Richard Gottlieb

Soupy Sales: Master of the Wink

Soupy Sales died this week. He is survived by “Black Tooth,” “White Fang,” “Pookie the Lion” and a ton of “used to be” kids who loved his pie in the face sense of humor. 

Soupy, whose real name was Milton Supman, was born in North Carolina. According to Wikipedia, “Sales got his nickname from his family. His older brothers had been nicknamed "Hambone" and "Chicken Bone"; Milton was dubbed "Soup Bone," which was later shortened to "Soupy." Other sources say that it was simply a play on his last name. Whatever the cause, it was a somehow humorous and more importantly memorable appelation.

Soupy was one in a line of American  man-child” characters who have entertained children over the decades. In a lineage that contains, “Pinky Lee,” “Pee Wee Herman” and even “Krusty the Clown,” these characters aptly played to an audience of children and parents. Their humor, a combination of the silly and sophisticated, kept kids occupied without driving their parents crazy.

I call this type of communication with children, “the wink,” because it innocently entertains the child while winking at the adult with double entendres. I think we need more entertainers, books, movies and, yes, toys that wink at adults. 

The ultimate wink, was of course, Soupy’s New Year’s day decision to ask kids to take money from their sleeping parents wallets and send it to him. He told the kids that he would send them all a postcard from Puerto Rico. Those parents (likely sleeping off hangovers) were not there for that particular wink. Money poured in from all over the country and Soupy was suspended from his show.

So, farewell Soupy Sales; may you join your predecessor Pinky Lee in whatever strange and wonderful Valhalla that slap stick comedians go to receive their laurels. 

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on October 29, 2009 | Comments (1)