Pat Paulsen

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Pat Paulsen (July 6, 1927 – April 25, 1997) was an American comedian and satirist who became famous for his deadpan humor on the Smothers Brothers television shows and for his long-running spoof campaigns for the U.S. presidency from 1968 to 1996.

He was born Patrick Layton Paulsen in South Bend, Washington. His father, Norman Inge Paulsen, was a Norwegian immigrant who worked for the Coast Guard. The family moved to California when Paulsen was a child. After high school, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and later held various jobs, including a salesman, miner, and clerk. He studied at San Francisco City College, joined an acting group, and formed a comedy act with his brother Lorin before developing a solo act as a humorous guitarist.

Paulsen met the Smothers Brothers in San Francisco and joined their TV show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He became famous for his low-key, deadpan comments on political issues, and he won an Emmy in 1968 for his work on the show. He also appeared on The Monkees, The Tonight Show, and The Wild Wild West, and he contributed to early Sesame Street sketches in 1969–1970. In 1970 he headlined his own ABC program, Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour.

In addition to television, Paulsen had a strong connection to theater. In 1971 he acted in Play It Again, Sam, and in 1976 he and a partner bought Cherry County Playhouse in Michigan, where he performed in many summer productions through 1995.

Paulsen and his first wife, Betty Jane Cox, later opened Pat Paulsen Vineyards in California in 1971. He also proclaimed himself “mayor” of Asti, a town near the vineyard, after Clint Eastwood became mayor of Carmel.

Paulsen was married three times: Betty Jane Cox (1959–1988), Linda Chaney (1988–1989), and Noma Littell (1990). His relationship with Chaney ended in a high-profile divorce, with a later court judgment over finances.

His presidential campaigns were largely a humorous exercise in satire. Known for the line “Picky, picky, picky,” he used simple, tongue-in-cheek responses to social issues and offered quirky slogans such as “Just a common, ordinary, simple savior of America's destiny,” “We’ve upped our standards, now up yours,” and “United we sit.” He announced his candidacy on The Smothers Brothers Show in 1968, and over the years he ran in various primaries, sometimes appearing on ballots in New Hampshire and in North Dakota. In 1992 he received about 11,000 Republican primary votes nationwide, and in 1996 he earned 921 votes, finishing second to Bill Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.

Paulsen was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1995, and the cancer spread to his brain and lymph nodes by 1997. He sought treatment in Tijuana, Mexico, and died there from complications of pneumonia and kidney failure on April 25, 1997. He is remembered for his playful mockery of the electoral process and for bringing humor to political life.