sheets to the KKK.

Milt had two older brothers who the family nicknamed Hambone and Chickenbone. Thus, Milt got nicknamed Soupbone, which got shortened to Soupy.

After graduating high school Soupy went into the Navy and served during WWII often entertaining shipmates with jokes. After finishing service, Soupy went to college and ended up with a Masters in jounalism from Marshall College.

During college Soupy often performed as a comedian, dancer or singer at local nightclubs. After graduation Soupy worked for radio and as a DJ changed his last name to Hines and then to Sales partly in tribute to comedian, Chic Sale.

Later Soupy Sales got into TV in Cincinnati, where he originated the show he would be most famous for. The show moved to Detriot, Los Angeles, New york and finally to los Angeles again and became known as the Soupy Sales Show and was geared to entertain children, but occasionally he would work in more adult humor, which he got away with because it would have hidden or double meanings, that got past the censors.

As an example, Soupy created several characters that would interact with him onstage. One was a dog named, White Fang. One time he would write letters on a board and ask the dog what letter the dog saw. He would write an A on the board and the dog would say "A". "Good good", Soupy would respond.
Then, he would write a B and the dog would respond "B". "Good good", Soupy would respond. Then he would write the letter F and the dog would respond "K". "No, no, no !", Soupy would say.
He would erase the C and write D. The dog would respond "D". "Good good", Soupy would say. Then he would write a F again and the dog would say "K". Soupy would then turn to the audience and say "I don't understand, everytime I write F, you see K". (Get it ? F U C K). You have to realize this was the early days, with black & white TV. There was no cable.

In another example, Soupy had a girlfriend, Peaches. One time Peaches gave Soupy a gift of an apple pie that she made. After she left, Soupy eagerly tried a piece and it was awful. So, he turned to the audience and said, "my girlfriend can't make good apple pie, but she can sure make my banana cream."

These are just some examples, but they got past the censors, because they could be interpreted two ways. The one time Soupy WAS suspended for two weeks was on Jan 1, 1965. He was upset having to work the New Years Day holiday and he told the children to go into their parents bedroom and "remove those green papers with president's faces on them and send them to me." He promised to mail them a postcard from an island if they did. He was surprised, when cash (mostly Monopoly money) started coming into the studio by mail. Parents complained and WNEW suspended him.

Coworkers often played tricks on him behind the scenes and more than once a naked bellydancer handed him things just off camera.

Rest in Peace, funny man and thanks for the laughs. You were ahead of your time.