You Never knew where he was going. I don't think he had any scripts. He would just take us on the journey wherever the winds of his mind pushed us. A true Brilliance.
There's not a moment of dead air in that whole ad-lib masterpiece. The absolute best there ever was. How could you not want to be around him? Imagine if there was an after party with those heavies. Pure nirvana
Not one curse word, not one vulgar comment , completely void of bathroom humor or hate humor... and hysterically funny...what an absolute genius Jonathan Winters was...thnkyou sir for making so many happy. R.I.P
Mr. Winters was the best comedian ever. At that particular time there were ''true'' comedians who could have made you laugh for hours and certainly Mr. Winters was the best of them all.
When life gets a bit too much and down I return to my comfort blanket of decent brilliant comedy like Jonathan Winters and others on the Roasts like Nipsey, the brilliant Don Rickles and my utter fave Foster Brooks. It makes me smile every time Dean has a fit of giggles and Don's genuine dirty sounding belly laugh. Gone but not for gotten You legends.
My father was in the Marine Corps with Jonathan Winters. He said he was a riot and as strong as a bull. I always bring my laptop when I visit him and we watch these videos together. Thanx youtube and everyone who uploads these classics!
Of all the roast I've watched, of all the comedians that got up there and did their bits, Don Rickles included... this is the funniest 8 minutes ever done... it's pure gold... Dean Martin is absolutely losing it and his laughter is not fake... it's no wonder why Robin Williams looked up to Winters
Just found the Guy Marks/Michael Landon thing you mentioned; I liked to asphyxiate from laughing so hard! Thanks for the tip. Anybody else got some of these Roast thingies? There's another one I saw a few years back and I can't remember now who it was, it was about as funny as these two.
I like how he comes out of nowhere with his Big Chief chant/song, it caught me totally by surprise. Rickles and Martin are falling off their chairs with laughter over this guy, really fun to watch them losing it while Marks is up there singing/chanting away ....
He taps into what can only be described as midwestern madness...his references are so arcane and bizarre...how he kept a straight face, I'll never know, because he had everyone else falling off their chairs from laughter.
@Peace World Sorry, but with comedy, if you have to take time to explain it, well . . . it just won't work. Jonathan Winters was so funny, you should be laughing even if you understand little to nothing.
People, that is pure comic genius! Like others have said, it takes real talent to be so hilarious! Winters could go on for a long stretch and never miss a beat. Thank you for saving this piece of real brilliance!
Me too. I've seen this clip countless times and it never bores me. Winters was an incredible, irreplacable talent who is a joy to behold. His ad lib's, which I'm sure most of this sequence was is beyond incredible. Sinatra's uncontrollable laughter is obviously genuine and validates Winters talent with full honours. Peter Falk's turn on the same show is equally superb.
absolutely the best improv I've ever seen Johnathan do. I continue to come back over and over to watch this genius's spot on Dean martin's Roast. He was totally hitting on all cylinders this night. .....Hilarious ! ....and what an ending ..." I wish I had something to give you....I had something but was rolled on the way over " ....My God he was funny this night !
He was very intelligent and well read and miles ahead of his time. He was unique and had the respect of everyone. Though it may not mean much now, Cosby said he was the best , by far. When I watch comedians today I'm left rather cold, not their fault , but how do you measure up to a comic genius like Jonathan Winters?
If you haven't already seen it, check out the RU-vid clip of Winters and Robin Williams together on Johnny Carson. You'll almost cry from laughing so hard. Man! Those two were red hot that night!
Peace World Once you understand this guy you will definitely be a master of English, you have to understand 50s culture as well as understand certain tropes of English comedy and the absurd imagery mixed in with the understanding of who these people are Frank Sinatra especially. It will be a worthwhile journey my friend
Helen Forrest (l saw her twice) sang with Benny Goodman, Harry James and Artie Shaw [three of of the 5 or 6 huge- hit bands in "those days".] She was "The Voice" of those bands.
Mr. Winters was the best comedian ever. At that particular time there were ''true'' comedians who could have made you laugh for hours and certainly Mr. Winters was the best of them all.
I watched these roasts as a kid, pure gold! Yes kids this is comedy, no cussing politically charged unhinged hate. Absolute comidac genius on that Dias
During the filming, Jonathan kept the other stars in stitches, and considering the fact that these were other masters of comedy that is saying a lot. Stanley Kramer said he entertained everyone from start to finish. The other comedians in the movie considered him to be a comedy genius. They would feed him lines, situations, characters and he would just go into a character and do 10, 20, 30 minutes of ad-lib comedy. Marvin Kaplan described him as being endless in his comedy invention.
Yes, JW was one of the most gifted comedians that ever took the stage. He would get in that zone with a character and just start improvising the situation into complete absurdity. Stream of consciousness comedy. That's why he was Robin William's comedic hero.
I don't know how many times I've watched this but it's become a touchstone for me. This is such a great piece by such a great master of the craft. I wish more of his club performances were recorded. It's very obvious that what he performed on television was a tiny fragment of what he was capable of doing. Many comedians from this era have said as much. Hopefully the estate can let us in on anything the unearth.
He did this look left look right look. left thing with his eyes half opened like a chubby 6 year old demon kid...He was in touch with everything. A Tesla Tower of reception.
Jonathan was one of the original improv guys. One night on Jack Paar, Jack gave him a stick and Jonathan did scenes using it as a violin bow, paddle, fishing pole, golf club, spear, sword and a couple of other items. Classic
This dinner is never going to be served,I have seen no food at all. That was adlibbed right off the top,sper of the moment.He was brilliant and had the rarest of qualities to never swear or use filthy antics in his comedy. R.I.P Jonathan we miss you
Loved seeing Rickles laughing his head off as Jonathan roasted Frank Sinatra. I can only imagine the immense mutual respect they must have had for each other. Back then they were the only two comedians who worked without a memorized script. In later years Robin Williams was wildly successful and also worked without a memorized script. Robin was the most talented stand up comedian I've ever seen or hope to see. Robin and Don were lighting quick, so much so in fact that it was otherworldly. Unfortunately for Robin, his breakneck, rapid fire delivery was overwhelming to a good percentage of his audiences. Once he hit high gear it was impossible to slow down, he had no brakes. As a consequence of this before the laughter had enough time to die down for one of his jokes, Robin regularly gave 6 more incredibly funny things for them to laugh at. Don, Jonathan and Robin, the best of the best. RIP
Classic there will never be another, along with Rodney Dangerfield and Don Rickles , all Kings of comedy and never had to use FU in their performances, compared to today's comedians who ever other word is fuck and nowhere near as funny. Even today's roasts suck compared to the Dean Martin one's.
jonathan always seemed to me like he had an astounding ear for real voices from the heartland. like driving across the usa at night and hearing weird local small town radio stations. not just funny but a kind of comedy genius going on there.
