Talk:Jonathan Winters/Archive 1

Early 1990s sitcom
In the early or mid 1990s Winters starred in a short-lived sitcom set in Minnesota. Does anyone remember this show? I remember being disappointed that it was cancelled.--Hraefen 00:38, 2 February 2006 (UTC)


 * It was called "Davis Rules". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.160.192.10 (talk • contribs) 23:19, 12 June 2007‎ (UTC)

Other work
Somebody has to add some info about his character in the Scooby Doo cartoons. I'm not sure if it was just one episode or a few, but it was his voice and his likeness which was used. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.151.21.102 (talk • contribs) 18:22, 30 June 2006‎ (UTC)


 * He also starred as Mayor Cod in the Fish Police cartoon, seems he did a bit of work for Hanna-Barbera? - 87.194.76.247 (talk) 01:58, 21 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Why no mention of him being a spokesperson for Wendy's Restaurants for several years? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.24.161.207 (talk) 10:53, 17 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Jonathan Winters also had a roll role in a minor 90's children's show called "Bloopy's Buddies". 64.208.159.230 (talk) 17:23, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

Mr. Jonathan Winters - a view
Remembering that whenever Jonathan Winters was scheduled on a TV show my Dad would watch that show. It didn't matter what else was on, he and our family would watch it and laugh and laugh. Any movie that he was in, we would also see that usually at least three times. Growing up, I'm now 54, like my dad, anytime Jonathan Winters name comes up my attention is focused on whatever is being said. Hopefully I'll hear he is scheduled to be on TV or in a movie. There are alot of comedians I've watched and laughed my ass off since I realized what comedy was but no one comes close to Mr. Jonathan Winters. How do you explain a feeling you get when you listen to him in any of his sketches. With all the absolute insanity in the world he is able to make you feel comfortable about making sure you have to sit back and laugh at the insanity. In his subtle words he makes you realize just how stupid some of the things we have done and continue to do in a worldly manner and laugh like hell doing it. Thank you Mr. Jonathan Winters for getting me to see how absurd the world can be and being able to laugh at it.

Dan Long

p.s. I hope you get a DVD together of all of your performances. I know that it would be a hit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.67.22.200 (talk) 02:07, 19 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Mr. Dan Long, in this short tribute, mentions obliquely something that I recall too, but with no mention in the main article! And, though I am a number of years younger than Mr. Long, in the 1970's, and perhaps more so the early to mid years of that decade, for a short period of time, I am fairly sure that Jonathan Winters did have his own Comedy show on television.  Perhaps titled "The Jonathan Winters Comedy Hour" (or some such).  I do not know if it was a "special" that would occur occasionally (like the Bob Hope Comedy hours would, and therefore not weekly), or if it was a weekly show.  I do remember that at the end of the show, Mr. Winters would typically end up in his attic, and do numerous insane skits, to close the proceedings for the night.  He did have the ability, as Mr. Long notes, to make us all feel comfortable (if for only a short time) in our own skins....  He gave us an ability to laugh at ourselves. John G. Lewis (talk) 17:49, 5 March 2013 (UTC)]

Facial resemblance
"He has a striking facial resemblance to Lucchese crime family boss Carmine Tramunti." This is opinion and has no verifiable factual basis, so I deleted it. Also, I looked up Carmine Tramunti and although their eyes are similarly small I wouldn't say the resemblance was striking. Zinza (talk) 02:21, 2 January 2009 (UTC)

Mis-categorized
This guy is from bellbrook ohio. that is in green county... not knox county, the name should not appear on the list of "people from knox county ohio". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.213.68.9 (talk • contribs) 20:57, 14 June 2011 (UTC)


 * Care to provide documentary evidence of your assertion? The article says he was born in Dayton, Ohio, not Bellbrook, Ohio.  Dayton is the county seat of Montgomery County.  Bellbrook is in Greene County. &mdash; QuicksilverT @ 19:45, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

I noticed doing a search that there are many sites claiming Bellbrook, which editors have changed it to. That may be why there is confusion and people are thinking he was born in Bellbrook but hails from Dayton since his family had a business there. Just giving my input for what it's worth... 99.129.112.89 (talk) 12:32, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Storing/saving/archiving only (tributes):
This does not require input or responses, I'm only keeping it here per my contribution regarding messages from comedians/actors in reaction to Winters' death:

 

"First he was my idol, then he was my mentor and amazing friend. I'll miss him huge," Robin Williams wrote on his Facebook. "He was my Comedy Buddha. Long live the Buddha."

"Goodbye, Jonathan Winters," tweeted Steve Martin shortly after the news of Winters' death began to spread. "You were not only one of the greats, but one of the great greats."

"Comedy loses a KING!" added Pee-wee Herman. "Jonathan was an influence on so many and there was nobody like him. Loved you, Jonathan!"

Harry Shearer: "RIP the celestially brilliant Jonathan Winters. I had the wacky privilege of working with him in a film once. Rubber-legged, me."

Patton Oswalt: "No him, no me. No MOST of us, comedy-wise, come to think of it."

Rosie O'Donnell: "Jonathan Winters - true comic genius - i was lucky to work with him on the flintstones movie - a wonderful man � rip"

Steve Carell: "Jonathan Winters was wildly funny."

Kevin Pollak: "Had a great run. Actual genius."

Robert Klein: "Jonathan Winters was one of the greatest comedians of all time. I absolutely loved him and his work. Farewell you genius."

Roseanne Barr: "Hail hail a genius has vacated this realm - Jonathan Winters revolutionary comedian-revolutionary mind. RIP."

Kelly Monteith: "I am truly saddened by the passing of Jonathan Winters, a true comedic genius and enormous influence on me and generations of comedians."

French Stewart: "Jonathan Winters passed away. He was a gentle giant and a beautiful person."

Ruth Buzzi: "Jonathan Winters, an amazingly inventive comedy giant, a generous genius, you shared humor everywhere, not just on TV, and we all loved you."

Michael McKean: The great Jonathan Winters did all he could with this reality ... next!"

Jimmy Kimmel: "I feel very lucky to have had the chance to know the great Jonathan Winters, who was funny from beginning to end."

Albert Brooks: "R.I.P Jonathan Winters. Beyond funny, He invented a new category of comedic genius."

Kathy Griffin: "I grew up worshiping Jonathan Winters! There was no one like him! A true 'comic legend'"

Dane Cook: "#JonathanWinters - One of the greats. A kind hearted man with a ferocious comedy mind. #RIP"

Joel McHale: "R.I.P #JonathonWinters --One of the funniest & most unique to walk the land."

Keith Olbermann: "My condolences to family, friends and fans of the immortal Jonathan Winters. The influence he had cannot be underestimated. Also, Jonathan Winters' openness about fighting depression and related problems was rare and brave in the '60s."

David Arquette: "We lost one of my favorite comic voices today … and a dear friend of my grandfather Cliff Arquette. My condolences."

Greg Grunberg: "DEVASTATING LOSS - R.I.P. Amazing & Sweet Jonathan Winters. There will never be another."

99.129.112.89 (talk) 12:51, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

In 1998, as part of the CD Wally Phillips Presents Memorable Moments, the WGN Radio legend paid tribute to the man he called “the greatest entertainer in the world,” Jonathan Winters. 99.129.112.89 (talk) 01:50, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

Storing/saving/archiving only (credits):
Already added his publication, editor, producer and writer contributions, as well as television specials, and may add some other missing television shows within the article in the future:

Personal life at a glance: Born in Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A., 11 November 1925. Educated at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, 1946; Dayton Art Institute, B.F.A. 1950. Married: Eileen Schauder, 1948; one daughter and one son. Served in U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 1943-46. Began career at radio station WING, Dayton, 1949; disc jockey, station WBNS-TV, Columbus, Ohio, 1950-53; nightclub comedian, New York, 1953; successful in film and as author and painter; recorded 12 albums for "Verve." Honorary chair, National Congress of American Indians. Recipient: Emmy Award, 1991.

Popular show appearances: Andy Williams Show, The Garry Moore Show, Hee Haw, The Jack Paar Show, The Jonathan Winters Show (1954, CBS), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1956-57, NBC), Mork & Mindy, Omnibus, Tonight (The Tonight Show with Steve Allen), The Twilight Zone.

TELEVISION SERIES: 1956-57 The Jonathan Winters Show, 1967-69 The Jonathan Winters Show, 1972-74 The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters, 1975-80 Hollywood Squares, 1982-83 Mork and Mindy, 1991-92 Davis Rules

MADE-FOR-TELEVISION MOVIES: 1968 Now You See It, Now You Don't, 1980 More Wild, Wild West, 1985 Alice in Wonderland, 1987 The Little Troll Prince (voice only)

TELEVISION SPECIALS: 1964 The Jonathan Winters Special, 1965 The Jonathan Winters Show 1965 The Jonathan Winters Show, 1967 Guys 'n' Geishas, 1970 The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters, 1976 Jonathan Winters Presents 200 Years of American Humor, 1977 Yabba Dabba Doo! The Happy World of Hanna-Barbera (co-host), 1986 King Kong: The Living Legend (host), 1991 The Wish that Changed Christmas (voice)

FILMS: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, 1963; The Loved One, 1964; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, 1966; Penelope, 1967; The Midnight Oil, 1967; 8 On the Lam, 1967; Oh Dad, Poor Dad, 1968; Viva Max, 1969; The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, 1979; The Longshot, 1986; Say Yes, 1986; Moon Over Parador, 1988; The Shadow, 1994; The Flintstones, 1994.

PUBLICATIONS: Mouse Breath, Social Conformity and Other Ills. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1965. Winter's Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual. New York: Random House, 1987. Hang Ups: Paintings by Jonathan Winters. New York: Random House, 1988.

Writer/producer: Spaced Out! (TV movie) (executive producer), 1968 The Early Birds (short) (written by), 1956 The Jonathan Winters Show (TV series) – Episode #1.3 (1956) (writer) / Episode #1.2 (1956) (writer),

Editor: 1993 Gone Fish'n (video)

Possible complete list of acting/comedy/specials (404 entries):

Archive Footage:
 * 1. The 2012 Comedy Awards (2012) (TV) .... Himself
 * 2. "Special Collector's Edition" - Especial Scope (2010) TV episode (uncredited) .... Lennie Pike
 * 3. Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney (2008) .... Himself
 * 4. Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
 * 5. "Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time" (2004) .... Himself #18
 * 6. Bob Monkhouse's Comedy Heroes (2004) (TV) .... Himself
 * 7. Jack Paar: Smart Television (2003) (TV) .... Himself
 * 8. Cinerama Adventure (2002) (uncredited) .... Lennie Pike (in "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World")
 * 9. The Best of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts (1998) (TV) .... Himself - Roaster
 * 10. Classic Stand-Up Comedy of Television (1996) (TV) .... Himself
 * 11. Corrina, Corrina (1994) (uncredited) .... Himself
 * 12. The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion (1993) (TV) .... Himself
 * 13. 60 Minutes: The Entertainers (1991) (TV) .... Himself
 * 14. "Gleason: He's the Greatest" - Episode #1.3 (1988) TV episode .... Walter Slitzscreen - Doorman
 * 15. The Best of Gleason (1988) (TV) .... Himself
 * 16. The Great Standups (1984) (TV) .... Himself
 * 17. Mondo Hollywood (1967) (uncredited) .... Himself
 * 18. "The DuPont Show of the Week" - Laughter USA (1961) TV episode .... Himself

99.129.112.89 (talk) 23:37, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Big Finish
First let me thank you 99.129.112.89 for taking good care of this article. As to the film Big Finish no ref has yet been provided that he even did any work, voice or other, for this film. Your note that he was cast in pre-production indicates that work on full production had not yet taken place. Please be aware per WP:UGC that IMDb cannot be used as a source. Even if it could their page as it is now does not mention Winters as being a part of the film. If you can find a source that says he was going to be part of the film it could be mentioned in either the "Later years" or the "Death" sections but it does not belong in the filmography unless he is going to appear onscreen in some fashion. Lastly, I am glad that you mentioned the Andy Williams Show in you post above since one of my favorite things about that show was Winters appearance each week. He will be sorely missed but we have the joy of our memories of his performances. MarnetteD | Talk 02:37, 19 April 2013 (UTC)


 * I didn't notice this before leaving a message on your talk page and undoing your second or third revert, however, to compromise I will move it to "Later Years" (it doesn't belong in the "Death" section). It is still unknown if he will appear in it even if briefly, but he certainly was scheduled to be apart of it and it should be noted as his last/final film effort in my opinion. Thanks for the kind comments here, I appreciate it. You're welcome! :)


 * P.S. You must not have read the entire sources I included, but they do mention the film. I'm aware of IMDB not being reliable in this case, but only included it for your benefit which can not be taken as credible at this point. I wasn't able to explain it within the edit summary notes, and should have posted a note on your talk page about it since you didn't include this topic here first. 99.129.112.89 (talk) 03:28, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for bringing attention to this. But all I could "see" was someone continuing to revert it without being "factual". I think if we had 'talked' about it first, and you left it, then we could have avoided so many "edit wars". That was a point I wanted to make. Nonetheless, I have changed it and hope that will be the end of it as well as satisfactory to you, since it is clearly mentioned within other articles/sources. Take care! :) RIP JW 99.129.112.89 (talk) 03:46, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

History of reverts/edits/changes:

minor/petty rewording change (semantics)

     edits/undo/changes

comments left for User talk:MarnetteD

Important related comment (regarding final film status which is still unknown if he will actually appear in Big Finish or not, so the status may change in the "Later Years" section) :

Talk:The Smurfs 2

99.129.112.89 (talk) 04:28, 19 April 2013 (UTC)


 * To get to the matter at hand I think you have done a good job in adding it to the "later Years" section with the exception of the one wording item that I just fixed i.e. he would have appeared alongside Lewis and Newhart not as them. Now, I am sure you will be keeping this article up to date so when Big Finish comes out next year if they use his voice or some footage of him (an example would be Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow where they used footage of Laurence Olivier even though he had passed away 15 years before) then you could add the film back into the filmography. Once again apologies for the things I missed and I am glad that we cleared things up. Keep up the good work and cheers. MarnetteD | Talk 04:41, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

Again, thanks for the compliments... my bad for not checking here after your second revert, but still think the entry should have stayed and we "talked" about it first to save all this hassle. It's something that annoys me on Wikipedia. Right, wrong or indifferent, what's done is done and I'm moving on now! :) 99.129.112.89 (talk) 05:17, 19 April 2013 (UTC)


 * I do hope that you will allow other editors to edit this article. This was my first edit and was perfectly acceptable under Wikipolicy. This  was the only revert for which I have apologized. This  was an entirely different edit and was made to fix the sentence "His scheduled role includes Jerry Lewis and Bob Newhart" which was clearly an error. This edit summary  does not reflect at all what my edit was about. I did leave the word "his" in by mistake but that was a simple error made while fixing your mistake. I did NOT change anything about the Smurfs 2 nor did I remove the mention of Big Finish. I fear that we are both editing quickly without looking at what the other person did. Please accept the fact that I know that you are trying to do the best for this article and I am doing the same. MarnetteD | Talk 04:53, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm not trying to monopolize the article, I had a problem with a particular person who does that rather recently. I just want to make it correct. I think the way I had/have it typed up leaves it open to change when the film is released or can stay as is since he did have some part of the film regardless. I think maybe his role in the film isn't complete, but they MAY leave small portions of him in it depending on how much they got done. I'm speculating, but to say "his role is scheduled with..." is a generic way of mentioning he had been cast. P.S. One of your revert history links is wrong (Santa Claus) and you did remove the two films originally until I sourced them right after the entry. Just saying... 99.129.112.89 (talk) 05:01, 19 April 2013 (UTC)


 * "As you can see several assumptions that you made at the beginning of this post were incorrect. First, I had opened a conversation here that you missed." Regarding this statement you made, according to the time posted, this is not true. You posted it AFTER you made two reverts. I was trying to prevent you from making a third. I've had a bad experience with someone who wanted to control an article even when the content I contributed was true. I was warned when he was the one causing the problems out of "ignorance". I realize sometimes people don't "step back" and take the time to actually research things. Therefore, I wanted to nip-it-in-the-bud right away to avoid either of us from having unnecessary warnings or blocks. I admit I may have sounded jaded since I knew I was correct. This talk page topic should have existed first if you saw me making so many good faith edits. I understand you may have made mistakes, but my point is that now it should stay as is and if once the film is released he is involved in it, should we both visit this topic, then it can change to better wording (either with or without him in it and only him being originally cast but later recast if applicable), etc. I think it's safe to say we can move on from this now and hope there are no hard feelings... Best of luck! :) 99.129.112.89 (talk) 05:10, 19 April 2013 (UTC)


 * You need to read up on what is a revert and what is not. My first edit is NOT a revert it is an edit. My second edit is a revert and as I have already said twice it was an error and I apologize for it yet again. I started this thread after my second edit which is proper per WP:BRD. The next thing that happened was your post on my talk page. Please understand that I am not trying to monopolize the article either and you may want to be aware of the fact that editors are allowed to edit an article whether they have done so for years or just come across it today. Once again the sentence you added stated "His scheduled role includes Jerry Lewis and Bob Newhart" indicates that he would be playing JL and or BN which is incorrect. My change read "His was scheduled to appear alongside Jerry Lewis and Bob Newhart" the word his should have read "He" but other than that it was factually correct. Your current sentence reads "His scheduled role was to appear alongside Jerry Lewis and Bob Newhart" which is grammatically incorrect but I will leave it as is. I am sorry that you have had prior bad experiences in editing and I wish they that it had not happened but I cannot fix that as I wasn't involved. One last time thanks for your otherwise good work on the article and please keep it up as it is now off my watchlist. Best of luck to you as well! MarnetteD | Talk 05:28, 19 April 2013 (UTC)


 * When I typed "revert", as mentioned above, I may mean edits, changes, removal, deletion, etc. I think and type fast so I may have wrongfully worded it. I was actually the one having to "revert" them. So I understand what it is for the record. (But as in the past, I was incorrectly accused of the same thing you did when I was just trying to make changes by properly expanding an article and "warned/blocked" for three days. So I gave up but now I'm "bitter" about that since no one did anything to the person who was clearly wrong and also personally attacking me.) At any rate, about this, if the sentence should say "is to appear" then that change is fine. It was just the multiple words you changed and 'his' vs 'he' that I questioned. I realize now it's a mistake and you apologized. By responding, I'm not expecting you to continue to do that. You don't have to keep apologizing, I am just trying to be accurate, and with us not knowing for sure if Winters will or won't be in the final film at all, I think it's fair to leave it. But if you feel the need to correct the past/present-tense of that sentence, by all means do. I also may have jumped to conclusions, as you did about not seeing the mention of the film in the cites I provided. I don't want to harrass you about it, we'll just say it was a misunderstanding. No biggie... I'm making additional changes so I will keep my eye on it. I am going to mention The Andy Williams Show as well. (nod) 99.129.112.89 (talk) 08:26, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

Early Career
There is a chronological problem with his early career section. His career could not have started based on something his wife did after they'd met, when it also states that he was doing comedy routines at his *earlier* college. So someone should source this better and figure out what the fix should be.Wjhonson (talk) 01:35, 9 June 2013 (UTC)