Back to His Roots

Mort Sahl, best known as a social satirist in the ‘60s, has been hired to add some politics and humor to Paramount’s “Flashback,” the story of a resurfaced ‘60s radical (Dennis Hopper) being brought back to justice by a young FBI agent (Kiefer Sutherland).

“With all respect to the author (David Loughery), it’s a bit more than a dialogue polish,” said Sahl, who later became a speech writer for Republicans. “I think they hired me because I have a good memory. I still remember the Castro jokes I was telling 30 years ago.”

Sahl said he’s intrigued by the Hopper character because it suggests that those “radicals who had lasting concerns, like the environment, are still shaking people up today. This is a good gig because I don’t have to do research.”