Comedian Jonathan Winters has died at 87. Winters was a pioneer in improvisational standup and the use of impressions in mini-skits within the monologue. He deeply influenced Robin Williams. Dana Carvey’s mix of impressions and irony seems to me also to stand in the Winters tradition. In many ways, our contemporary comedic sensibility owes a great deal to him.
Jonathan Winters on being nude in front of animals and his impression of classic horror films:
Johanathan Winters roaats Regaen: link to news.cnet.com
Winters was the best. When it came to finding humor in bizarre situations – or describing bizarre situations which were suddenly funny – he could not be beat. He was right – cats aren’t interested in seeing us naked.
Another legend from the ‘golden era’ leaves the stage