Gary Morton

Gary Morton was a comedian who worked the famed "Borscht Belt" of resorts in the Catskills Mountains. Never as talented nor as renowned as such fellow Borscht Belt comics like Milton Berle, whom he caricatured in one of his few film roles in Lenny (1974), Morton nonetheless was personally popular among his fellow performers. Due to his personable nature, Morton made a living as the opening act for many major artistes, including Tony Bennett. Morton met his future wife Lucille Ball while headlining at New York's Copacabana night club in 1960, when he went on a blind date with the famous redhead, who had recently divorced Desi Arnaz. Morton's indifference to Lucy's celebrity at first infuriated her but, eventually, she was won over by Morton's charm and married him within a year. Morton gave up his nightclub career after marrying Lucy, at her request, and became a producer of her television shows. Morton also served as a warm-up comic for The Lucy Show (1962)'s live audience, content with his role as "Mr. Lucille Ball".