Happy 100th Birthday to Detroit Icon Soupy Sales

Thursday marks what would have been the 100th birthday of legendary entertainer Soupy Sales, a television pioneer whose slapstick humor and whipped-cream pie gags made him a household name for generations of viewers. Born Milton Supman on Jan. 8, 1926, in Franklinton, North Carolina, Sales built a career that spanned radio, television, and live performance. While his fame eventually took him to Hollywood and New York, his rise began in Michigan, where he became one of Detroit’s most influential TV personalities.

From World War II to the Spotlight

After serving in the South Pacific during World War II, Sales enrolled at Marshall College, where he gravitated toward performing. He sang, danced, and performed comedy before launching his broadcasting career as a radio scriptwriter and disc jockey. His early television work began in the late 1940s in Cincinnati, where he hosted shows such as Soupy’s Soda Shops and Club Nothing. Those appearances helped refine his on-camera persona and caught the attention of Detroit television executives.

Detroit Years That Defined a Career

Sales’ move to Detroit proved pivotal. In 1953, his midday program 12 O’Clock Comics debuted on WXYZ-TV, instantly turning him into a local star. The show later evolved into Lunch with Soupy and eventually The Soupy Sales Show. It was in Detroit that many of his signature elements were born. Puppets like Pookie the Lion, White Fang, and Black Tooth joined the show, while pie-in-the-face gags became his defining trademark. Over the course of his career, Sales estimated that more than 25,000 pies were thrown at him and his guests.

Jazz, Late Nights, and National Fame

Beyond children’s television, Sales hosted a late-night show, Soupy’s On, which reflected his deep love of jazz. The program featured legendary musicians including Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington, helping bridge comedy and music for late-night audiences.

By 1955, his afternoon show was syndicated nationally. Sales relocated to Hollywood by 1960, appearing on major programs such as The Tonight Show and filling in on The Steve Allen Show. He later moved to New York, hosting a weekday television show and making frequent appearances on popular game shows.

A Legacy Built on Laughter

Sales stepped away from full-time television in the late 1980s but remained a beloved figure in entertainment. He briefly returned with The New Soupy Sales Show in the late 1970s and continued making guest appearances for years. In 2009, Sales received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an honor that symbolized his lasting impact on American television. He died later that year at age 83 after battling cancer.

Reflecting on his career, Sales once said he wanted his shows to always feel spontaneous and alive. A century after his birth, his influence remains unmistakable — proof that simple, joyful comedy can leave an enduring mark.