Trivia

Father of screenwriters Michael Tolkin and Stephen Tolkin.

During a half-century in show business, he wrote comedy sketches for Sid Caesar, Danny Kaye, Danny Thomas, Jerry Lewis, and Bob Hope. He also wrote the theme music for "Your Show of Shows".

His family moved to Montreal when he was 13. After high school, he studied accounting. He began writing musical revues under the name "Mel Tolkin" so his parents wouldn't find out that he was involved in show business.

His younger brother Sol Tolchinsky (Montréal, 2 January 1929 - 1 December 2020, Montréal) was a Canadian basketball star who played in the 1948 Olympics. He was later a businessman.