Whisky a Go Go

"The Whisky"
The Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip
Location	8901 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, California 90069
Coordinates	34°5′26″N 118°23′8″W / 34.09056°N 118.38556°W / 34.09056; -118.38556Coordinates: 34°5′26″N 118°23′8″W / 34.09056°N 118.38556°W / 34.09056; -118.38556
Type	nightclub
Genre(s)	rock and roll
Opened	January 16, 1964
Website	www.whiskyagogo.com

Whisky a Go Go, 2007

The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.

History[link]

In 1958, the first Whisky a Go-Go in North America opened in Chicago, Illinois, on the corner of Rush Street and Chestnut Street.^[1][2][3] It has been called the first real American discothèque. A franchise was opened in 1966 on M Street in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., by restaurateur Jacques Vivien.

The Sunset Strip Whisky was founded by Elmer Valentine, Phil Tanzini, Shelly Davis, and attorney Theodore Flier and opened on January 16, 1964.^[4][5] In 1972, Valentine, Lou Adler, Mario Maglieri and others started the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip. In 1966, Valentine, Adler and others founded The Roxy Theatre.^[5] Lou Adler bought into the Whisky in the late '70s. Valentine sold his interest in the Whisky a Go Go in the '90s but retained an ownership in the Rainbow Bar & Grill and the Roxy Theatre until his death in December 2008.^[5]

Though the club was billed as a discothèque, suggesting that it offered only recorded music, the Whisky a Go Go opened with a live band led by Johnny Rivers and a short-skirted female DJ Rhonda Lane, spinning records between sets from a suspended cage at the right of the stage. When, in July 1965, the DJ danced during Rivers' set, the audience thought it was part of the act and the concept of go-go dancers dancing in cages was born.

The Whisky a Go Go was one of the places that popularized go-go dancing. Elmer Valentine, in a 2006 Vanity Fair article, recalled arranging to have a female DJ play records between Rivers' sets so patrons could continue dancing. But because there was not enough room on the floor for a DJ booth, he had a glass-walled booth mounted high above the floor.^[5][6]

A contest was held for the girl DJ job but when the young winner called Valentine on the night of the opening to tearfully say her mother forbade her from doing it, Valentine recruited the club's cigarette girl, Patty Brockhurst. Valentine quickly hired two more girl dancers, one of whom, Joanna Labean, designed the official go-go-girl costume of fringed dress and white boots.^[6]

Rivers rode the Whisky-born go-go craze to national fame with records recorded partly "live at the Whisky." The Miracles recorded the song "Going to a Go-Go" in 1966 (which was covered in 1982 by The Rolling Stones), and Whisky a Go Go franchises sprang up all over the country.

In 1966, the Whisky was one of the centers of the Sunset Strip police riots. The club was often in conflict with the County of Los Angeles, which once ordered that the name be changed, claiming "whisky" was a bad influence. It was the "Whisk?" for a while.

Arguably, the rock and roll scene in Los Angeles was born when the Whisky started operation. From rock to punk to heavy metal, the club stood at the forefront of many musical trends.

The Whisky played an important role in many musical careers, especially for bands based in Southern California. The Byrds, Alice Cooper, Buffalo Springfield and Love were regulars, and The Doors were the house band for a while—until the debut of the "Oedipal section" of "The End" got them fired. Van Morrison's band Them had a two-week residency in June, 1966, with The Doors as the opening act. On the last night they all jammed together on "Gloria". Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention got their record contract based on a performance at the Whisky. The Turtles performed there when their newest (and biggest-selling) single "Happy Together" was becoming a hit, only to lose their new bassist, Chip Douglas (who had arranged the song), to the Monkees; guitarist Michael Nesmith invited him to become their producer. (He returned to the Turtles a year later, to produce them.) Neil Diamond also played at the Whisky on occasion. Metallica bassist Cliff Burton was recruited by the band after they watched him play a show there. Many British performers made their first headlining performances in the area at the Whisky, including The Kinks, The Who, Cream, Slade, Led Zeppelin, Roxy Music and Oasis.

Arthur Lee of Love immortalized the Whisky in the song "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale". "Here they always play my songs," he would sing on the side two opener of Forever Changes. The Whisky was located on the strip between the streets Clark and Hilldale.

Mötley Crüe wrote the song 'Down at the Whisky" in reference to The Whisky as well.

In the mid-1970s, the Whisky hosted stage presentations, including the long-running show The Cycle Sluts. On Thanksgiving weekend 1976, the Whisky returned to a rock band format, with a four-night engagement of Kim Fowley protegés, Venus and the Razorblades and The Quick.

The Whisky was a focus of the emerging New Wave, punk rock, and heavy metal movements in the late 1970s, and frequently presented local acts as diverse as Germs (which recorded its first album there), The Dogs, The Runaways, Quiet Riot, Renegade, X, Mötley Crüe and Van Halen while playing host to early performances by the Ramones, The Dictators, The Misfits, Blondie, Talking Heads, Suzi Quatro, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, XTC, The Police, and The Jam.

The Whisky fell on hard times once the first flush of punk rock lost steam, and closed its doors in 1982. It reopened in 1986 as a "four-wall", a venue that could be rented by promoters and bands. Although a few booths remain on the perimeter, the interior has mostly been transformed into a bare, seatless space where the audience is forced to stand throughout the performances. A few sets of tables and chairs remain in the upstairs area, but these are often roped off as a "VIP" section, reserved for special guests of the bands, record executives, etc. Against this new economic backdrop, a number of hard rock and metal bands, including Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Mötley Crüe rose to prominence in the 1980s. The Red Hot Chili Peppers also were known to play at The Whisky, as stated in Anthony Kiedis' book Scar Tissue.

During the early 1990s, the Whisky hosted a number of Seattle-based musicians who would be a part of the grunge movement, including Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Melvins, Fitz of Depression and 7 Year Bitch.

In 1997, System Of A Down played at The Whisky.

In 1998, American death metal pioneers Death recorded their first live album and DVD Live in L.A. (Death & Raw) at the Whisky.

In November 2003, former club manager Gaylord "Sticks" Feketia was killed in an auto accident in his home town of Monroe, MI. He was 49.

After re-uniting in early 2007, The Police held a live webcast of a rehearsal at the Whisky, on February 12, 2007. In 2009, Avril Lavigne, held a news conference and live acoustic set that was broadcast on November 6.^{[clarification needed]}

A relatively new Whisky a Go-Go has been opened at the Old Port of Tel Aviv.^[7]

On October 16, 2011 Blood on the Dance Floor made their Whisky debut for their All The Rage! tour

On 11/11/2011, Black Sabbath used the Whisky a Go-Go as the venue to announce their reunion. All four original members of the band attended and announced they were reforming to make up the original line up.

Bands the Whisky a Go-Go have made famous are Motley Crew, The Doors, Seven Days Lost, Faster Pussy Cat, LA Guns and many More.

See also[link]

Los Angeles portal

• Rainbow Bar and Grill
• The Roxy Theatre
• Sunset Strip
• Troubadour
• Viper Room

References[link]

1. ^ Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection>> Results >> Details
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ [2] Zeus of Hollywood on Flickr
4. ^ [3] Whisky A Go Go - history
5. ^ ^{a b c d} McLellan, Dennis (December 7, 2008), "Elmer Valentine, co-founder of Whisky a Go Go, dies at 85", Los Angeles Times: B11, http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-valentine7-2008dec07,0,3236736.story 
6. ^ ^{a b} Kamp, David (September 4, 2006), "Live At The Whisky", Vanity Fair, http://davidkamp.com/2006/09/live_at_the_whisky.php 
7. ^ Tel Aviv > Bars and Nightlife Israel Ministry of Tourism

External links[link]

• Whisky a Go Go official site
• The History of The Whisky-A-Go-Go

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

A Go Go, one of John Scofield's early funk/jazz endeavors was released on April 7, 1998. This album is also his first collaboration with avant garde jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood.

Track listing[link]

All compositions by John Scofield.

1. A Go Go
2. Chank
3. Boozer
4. Southern Pacific
5. Jeep on 35
6. Kubrick
7. Green Tea
8. Hottentot
9. Chicken Dog
10. Deadzy

Personnel[link]

• John Scofield – electric & acoustic guitars, whistle
• John Medeski – organ, Wurlitzer, clavinet, piano
• Chris Wood – acoustic & electric basses
• Billy Martin – drums, tambourine

References[link]

This 1990s jazz album-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Johnny Rivers
Rivers performing at the Mohegan Sun Casino on June 18, 2011 in Uncasville, Connecticut
Background information
Birth name	John Henry Ramistella
Born	(1942-11-07) November 7, 1942 (age 69)
Origin	New York City, New York, United States
Genres	Rock and roll, garage rock
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Producer
Years active	1956–present
Labels	Imperial Epic United Artists Atlantic RSO Soul City
Website	JohnnyRivers.com

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, November 7, 1942, New York City) is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material. Rivers's greatest success came in the mid- to late-1960s with a string of hit songs (including the #1 hit "Poor Side of Town", "Summer Rain", and "Secret Agent Man"), but he has continued to record and perform to the present.^[1][2]

Career[link]

1950s[link]

The Ramistella family moved from New York to Baton Rouge, Louisiana when Johnny's father lost his job while Johnny was still young. Without any formal music lessons, he began playing guitar, which he learned from his father and uncle, at the age of eight, and was influenced by the distinctive music of Louisiana. While in junior high school he started sitting in with a band called The Rockets led by Dick Holler who later wrote a number of songs including "Abraham, Martin and John" and "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron".^[1][2]

Ramistella formed his own band, The Spades, in junior high school and made his first record at age 14, while still a student at Baton Rouge High School.^[1] Some of their music was recorded on the Suede label as early as 1956.^[3]

On a trip back to New York in 1958, he met Alan Freed who advised him to change his name, so Johnny Ramistella had the Baton Rouge attorney Arthur J. Cobb change his name to Johnny Rivers after the Mississippi River that flows near Baton Rouge.^[1] Freed also helped Rivers score some recording contracts on the Gone label.^[2] From March 1958 to March 1959, Rivers released three records which did not sell well.^[1]

In 1959, Rivers returned to Baton Rouge. While playing throughout the American South along side Southern comedian Brother Dave Gardner, one evening in Birmingham, Rivers met Audrey Williams, the first wife of Hank Williams and she took Rivers to Nashville, where he recorded two more records. They were not successful either, but Johnny stayed in Nashville as a songwriter and demo singer for $25 a demo. While in Nashville, Rivers worked alongside Roger Miller. By this time, Rivers's self-esteem about his singing diminished, and he thought he would never make it as a singer, therefore writing, and not singing, moved to the forefront.^[1][2]

1960s[link]

In 1960, Rivers met fellow Louisianan James Burton, the guitar player for Ricky Nelson. Burton later recommended one of Rivers's songs to Nelson, who went on to record it. In 1961, Rivers went to Los Angeles to meet Nelson, and then relocated there, working as a songwriter and studio musician. In 1963, Rivers's big break came when he temporarily filled in for a jazz combo at Bill Gazzarri's nightclub; the temporary gig became long-term due to positive customer response.^[1][2][4]

In 1963, Rivers recorded the theme song for the American broadcast of a British television series, "Danger Man," which starred Patrick McGoohan. At first, Rivers balked at the idea, feeling that he did not have the talent to make a record on an international label, but he eventually relented. The American version of the show was titled "Secret Agent", and the song "Secret Agent Man" reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1966.^[5] It sold one million copies, achieving gold disc status.^[6]

In 1964, Elmer Valentine gave Rivers a one-year contract to open in his new nightclub, Whisky a Go Go, on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.^[1][4] The Whisky a Go Go opened only three days before The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" entered the Hot 100^[2] and the subsequent British Invasion knocked almost every American artist off the top of the charts. But Rivers was so popular that producer Lou Adler decided to issue Johnny Rivers Live At The Whisky A Go Go.^[1] The live album reached #12 on the charts and the single "Memphis" reached the US Hit Parade #2 spot ^[7] in July 1964. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[6] According to Elvis Presley's friend and employee Alan Fortas, Presley played his friend (Rivers) a test pressing of "Memphis" that Elvis had made but not released. Rivers was impressed and, much to Presley's chagrin, Rivers recorded and released it, even copying the arrangement (Fortas writes: "After that, Johnny was on Elvis's shit list" and was persona non grata from then on).^[8] Rivers's version far outsold the Chuck Berry original from August 1959 which stalled at #87 in the US. (Lonnie Mack's 1963 instrumental version of "Memphis" reached the US Hit Parade top five in July;^[9] the Chuck Berry original and its British rival cover version fought it out in the UK Hit parade in November 1963).^[10]

Rivers made a successful transition from nightclub entertainer to chart-busting pop singer and had created the "Go Go sound",^{[citation needed]} part of a scene which included Go-Go dancers. In 1964 and 1965, Rivers continued to record mostly live, Go-Go style records including "Maybellene" (another Berry cover), after which came "Mountain of Love", "Midnight Special", "Seventh Son" (written by Willie Dixon) and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (written by Pete Seeger), all of which were hits.^[1][11]

Rivers wanted to try something different; he switched gears in 1966, and began to record ballads characterized by his smooth, soulful voice, and background vocalists (mostly women), producing such successful hits as "Poor Side Of Town", which would be his biggest chart hit and his only number one record. Another hit was "Secret Agent Man", the theme from the Secret Agent television series (written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri). He also started his own record company, Soul City Records, where he won a Grammy Award as the producer of The 5th Dimension, which eventually recorded "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "Wedding Bell Blues", two number-one hits with Rivers's label. Rivers is also credited with giving songwriter Jimmy Webb a major break, when the 5th Dimension recorded Webb's song "Up, Up, and Away".^[2]

Rivers continued to record more hits, including "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" (cover of the Four Tops) and "The Tracks of My Tears" (cover of the Miracles), both went Top 10 in 1967. In 1968, Rivers released Realization, a number-five album on the LP charts that included the #14 pop chart single "Summer Rain", written by a former member of The Mugwumps, James Hendricks. The album included some of the psychedelic influences of the time and marked a subtle change in his musical direction, with more thoughtful types of songs, included such ballads as "Look To Your Soul" and "Going Back to Big Sur".^[12]

1970s[link]

In the 1970s, Rivers continued to record more songs and albums that were a success with music critics, but did not sell as well as some of his earlier hits. L.A. Reggae (1972) reached the LP charts as a result of the #6 hit "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu", a cover version of the Huey "Piano" Smith And The Clowns song. The track became Rivers's third million seller, which was acknowledged with the presentation of a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) on January 29, 1973.^[6] Other hits at that time were "Blue Suede Shoes" (cover of Carl Perkins), in 1973, which would reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[3] and "Help Me Rhonda" in 1975 (originally a #1 hit for The Beach Boys) on which Brian Wilson helped with backup vocals. His last Top 10 entry was "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)" (originally recorded by Funky Kings and written by Jack Tempchin who penned "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and Already Gone" for the Eagles), which reached #10, followed by his last Hot 100 entry, "Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)" (cover of Major Lance), both from 1977. He also sang the title song to the late night concert influenced TV show The Midnight Special.^[12]

1980s to current[link]

Rivers continued recording into the 1980s (e.g., 1980s Borrowed Time LP), although his recording career decreased. Despite his music not having reached the best seller charts for quite a while, Rivers is still touring, doing 50 to 60 shows a year. Increasingly he has returned to the blues that inspired him initially.

In 1998, Rivers reactivated his Soul City imprint and released Last Train to Memphis.

In early 2000, Rivers recorded with Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and Paul McCartney on a tribute album dedicated to Buddy Holly's backup band, "The Crickets".

In all, Rivers had nine Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 17 in the Top 40 from 1964 to 1977. In total, he has sold well over 30 million records.

Rivers is one of a small number of performers such as Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Pink Floyd (from 1975's Wish You Were Here onward), Queen, Genesis (though under the members' individual names and/or the pseudonym Gelring Limited) and Neil Diamond who have their name as the copyright owner on their recordings. (Most records have the recording company as the named owner of the recording.) This development was spearheaded by the Bee Gees with their $200 million lawsuit against RSO, the largest successful lawsuit against a record company by an artist or group.

On June 12, 2009, Johnny Rivers was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.^[1]

Selected discography[link]

References[link]

• "Johnny Rivers – Discography 1964–1969". JohnnyRivers.com. http://www.johnnyrivers.com/jr/discography64-69.html. Retrieved October 31, 2010. 
• "Johnny Rivers – Discography 1970–Present". JohnnyRivers.com. http://johnnyrivers.com/jr/discography70+.html. Retrieved October 31, 2010. 

External links[link]

• Johnny Rivers at Allmusic
• Official website
• Official website biography
• Biography at Classicbands.com

Nando Reis
Nando Reis in September 2009
Background information
Birth name	José Fernando Gomes dos Reis
Born	(1963-01-12) January 12, 1963 (age 49), São Paulo ,  Brazil
Genres	Rock
Occupations	Singer, composer, songwriter, producer
Instruments	vocals, bass guitar, guitar
Years active	1984–present
Associated acts	Os Camarões Nando Reis e os Infernais Titãs
Website	nandoreis.terra.com.br/

Nando Reis (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈnɐ̃du ˈʁejs], born on São Paulo, January 12, 1963) is a Brazilian musician and producer, best known as the former bassist and lead singer of Brazilian rock band Titãs and for his successful solo career, with his own band called Os Infernais. He has also produced a few albums, including some related to Cássia Eller, who has made several significant partnerships with him, and Marisa Monte.

Childhood[link]

Nando Reis was born in the early sixties to Cecília Leonel and José Carlos Galvão Gomes dos Reis. He was given his prename "José" just like his brothers, José Carlos, the oldest of the children, and José Luiz (who was deaf), the younger. His two sisters also shared the same prenames: Maria Cecília, the older, and Maria Luiza, the youngest of the five.

His mother was an acoustic guitar teacher and his father was an engineer. José Carlos taught him a little bit of Rock 'n' Roll, showing him Rolling Stones's album Between the Buttons. Maria Cecília taught him to play the acoustic guitar and took him to a show of Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil.

He was given his first acoustic guitar by his grandmother, at the age of 7, and was taught his first chords by his sister. However, most of his skills were acquired alone, when he learned songs of Caetano Veloso all by himself.

Some friends of José Carlos played in a rock band. Once, he took Nando to a small performance at the garage of the bassist house. Impressed with the solos of the guitarist, he asked him to teach him, but he never made it. He also tried the drums, but gave up. He decided then to play the bass guitar, as his attempts to play the electric guitar and the drums failed. Other artists, such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Alice Cooper kept joining his main influences. At the age of eleven, he had classes of classic guitar and harmony with Alexandre ("Maranhão"), a friend of José Carlos. His first compositions were all based on poems. Most of them were long, showing his appreciation for long songs.

In 1978, he entered Equipe School. There, he formed a band called "Os Camarões" (The Shrimps) with some friends, and managed to win a local music festival. When he met Paulo Miklos and Arnaldo Antunes, who took part of the festival, he made the first compositions with what would later become Titãs. When the high school was over, he waited three years to pass the Mathematics vestibular. Even though Titãs where already planning their first show, the university occupied most of his time. Therefore, he decided to quit it.

Career with Titãs[link]

In 1982, Titãs (at that time "Titãs do Iê-Iê") made their first live presentation. They recorded several tapes and sent them to recording labels until they signed up with Warner Music label. In 1984, Titãs released their first album, Titãs, and Nando played the bass guitar in some tracks although initially he was supposed to be a backing vocalist only. In the later eighties, Titãs caught a plane to London, for their first international show. On June 19, 1989, his mother Cecília died of Cancer.

In the early nineties, he started producing his first albums, with artists like Marisa Monte and Cássia Eller. In 1995, he recorded his first solo album, 12 de Janeiro. In 2000, Titãs changed to Abril Music, and after recording As Dez Mais in Seattle, Nando released his second solo album, Para Quando o Arco-Íris Encontrar o Pote de Ouro, with some special participations like Cássia Eller, Rogério Fausino (from Jota Quest) and Peter Buck (from R.E.M.).

On June 13, 2001, Titãs' guitarist Marcelo Fromer died after being rammed by a motorcycle (see Marcelo Fromer's Death). On December 29, he lost another friend: Cássia Eller. In 2002, he released Infernal, his third solo work. He then decided to leave Titãs on September 7, 2002.

Solo career[link]

In 2003, he released his fourth album, A Letra A. He followed that up by releasing the successful Mtv-produced live album with his band Os Infernais (MTV Ao Vivo), and in early 2006, released another studio album, Sim e Não. This was followed by another Mtv-produced live album with Os Infernais (Lual MTV). His most recent studio album, entitled Drês includes several personal songs: "Conta", a tribute to his mother, and "Só Pra So", another tribute for his daughter Sophia, as well as "Pra Você", a duet with Ana Cañas.^[1] His cover version of "Eu Nasci Há Dez Mil Anos Atrás", a song by Raul Seixas, was featured in the Rede Globo telenovela Caminho das Índias soundtrack.

Reis is currently in Seattle recording his seventh solo album, yet untitled, due to be released in August.^[2] This time, he is working with producer Jack Endino, who had already produced four studio albums by Titãs.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Nando Reis was married twice. The first marriage was with Vânia Passos, a former classmate, and the wedding took place on February 14, 1985. His four children are Theodoro Passos Reis, born on January 16, 1986, Sophia Passos Reis, born on July 1, 1988, Sebastião, born on May 13, 1995, and Zoe Passos Reis, born on September 27, 1999. In September 2003, he ended his marriage with Vânia, and married Anna some months later. In November 2005, he ended his second marriage.

His daughter Sophia Reis was a VJ for MTV Brasil. She has also worked as actress and starred in the film Meu Tio Matou um Cara.

Discography[link]

With Titãs[link]

Solo Albums (with Os Infernais)[link]

• 12 de Janeiro (1995)
• Para Quando o Arco-Íris Encontrar o Pote de Ouro (2000)
• Infernal (2001)
• A Letra A (2003)
• MTV Ao Vivo (2005- 2x Gold, 2x Platinum^[3])
• Sim e Não (2006)
• Luau MTV (2007 - Gold, Platinum^[3])
• Drês (2009)

Albums Produced by him[link]

• Ben Jor – Jorge Ben Jor (1989)
• Vange – Vange Leonel (1991)
• NOMAD – Nomad (1994)
• Maskavo Roots (1995)
• Com Você... Meu Mundo Ficaria Completo – Cássia Eller (1999)
• Acústico MTV – Cássia Eller (2001)
• Dez de Dezembro – Tribute to Cássia Eller (2002)
• Squadra – Squadra (2002)

Guest appearances[link]

References[link]

• Nando Reis' official home page (Portuguese)

External links[link]

• Official Website (Portuguese)
• Titãs Official Website (Portuguese)
• Official Fan Club (Portuguese)
• Nando Reis at the Internet Movie Database

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010)

Ed Wynn
from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Birth name	Isaiah Edwin Leopold
Born	(1886-11-09)November 9, 1886 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 19, 1966(1966-06-19) (aged 79) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Medium	Vaudeville, Stand-Up
Nationality	American
Years active	1903–1966
Influenced	Red Skelton, Daws Butler, Kevin James, Ralph Garman
Spouse	Hilda Keenan (1914-37) (divorced) 1 child Frieda Mierse (1937-39) (divorced) Dorothy Elizabeth Nesbitt (1946-55) (divorced)

Ed Wynn (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966) was a popular American comedian and actor noted for his Perfect Fool comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a dramatic actor.^[1]

Wynn began his career in vaudeville in 1903 ^[2][3] and was a star of the Ziegfeld Follies starting in 1914. During The Follies of 1915, W. C. Fields allegedly caught Wynn mugging for the audience under the table during his "Pool Room" routine and knocked him unconscious with his cue.^[4] Wynn wrote, directed, and produced many Broadway shows in the subsequent decades, and was known for his silly costumes and props as well as for the giggly, wavering voice he developed for the 1921 musical review, The Perfect Fool.

Early life[link]

Ed Wynn was a Jewish-American comedian who was born Isaiah Edwin Leopold in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, who manufactured and sold women's hats, was born in Bohemia-Czechoslovakia. His mother, of Romanian and Turkish ancestry, came from Istanbul, Turkey.^[5] Wynn attended Central High School in Philadelphia until age 15.^[6] He ran away from home in his teens, worked as a hat salesman and as a utility boy,^[6] and eventually adapted his middle name "Edwin" into his new stage name, "Ed Wynn", to save his family the embarrassment of having a lowly comedian as a relative.

Radio[link]

Although many gag writers later provided material for Wynn's performances in radio, television and movies, he was proud to boast that he had written every line he ever spoke during his early career as a stage performer.^{[citation needed]}

He hosted a popular radio show, The Fire Chief for most of the 1930s, heard in North America on Tuesday nights, sponsored by Texaco gasoline. Like many former vaudeville performers who turned to radio in the same decade, the stage-trained Wynn insisted on playing for a live studio audience, doing each program as an actual stage show, using visual bits to augment his written material, and in his case, wearing a colorful costume with a red fireman's helmet. He usually bounced his gags off announcer/straight man Graham McNamee; Wynn's customary opening, "Tonight, Graham, the show's gonna be different," became one of the most familiar tag-lines of its time; a sample joke: "Graham, my uncle just bought a new second-handed car... he calls it Baby! I don't know, it won't go anyplace without a rattle!"

Wynn reprised his Fire Chief radio character in two movies, Follow the Leader (1930) and The Chief (1933). Near the height of his radio fame (1933) he founded his own short-lived radio network the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, which lasted only five weeks, nearly destroying the comedian. According to radio historian Elizabeth McLeod, the failed venture left Wynn deep in debt, divorced and finally, suffering a nervous breakdown.^{[citation needed]}

Wynn was offered the title role in MGM's 1939 screen adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, but turned it down, as did his Ziegfeld contemporary W. C. Fields. The part went to Frank Morgan.

Television[link]

In the 1949-50 season, Ed Wynn hosted one of the first comedy-variety television shows, on CBS, and won an Emmy Award in 1949. Buster Keaton, Lucille Ball, and The Three Stooges all made guest appearances with Wynn. This was the first CBS variety television show to originate in Los Angeles, with programs filmed via kinescope for distribution in the Midwest and East. Wynn was also a rotating host of NBC's Four Star Revue from 1950 through 1952.

After the end of Wynn's third television series, The Ed Wynn Show (a short-lived situation comedy on NBC's 1948-49 schedule), his son, actor Keenan Wynn, encouraged him to make the career change rather than retire. The comedian reluctantly began a career as a dramatic actor in television and movies. Father and son appeared in three productions, the first of which was the 1956 Playhouse 90 broadcast of Rod Serling's play Requiem for a Heavyweight. Ed was terrified of straight acting and kept goofing his lines in rehearsal. When the producers wanted to fire him, star Jack Palance said he would quit if they fired Ed. (However, unbeknownst to Wynn, supporting player Ned Glass was his secret understudy in case something did happen before air time.) On live broadcast night, Wynn surprised everyone with his pitch-perfect performance, and his quick ad libs to cover his mistakes. A dramatization of what happened during the production was later staged as an April 1960 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse episode, "The Man In the Funny Suit", starring both senior and junior Wynns, with key figures involved in the original production also portraying themselves. Ed and his son also worked together in the Jose Ferrer film The Great Man, with Ed again proving his unexpected skills in drama.

Wynn (left) and Richard Crenna (right) in People's Magazine 1964

Requiem established Wynn as serious dramatic actor who could easily hold his own with the best. His role in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Also in 1959, Wynn appeared on Serling's TV series The Twilight Zone in "One for the Angels". Serling, a longtime admirer, had written that episode especially for him, and Wynn later starred in the episode "Ninety Years Without Slumbering". For the rest of his life, Ed skillfully moved between comic and dramatic roles. He appeared in feature films and anthology television, endearing himself to new generations of fans.

Cartoons[link]

Wynn had been caricatured in 1933 in the Merrie Melodies cartoon short Shuffle Off to Buffalo, and as a pot of jam in the 1934 Betty Boop short Betty in Blunderland.

Films[link]

He appeared as the Fairy Godfather in Jerry Lewis' Cinderfella. His performance as Paul Beaseley in the 1958 film The Great Man earned him nominations for a "Best Supporting Actor" Golden Globe Award and a "Best Foreign Actor" BAFTA Award. The following year saw him receive his first (and only) nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Mr. Dussell in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). Six years later he would also appear in the epic motion picture masterpiece The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Work with Disney[link]

Wynn provided the voice of the Mad Hatter in Walt Disney's film, Alice in Wonderland, but many baby boomer children remember him most fondly for his brief appearances as The Toymaker alongside Mouseketeer Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands in Walt Disney's Babes in Toyland released in 1961.

Possibly his best-remembered film appearance, though, was as Uncle Albert in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins (1964). His segment involved the eccentric man floating around just beneath the ceiling in uncontrollable mirth, singing "I Love to Laugh" and was one of the film's highlights.

Re-teaming with the Disney team the following year, in That Darn Cat! (1965) featuring Dean Jones, Wynn filled out the character of Mr. Hofstedder, the watch jeweler with his bumbling charm. His final performance, as Rufus in Walt Disney's The Gnome-Mobile was released a few months after his death.

In addition to Disney films, Wynn was also a popular character in the Disneyland production The Golden Horseshoe Review.

Death[link]

Wynn died June 19, 1966 in Beverly Hills, California of throat cancer,^[6] aged 79. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, and his gravestone reads "Dear God, Thanks... Ed Wynn".

Legacy[link]

The distinctive voice which Wynn created for his "Perfect Fool" character has remained much imitated. Hanna-Barbera's Wally Gator's voice, performed by Daws Butler, was an impersonation of the Perfect Fool, as was Paul Frees's Captain Peter Peachfuzz character in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Other notable characters inspired by Wynn include: Terrytoons' Gandy Goose, Doctor Blinky in H.R. Pufnstuf, Mayor McCheese in commercials for "McDonaldland", and Multo in the PBS animated series Zula Patrol. He is frequently imitated by Ralph Garman of the "Hollywood Babble-On" podcast on Kevin Smith's SModcast network.

Quotations[link]

• "A comic says funny things. A comedian says things funny."
• "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Heck, I'll take that and more!"
• "Life is for the living!"

Broadway and films[link]

• The Deacon and the Lady (1910) - musical - actor/performer
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1914 (1914) - revue - actor/performer
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1915 (1915) - revue - actor/performer
• The Passing Show of 1916 (1916) - revue - actor/performer
• Sometime (1918) - play - actor
• Ed Wynn's Carnival (1920) - revue - composer, lyricist, book-writer and performer/actor
• The All-Star Idlers of 1921 (1921) - revue - actor/performer
• The Perfect Fool (1921) - revue - composer, lyricist, book-writer, director and actor/performer
• The Grab Bag (1924) - revue - producer, composer, lyricist, book-writer and actor/performer
• Manhattan Mary (1927) - musical - actor in the role of "Crickets"
• Simple Simon (1930) - musical - co-book-writer and actor
  • Revived in 1931 (was also producer in addition to above roles)
• The Laugh Parade (1931) - revue - producer, co-book-writer, director, originator and star actor/performer
• The Chief (1933) - actor (as Henry Summers)
• Alice Takat (1936) - play - producer
• Hooray for What! (1937) - musical - actor in the role of "Chuckles"
• Morose Thoughts (1941) - revue - producer, book co-author, and actor
• Boys and Girls Together (1940) - revue - producer, co-book-writer, originator, director and actor/performer
• Laugh, Town, Laugh! (1942) - revue - producer, book-writer and director
• Stage Door Canteen (1943) - as himself
• Alice in Wonderland (1951) - voice actor (as Mad Hatter)
• Marjorie Morningstar (1958) - actor (as uncle Samson)
• The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) - actor (as Fritz Pfeffer)
• Cinderfella (1960) - actor (as the fairy godfather)
• Babes in Toyland (1961) - actor (as The Toy Maker)
• The Absent-Minded Professor (1961 film) - actor (as Fire Chief)
• Son of Flubber (1963 film) - actor (as Dept. of Agriculture agent)
• Mary Poppins (1964) - actor (as Uncle Albert)
• The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965 film) - actor (as Old Aram)
• That Darn Cat! (1965) - actor (as Mr. Hofstedder)
• Those Calloways (1965) - actor (as Ed Parker)
• The Daydreamer (film) (1966) - voice actor (as The Emperor)
• The Gnome-Mobile (1967) - actor (as Rufus) - released after his death

Listen to[link]

• Radio Journeys: Texaco Fire Chief (July 26, 1932)

Those Calloways (1965)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ed Wynn

Biography portal

• Ed Wynn on Great Character Actors site
• Ed Wynn at the Internet Movie Database
• Ed Wynn at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ed Wynn at Find a Grave
• The Ed Wynn Show at Classic TV Info.
• Four Star Revue/All Star Revue at Classic TV Info.