Many years ago – I would say probably around 20 years ago – I met Jonathan Winters in person by random accident. I was having dinner in a nice Italian restaurant in L.A. with my parents and my sister’s family. My sister says to me, “That guy over there – isn’t he Jonathan Winters?” He was eating alone and the restaurant was not busy, so my brother-in-law got the courage to go up and say hello to him. Well, he was the most charming man. He invited all of us to chat with him, and he told the most delightful and funny stories.
It’s a treasured memory, and I will definitely miss him.
For those who love him, I recommend a “documentary” called Certiafiably Jonathan, where he plays “himself” trying to get his artwork into the Museum Of Modern Art. The quotes are deliberate. It’s very bent and meta, with people such as Robin Williams trying to talk him down as he gets more and more frustrated and crazy. It would go on the same shelf as that “documentary” about Joaquin Phoenix, where Phoenix plays “himself” being crazy. It’s not brilliant, but it’s fun. I saw it in the theater but missed the screening with JW in attendance. Boo hoo.
I still remember one of his lines from the improv part of his show. He would just wander thru a room full of props and riff off them.
There was a skeleton and a stethoscope. Winters picked up the stethoscope, looped it around his neck, and then said to the skeleton, “Well, Mr. Johnson, you’ve really let yourself go this time.”
Being one of the older SDMB members, I can remember Jonathan Winters appearing on a lot of movies and tv shows. Maybe about 50 years ago, he appeared as Grandma Moses sketching away at an easel. He drew pancakes and said - “That’s 50 dollars.” Then drew 2 quick lines above it and said “$52 if you want it with steam.” Not funny to read but hilarious when you saw him do that.
He turned in a surprisingly spectacular performance as legendary pool great Fats Brown in the Twilight Zone episode “A Game of Pool”.
He was one of those rare people who was naturally funny.
I don’t know what I first saw him do but I’ve always been a big fan of “The Bear” from the Dean Martin show and “The Stick” from the Jack Paar show. He was one of a kind and a type genius we are unlikely to see any time soon.
Marc Maron interviewed him in 2011. Here’s a link for those who might be interested. Of course, it’s so old it is part of the premium podcasts (translate “premium” as “pay”) but worth it in my opinion.
I remember the first time I saw It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World as a kid. It was the first theater in my burb which consisted of chairs set up in a large room with the projector right there with the seats. It must have been the fore-runner of second run theaters. Didn’t realize at the time it was the longest running car commercial ever made.
He was always a delight to watch. One of the interviews they had on the news was of him saying he wanted to live to be an old man. A job well done sir. RIP.
I used to live not far from Vitello’s Italian Restaurant on Tujunga in Studio City, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. One day I was having lunch there with my girlfriend and we saw a somewhat large man get up from a back table and make his way to the front entrance. But he wasn’t making much progress, since he would stop at each table and “converse” with the diners, whether they wanted to talk or not. Each table was some different schtick and no one seemed to mind. The management looked on benignly.
I later heard that he lived nearby and was a frequent customer. It was Jonathan Winters doing what he enjoyed most.
Jonathan Winters! A very, very funny man. I always thought they should have gotten him to do a guest spot on Whose Line Is It Anyway, like for one game like Sid Caesar. In his prime, he could have beaten eve Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles! On an old VHS I have of It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, they talk about how he was always “on”. They could just give him a character to do and he would improvise for as long as somebody would pay attention to him. He (and Phil Silvers’ crap game!) was the one that everybody went to for entertainment on the set. Even with a cast like that!
