Category: Comic Books

Here’s an interesting factoid about comedy writer Arnie Kogen, to whom I am eternally grateful. He went from selling typewriters to banging them — so to speak! This comes from a book I referred to previously, Completely MAD, A History of Mad the Comic Book and Magazine, by Maria Reidelbach.

For over thirty years Kogen has been one of Mad’s most consistent contributors of television, movie, and celebtiry satire, and for almost as long he has been one of the most active television comedy writers in the business. Kogen was selling typewriters on the Lower East Side when he was introduced to Gaines and Feldstein by Paul Krasser, who published The Realist in an office adjacent to Mad’s at 225 Lafayette. Kogen’s start at Mad led to writing for a number of prominent stand up comedians and performers, including Carol Burnett, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ronald Reagan. He’s also received many awards for his television writing, including three Emmys.

The book is from 1991, so Kogen has now been a Mad contributor for over 45 years! In fact, he wrote the Spider-Man 3 parody in the latest issue. In addition to Ronald Reagan, the list of prominent stand up comics includes, of course, Morty Gunty.

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!