I had the great pleasure of meeting Jonathan Winters when John Kerwin interviewed him on the 100th episode of The John Kerwin Show. The interview took place at Jonathan's home in Santa Barbara, California. Jonathan was very funny and friendly to our crew, and his innate sense of humor definitely made the interview a lasting experience. He was once described as the funniest man alive, and we walked out of that shoot considering that an understatement.
Jonathan Winter's career spanned many decades, and he was seen as a comedic legend by not only his fans, but his peers as well. "The Jonathan Winters Show" first aired in the mid 1950's and made television history that year when it broadcasted the first public demonstration of color videotape.
Another highlight of his career was when he starred in the 1963, MGM film classic, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” written by William Rose and Director Stanley Kramer’s first comedy. Jonathan, was in rarest of form as he worked alongside "the greats" such as Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Milton Berle, Spencer Tracy, Peter Falk, Ethel Merman, The Three Stooges, Zasu Pitts, Edie Adams, Sid Caesar, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Joe E. Brown, Dorothy Provine, Carl Reiner, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, Larry Fine, Buster Keaton, Phil Silvers, Stan Freberg, Andy Devine and so many more, which I regret not being able to list.
The majority of the actors recalled how Jonathan ad-libbed and kept them in stitches throughout the making of the film. As an actor he won an Emmy in 1992 for his role as Randy Quaid's father on the sitcom Davis Rules. He succumbed to natural causes on April 11, 2013, at the age of 87 at his home in Montecito, California. I was honored to have met this man. I would recommend everyone to check out, “ It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Documentary Story,” then view the actual film.
The interview, along with my stills of the comedic duo, was featured in the "Santa Monica Daily Press". Click here to read the full article!
