Saturday, April 13, 2013

More from Jonathan

Genius is an overused term. Still ...

4 comments:

Cal said...

The voices, the sound effects, but above all the improv, the continuous flow of ideas. You just never knew what he'd say or do next. And he so seldom fell flat. This is really something that only a rare few could or can do. His talent just lit up a part of my childhood.

Joe Barron said...

Kael also said of him, comparing him to Gene Wilder, that he was "the greatest original of them all" who "tapped into a private madness."

Cal said...

He was also one of the first people I ever saw on television talk shows who couldn't seem to turn it off. The real Jonathan Winters didn't show himself for years, at least not when I was watching. He was always on, always a character.

Joe Barron said...

My memory is somewhat different. I do seem to recall him speaking seriously on occasion, perhaps on the Mike Douglas Show. He did give straight interviews later in life, however, and the few I've seen strike me as somewhat bitter and depressive. There is a youtube video of a late stand-up appearance, and it is a real downer.