Comedy – Jonathan Winters – Stand-Up / TV Variety Shows / Sitcoms – L E’s Stories Special – “A Master of Spontaneous Laughter With Any Object” – Tribute To The Life And Times Of Comedian Jonathan Winters

Did you know that  you just might be a Sportsphile….if you respond to a beautiful bartender asking you what you want to drink with “Can we get the Cowboy game on this TV?” ….or if you watch every minute of the entire NFL Draft selection process….all the way to Mr. Irrelevant….or if you own a fantasy team of any type….or if you find yourself holding back the tears while watching a Tom Rinaldi piece about a challenged HUMAN whose greatest joy comes from playing a game of the sport that they love…..or if you drive 200 miles in a snowstorm to see you team play away from home on that weekend. So, I have decided to come up with some sort of test….which if passed, would become prove that you were indeed a Sportsphile…..heck, I could even come up with a Document of Accreditation that you have met the requirements to be an Accredited Sportsphile.                                                                                                         

News & Comedy – 1986 – CBS 60 Minutes Special – Featuring Jonathan Winters & Robin Williams

                                                                                                                                                                                  Anyway, on to today’s story….cuz it is about a man from the 1950’s who made a lot of people laugh….and truly was a comedic genius….who could be handed any object…..from which he could simply make people laugh…. and I am here to tell you that without question…..Jonathan Winters was in a class of his own.  It has been said that there is a razor thin line between genius and insanity….and many fans of Jonathan’s believed that he straddled that line…..but, the truth be known, many of the world’s greatest comedians obviously had similar “straddling lives”…..I mean, Richard Pryor, Freddie Prinze, Robin Williams, just to name a few. The truth remains that none of this had anything to do with their God given ability to make people laugh…..as in the case of Jonathan Winters and his comedic mastery…..and that is why we at ImaSportsphile are so happy to have so many video pieces that provide evidence to what has already been said…..and if you watch these posted herewith…..we are pretty darn sure that you will agree with us….for Jonathan Winters was a funny funny man.                                                                                                         

Comedy – 1988 – The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson Featuring Jonathan Winters                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Jonathan Winters  (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host and artist….who began recording many classic comedy albums for the Verve Records label in 1960…..while also having records released every decade for over 50 years….in which he received 11 Grammy nominations….including eight for Best Comedy Album, during his career. From these nominations, he won the Grammy Award for Best Album for Children for his contribution to an adaptation of The Little Prince in 1975….along with the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album for “Crank(y) Calls” in 1996.                                                                                                                              

Comedy – 1959 – The Tonight Show With Jack Parr – Featuring Jonathan Winters Stand-Up Routine

                                                                                                                                                                                    With a career spanning more than six decades in which Winters appeared in hundreds of television shows and films, including eccentric characters on The Steve Allen Show, The Garry Moore Show, The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters (1972–74), Mork & Mindy, Hee Haw, and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World…..as he also voiced Grandpa Smurf on The Smurfs TV series from 1986 to the show’s conclusion in 1989….when over twenty years later, Winters was introduced to a new generation through voicing Papa Smurf in The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013). Winters died nine days after recording his dialogue for The Smurfs 2; the film was dedicated to his memory.                                                                                           

Animation & Comedy – 2011 – Movie Clip Special – Scene From The Smurf Movie II With Jonathan Winters As Papa Smurf

                                                                                                                                                                                    In 1991, Winters won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for playing Gunny Davis in the short-lived sitcom Davis Rules…..while 1999 saw Winters become the 2nd recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.  In 2002, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Q.T. Marlens on Life with Bonnie. Winters was presented with a Pioneer TV Land Award by Robin Williams in 2008.                                                                                                                                                                                     

Comedy – 1973 – Day & Night Special – Featuring An Interview With Comedian Jonathan Winters                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Winters also spent time painting and presenting his artwork, including silkscreens and sketches, in many gallery shows…..as seen in the above video herewith….plus he authored several books, with his book of short stories entitled Winters’ Tales (1988) making several bestseller lists.  Any way you cut the pie….Jonathan Winters was hilarious and spontaneous….as he was probably the very best at “improv comedy” to ever grace a stage…..and he deserves his place here at ImaSportsphile ….cuz we believe funny is funny…..and as much of funny that can be preserved is well worth the future laughs that his videos will bring to our viewers.  

Comedy – 1976 – The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson – Featuring Comedian Jonathan Winters On His Drinking Days