Toronto-born Howie Mandel first came to national attention in 1979 when he was invited to appear on “Make Me Laugh,” the TV show in which contestants have to sit through various comedians’ routines without chuckling. Remarkably, the funnyman went back to his day job as a carpet salesman after its filming. “I’m color-blind and knew nothing about carpets, but I was a really, really good carpet salesman,” he proudly boasted to Rolling Stone about his former profession.
It was only when the one and only Diana Ross asked Mandel to support her on tour that he decided to pursue a comedy career full-time. Soon after, he also opened up for David Letterman where he sparked the interest of the head of CBC-TV. The star was subsequently given his own special, and his rapid rise to fame continued in 1980 when he was cast as Matt Lloyd, the lead character in the Canadian comedy movie, “Gas.” He then became one of the first-ever VJs with a hosting gig on “PopClips,” Nickelodeon’s pre-MTV music video show.
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In 1981, Mandel was invited to appear on “The 6th Annual Young Comedians Special,” a booking which he told City Life elevated his career to new levels, saying, “It was a TV special hosted by the Smothers Brothers featuring me, Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Lewis and Harry Anderson. Right after that aired, I started selling out 10,000-seat venues.”
