
When Jonathan Winters first started performing comedy in New York City, his act was built around the extraordinary sound effects he could make with his mouth. He could do the sounds of trains, airplanes, dripping water, crashes, explosions, etc. The audiences loved it. One day an experienced performer came to him and warned him that he would only be known for his sound effects unless he changed his act. This advice had a profound effect on Jonathan. He changed his act so that it was built around a funny gallery of characters he created. In doing so he made comedy history. During the filming of CERTIFIABLY JONATHAN, he would launch into a new character, one we had never seen before, and do a five or ten minute riff totally off the top of his head. The biggest challenge for us was not laughing out loud while the cameras were rolling. We discovered why Jack Parr had such a hard time keeping his composure when Jonathan was a guest on his show. It was much more difficult than you’d think.
JP/RM
August 29, 2010 at 11:37 am |
Mr.Winters were you a fan and did you ever meet Abbott and Costello?