Saturday, April 13, 2013

In Memoriam: Jonathan Winters 1925-2013

Comedian. Actor. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming. Viva Max. Mork and Mindy.
 
 
“I don’t do jokes...The characters are my jokes.”
 
  
 
 Winters was a master of improvisation.
 
 
 
As a wagon master. 

 
 
As an airline pilot.
 
 
Winters destroys a gas station in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963.) Also with Phil Silvers, Arnold Stang, and Marvin Kaplan.
 
Though he's not in the above scene. Milton Berle was also in It's a Mad...World (don't feel like writing it all out again.) He and Winters share a ride to the movie's premier:
 
 
Winter's most famous character was Maude Frickert. Here she is on The Dean Martin Show:
 
  
 
The Rat Pack-like humor in the above clip makes me think this was written by Dean's staff rather than Winters himself. Here's a more improvisational Maude Frickert. Even though Winters is out of costume, I find it much funnier:
 
 
Lastly, to bring it all up to date, Winters on Facebook:
 
 
 
 






6 comments:

  1. Oh Kirk, he was a genius! I used to love Maude best. I know he was a huge influence on Robin Williams and Jim Carrey. Thanks for all the funny vids. What really struck me was how smart these two were. Listening to Jack Parr talk about his work being "derivative", who would even get that now? I don't know anyone who speaks like that. It's amazing how stupid T.V. is now. RIP Jonathan Winters, he really made me laugh.

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  2. And Patricia, who today would get Sacco and Vanzetti?

    Jack Paar did have a rather anarchic hosting style.

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    2. In case any late arrivals to this post wonder just what the heck me and Patricia are talking about, I had a clip of Winters imitating JFK, during the course of which Sacco and Vinzetti, as well as the word "derivative" is mentioned. Whoever originally put the video on YouTube has taken it down. Sorry.

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  3. I loved him when I was kid. He'd be the Coolest Uncle

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  4. Good to hear from you again, Akeru. I'm sure you'd be a very cool niece.

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