Pat Paulsen, the former Smothers Brothers sidekick and perennial humorous presidential candidate, has inoperable brain cancer, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
Paulsen, 69, was not responding well to conventional treatments and found a doctor in Mexico that agreed to treat the comedian, he and his family said."Nothing is a given anytime. So we are hopeful," Paulsen told The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Calif.
Paulsen, with his distinctive deadpan manner, became a household name in 1968 when he announced on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" that he was running for president under the Straight Talkin' American Government party. By 1972, he was on the ballot for real.
"I think I'd make a pretty good president, and they have a great pension plan," Paulsen once said. "I say the things that all politicians say. I just use shorter sentences."