Couple Prescribe Lifelong Doses of Laughter for Improved Health

Jon and Ruth Silo of West Hollywood administer their own special brand of medicine to patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Their medication doesn’t come in a pill or a long syringe. Doctors, nurses and therapists need not be present to deliver the dosages either.

Jon Silo, 85, a former Broadway and television comedic actor, and his wife Ruth, 70, a former actress, are volunteer leaders of Laugh Therapy.

The bimonthly audience consists of patients who are undergoing therapy to recover from strokes, neurological, orthopedic or work-related injuries.

“An audience in the theater comes to you,” Ruth Silo said. “At Cedars-Sinai, we come to the audience.”

The Silos said the program is intended to encourage patients to express themselves by focusing on something positive or amusing that has happened in their lives. The couple may tell humorous tales and stories from their own lives to get the conversation going and put the patient’s mind more at ease in the group setting.

Groups range from four to 25 people and are often made up of elderly patients. And for patients confined to their room, the Silos make special visits.

“We want to give them something happy,” Jon Silo said. “It is so touching to see people happy that we walk home hugging each other and think of the miracle.”

Performing as a team is nothing new for the pair. During World War II, they performed at USO shows across the United States. The couple, who celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary this month, moved from New York City to California in 1959.

“Comedy became a part of my life,” said Jon Silo, whose career has included performing in productions such as “Oklahoma!” and “Can-Can,” in addition to roles on a numerous television series and commercials. “I always liked comedy the best because I wanted to see people happy.”

In the late 1980s, the couple experienced health problems. The elderly actor required a triple-bypass operation, and a few months later he suffered a mild stroke, which caused him to be hospitalized several times.

During one of his stays, he met Dr. Harry Glassman, who noticed the Silo family’s optimistic outlook on life. Glassman thought that they could become an asset to the hospital, because their own experiences had led them to recognize the healing value of laughter.

Until two years ago, physical rehabilitation patients at Cedars-Sinai watched videos to get their dose of comedy and laughter. At Glassman’s suggestion, the couple became volunteers.

“This is not entertainment,” Ruth Silo said. “It is (teaching) a philosophy to cope and live with to get well.”

The Beverly Hills Theatre Guild honored Monty Hall, his wife, Marilyn, and family members Joanna Gleason, Richard and Wendy Tokuda Hall, and Todd and Sharon Hall Kessler with its “Spotlight Award.”

The Hall family, recognized for its accomplishments in radio, television, stage, motion pictures and recordings, was honored at a dinner Oct. 11 at the Friars Club in Beverly Hills.

The Southern California Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation has received an investment portfolio valued at more than $370,000 from the George L. N. Meyer Foundation.

The gift was presented by Santa Monica resident James Meyer in honor of his parents, George and Edna Meyer.

The donation will fund a permanent endowment for research and career development for young medical professionals in rheumatology and related arthritis research.

Carolyn Wilder was recently honored by the 28th Street YMCA for her work in setting up child-care programs at several community sites.

She was recognized at a YMCA ceremony held last month to celebrate the successes of local African-American educators. Wilder, a professor of child development at West Los Angeles College, has served on the board of directors of the Crenshaw Y since 1989. As a volunteer, she has helped establish six day-care centers in the Crenshaw area, which have an enrollment of about 1,500 youngsters.

Pacific Palisades resident John Sullivan served as dinner committee co-chairman for Casino Royale III, a benefit held at Sept. 26 at Mt. St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles.

The event raised funds to benefit students and curricula at the college.

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