"Pound for pound, Jonathan Winters is the funniest man on earth." These words, spoken by talk show host Jack Paar in the early '60s, were not chosen lightly. After war service and graduation from Kenyon College, Winters began his career on a radio station in his hometown of Dayton, OH. The rotund comedian was supposed to merely introduce the records and announce the temperature, but ever so gradually his irrepressible ad-libs and improvisations took over the show. His TV career began on CBS' daytime The Garry Moore Show, where he introduced such imperishable characters as freewheeling senior citizen Maudie Frickett and doltish Elwood P. Suggins. He was a regular on the 1955 summer series And Here's the Show, and in 1956 landed his own 15-minute NBC series (the first network program to be regularly videotaped). Though never less than side-splittingly funny on camera, Winters was plagued by severe emotional problems in real life, not the least of which was his reliance on what he called "the sauce." After a highly publicized sanitarium stay, a clean and sober Winters returned to TV, though it would be 1967 before any network would take a chance on his headlining a regular weekly show (during the 1964-1965 season, he starred in a group of well-received specials, and was also a frequent guest on The Tonight Show, The Jack Paar Program, and The Andy Williams Show). During the early '60s, Winters' recorded bits began frequently popping up on the NBC radio series Monitor, and in 1963, he made his movie debut in the all-star It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). In answer to critics who felt that Winters was tied down by scripted material, the comedian starred in the two-season syndicated weekly The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters (1972-1973), which was completely ad-libbed. Many young comics of the 1970s and 1980s have declared that Winters was a prime influence in their choice of career. No comedian was more vocal in his praise of Winters than Robin Williams, who in 1981 arranged for Winters to be cast as overgrown baby Mearth on Williams' popular sitcom Mork and Mindy. Jonathan Winters remained as funny and active as ever into the 1990s, making uproarious appearances on Jay Leno's Tonight Show and co-starring in such big-budget theatrical films as The Shadow (1994).
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | ||||
|
The Smurfs
Voice |
2011 | |||
|
Certifiably Jonathan
Participant |
2007 | |||
| 2006 | ||||
|
Tell Them Who You Are
Interviewee |
2004 | |||
|
Swing
Actor |
2003 | |||
|
Santa vs. the Snowman
Voice |
2002 | |||
| 2000 | ||||
| 1998 | ||||
| 1995 | ||||
|
Jonathan Winters: The Madman of Comedy
Participant |
1994 | |||
| 1994 | ||||
|
The Flintstones
Actor |
1994 | |||
|
The Shadow
Actor |
1994 | |||
|
Frosty Returns
Voice |
1992 | |||
| 1992 | ||||
| 1991 | ||||
|
Animation Wonderland
Actor |
1990 | |||
|
Little Troll Prince
Voice |
1990 | |||
|
Paul Bunyan
Voice |
1990 | |||
| 198z | ||||
|
Dorf: 'Scue Me
Actor |
1989 | |||
| 1989 | ||||
|
Moon Over Parador
Actor |
1988 | |||
|
The NFL TV Follies
Participant |
1987 | |||
| 1987 | ||||
|
All the Best: Steve Allen
Archival Appearance |
1986 | |||
|
Jonathan Winters on the Ledge
Participant |
1986 | |||
|
Say Yes!
Actor |
1986 | |||
|
The Longshot
Actor |
1986 | |||
| 1985 | ||||
|
Pound Puppies
Actor |
1985 | |||
|
Star Fairies
Actor |
1985 | |||
|
Alice in Wonderland
Actor |
1983 | |||
|
Hungry i Reunion
Archival Appearance |
1981 | |||
|
I Go Pogo
Actor |
1980 | |||
|
More Wild, Wild West
Actor |
1980 | |||
| 1979 | ||||
| 1972 | ||||
|
The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters [TV Series]
Participant |
1972 | |||
|
Viva Max!
Actor |
1969 | |||
|
Eight on the Lam
Actor |
1967 | |||
| 1967 | ||||
| 1967 | ||||
| 1967 | ||||
|
Penelope
Actor |
1966 | |||
| 1966 | ||||
|
The Loved One
Actor |
1965 | |||
| 1963 | ||||
|
Alakazam the Great!
Actor |
1961 | |||
| 1961 | ||||
| 1960 | ||||
| 1957 | ||||
|
Remember...1938
Actor |
1955 | |||
| NOT YET RELEASED | ||||
|
Paul Bunyan
Actor |
NOT YET RELEASED |




