"Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle." -- Sam levenson
Sam Levenson (December 28, 1911-August 27, 1980) was an American humorist, writer, television host and journalist.
"Any beast can cry over the misfortunes of its own child. It takes a mensch to weep for others' children.""Any kid who has two parents who are interested in him and has a houseful of books isn't poor.""Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.""Happiness is a by-product. You cannot pursue it by itself.""I admit that: my wife is outspoken, but by whom?""I'm going to stop putting things off, starting tomorrow!""If you die in an elevator, be sure to push the Up button.""If you want to know how your girl will treat you after marriage, just listen to her talking to her little brother.""Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children.""It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.'""It's a good thing that when God created the rainbow he didn't consult a decorator or he would still be picking colors.""It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and say the opposite.""Just try to be happy. Unhappiness starts with wanting to be happier.""Lead us not into temptation. Just tell us where it is; we'll find it.""One of the virtues of being very young is that you don't let the facts get in the way of your imagination.""Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped.""The reason grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy.""The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.""We should not permit prayer to be taken out of the schools; that's the only way most of us got through.""When I was a boy I used to do what my father wanted. Now I have to do what my boy wants. My problem is: When am I going to do what I want?""You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.""You must pay for your sins. If you have already paid, please ignore this notice."
Born Samuel Levenson, he grew up in a large jewish immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1934. He married Esther Levine and had two children.
He hosted the game show Two for the Money in 1956 (taking over for fellow humorist Herb Shriner) and the "Sam Levenson Show" from 1959 to 1964. Over a span of more than a decade, he appeared on Toast of the Town aka The Ed Sullivan Show 21 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. He also appeared multiple times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson throughout the 1970s. Levenson also wrote the well-known poem "Time Tested Beauty Tips" for his grandchild, which has become falsely attributed to Audrey Hepburn. Time Tested Beauty Tips -by Sam Levenson
Sam Levenson was a originally a Spanish teacher. He as an author, he wrote the best-seller Sex and the Single Child (1969), In One Era And Out The Other (1973), You Can Say That Again, Sam! (1975), and Everything But Money (1966). 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.
