Sam Levenson
Encyclopedia
Sam Levenson was an American
humorist, writer, teacher, television host and journalist
.
in 1934. He married Esther Levine (1910-1996) and had two children.
series This Is Show Business
, along with playwright
George S. Kaufman
and Abe Burrows
.
In 1956, he hosted the game show
Two for the Money
, having replaced fellow humorist Herb Shriner
. From 1959 to 1964, he hosted The Sam Levenson Show. Over a span of more than a decade, he appeared on Toast of the Town aka The Ed Sullivan Show
twenty-one times, in addition to frequently serving as a substitute host on CBS's Arthur Godfrey Time
. He was a guest host on The Price Is Right and was a panelist on many other television programs such as Password and What's My Line?
Levenson also had a cameo in the film A Face in the Crowd. Levenson also appeared multiple times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson throughout the 1970s. Levenson wrote the well-known poem "Time Tested Beauty Tips" for his grandchild, which has become falsely attributed to Audrey Hepburn
.
Sam Levenson was originally a Spanish teacher at Samuel Tilden High School in Brooklyn. He was an author, he wrote Everything But Money (1966), the best-seller Sex and the Single Child (1969), In One Era And Out The Other (1973), and You Can Say That Again, Sam! (1975). Levenson appeared frequently in the "Borscht Belt
" hotels of the Catskill Mountains.
The 150-seat Sam Levenson Recital Hall at Brooklyn College
was named after him in 1988 in gratitude for his donations over the years to the Performing Arts Center. A glazed porcelain bust of him graces the hall's rear wall. The library of Franklin K. Lane High School
, from which he graduated in 1930, is named for him and a large portrait painting of him hangs on the north wall of the library. During Lane High School's rededication ceremony in the fall of 1976, Levenson was an honored guest and gave a humorous speech about his days as a student.
Levenson died of a heart attack in Long Island College Hospital on August 27, 1980. He was 68.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
humorist, writer, teacher, television host and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
Personal life
Born Samuel Levenson, he grew up in a large Jewish immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
in 1934. He married Esther Levine (1910-1996) and had two children.
Career
From 1949-1954, Levenson was a panelist on the CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series This Is Show Business
This Is Show Business
This Is Show Business is an American panel discussion program about the entertainment industry, hosted by Clifton Fadiman, which aired on CBS Television from July 15, 1949 to March 9, 1954, and then again as a summer series on NBC Television from June 26 to September 11, 1956.-Overview:Guest...
, along with playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
George S. Kaufman
George S. Kaufman
George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
and Abe Burrows
Abe Burrows
Abe Burrows was a Tony and Pulitzer-winning American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage.-Early years:...
.
In 1956, he hosted the game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Two for the Money
Two for the Money (game show)
Two for the Money is an American game show television program which ran from 1952 to 1957. The show ran for one season on NBC, and four seasons on CBS. It was a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production, and was initially sponsored by Old Gold cigarettes...
, having replaced fellow humorist Herb Shriner
Herb Shriner
Herbert Arthur "Herb" Shriner was an American humorist, radio personality and television host. Shriner was known for his homespun monologues, usually about his home state of Indiana...
. From 1959 to 1964, he hosted The Sam Levenson Show. Over a span of more than a decade, he appeared on Toast of the Town aka The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
twenty-one times, in addition to frequently serving as a substitute host on CBS's Arthur Godfrey Time
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
. He was a guest host on The Price Is Right and was a panelist on many other television programs such as Password and What's My Line?
What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
Levenson also had a cameo in the film A Face in the Crowd. Levenson also appeared multiple times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson throughout the 1970s. Levenson wrote the well-known poem "Time Tested Beauty Tips" for his grandchild, which has become falsely attributed to Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
.
Sam Levenson was originally a Spanish teacher at Samuel Tilden High School in Brooklyn. He was an author, he wrote Everything But Money (1966), the best-seller Sex and the Single Child (1969), In One Era And Out The Other (1973), and You Can Say That Again, Sam! (1975). Levenson appeared frequently in the "Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
" hotels of the Catskill Mountains.
The 150-seat Sam Levenson Recital Hall at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
was named after him in 1988 in gratitude for his donations over the years to the Performing Arts Center. A glazed porcelain bust of him graces the hall's rear wall. The library of Franklin K. Lane High School
Franklin K. Lane High School
Franklin K. Lane High School is a public high school in New York City, United States. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education as H.S. 420.-Location:...
, from which he graduated in 1930, is named for him and a large portrait painting of him hangs on the north wall of the library. During Lane High School's rededication ceremony in the fall of 1976, Levenson was an honored guest and gave a humorous speech about his days as a student.
Levenson died of a heart attack in Long Island College Hospital on August 27, 1980. He was 68.