Friday, April 12, 2013

MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN SUCCESSFUL:  That's how the last paragraph of the NYT's Jonathan Winters obit today begins, and that feels right to me. Until I read the Winters chapter in Gerald Nachman's Seriously Funny, I only understood Winters as someone I was supposed to appreciate as having been funny, but whom I hadn't really seen do anything funny. I think it was this quote from one-time costar Robert Morse -- yes, SCDP's Bert Cooper, which explained it to me best:
Jonny sees things fifty-nine-dimensionally. Give me a hairbrush and I see a hairbrush. Give Jonny a hairbrush and it will be a dozen different things. He could break you up with a paper clip.
His comedic heirs include Robin Williams, of course, but also anyone you'd characterize as improv- and character-based, and "zany" - Lily Tomlin, Andy Kaufman, and Jim Carrey are among those whose careers are clearly branches from Winters' comedic tree. Perhaps the best honor comes from a Dick van Dyke tweet: "The first time I saw Jonathan Winters perform, I thought I might as well quit the business. Because, I could never be as brilliant."

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:27 AM

    Group, аs a waу tо tacκle this iѕsues,
    аnd kiсk off а ωhοle new
    era. Furthermoгe, adopting thе new ѕеal helps tο lessеn frictiοn and еlectrical pоwer uѕаge.
    Aѕ а reѕult, the SKF turbocharger bаll
    beaгing iѕ really a new imргovement
    while in the tuгbochargеr performanсe.


    Feel free to surf to my page :: SKF Angular Contact Ball Bearings

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous1:51 AM

    Luckily, there are many methods in safely removing unwanted hair.
    My hair doesn't always look good when I'm going to attend openings and
    red carpet events. Both brands are popular in known hair salons and spas.


    My page - hair products

    ReplyDelete