Mel Tolkin

TOLKIN, Mel (nee Samuel Tolchinsky). Passed away on Monday,November 26, 2007, in Los Angeles, California, peacefully, at the age of ninety-four. He was born in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1913 and emigrated to Montreal with his parents and younger sister, the late Rae Frank, in 1926. He graduated from Commercial High School. He is survived by his wife of sixty-three years, Edith (nee Leibovitch), sons Michael and Stephen, of Los Angeles, their wives, and four grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Sol Tolchinsky, of Montreal. Mel Tolkin had a 50 year career in show business, starting as a pianist in the jazz clubs of Montreal. After moving to New York, he wrote for Sid Caeser, Danny Kaye, Danny Thomas, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, and All in The Family. He was a winner of numerous awards for his writing, including four Writers Guild Awards, and an Emmy. Mel Brooks said of Mel Tolkin, "He taught me that the best comedy had to come from the human condition. It was always the human condition, what happened in the human heart, and he taught me that. I was very fortunate to be a student in the Mel Tolkin class." His funeral will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, at Hillside Memorial Park, in Los Angeles.