Martin Mull Was A Good Painter And A Great Documentary Subject

As a culture, we have a few familiar stories about talent. There’s the all-consuming kind, often first displayed in childhood, that makes people unsuited for the demands of everyday life. There are the stories about talent that goes tragically unrecognized until after a person has died. Alternatively, there’s the sort of talent that falls just short of greatness. Think Salieri, or that guy you work with who played sports in college.

Martin Mull’s story is different. He had prodigious talents—as a musician, a stand-up comedian, an actor—and they were widely recognized throughout his long career. In 1970 he wrote the hit novelty song “A Girl Named Johnny Cash,” a parody of Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue,” then spent most of that decade touring his stand-up show regularly and successfully. He opened for Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, and was tapped by none other than TV icon Norman Lear to star in the mock talk show Fernwood 2 Night. Mull also guest-hosted for Johnny Carson more than 30 times. He became, through performances in a variety of films and television shows spanning decades, a guy you were always excited to see in a scene. He had one of those faces it felt like you’ve always known, whether it was as Colonel Mustard or Gene Parmesan. Through all of that, though, the one thing Mull really wanted to be known for was his painting.