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Jonathan Winters, USMC


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This one almost sliped by us.

 

Jonathan Winters. In WWII he was a Marine, as usual can't find more on him in WWII, I used to have that book Stars in the Service or something like that, Naval Service? if I can remember it had more info, can't remember exactly, he served as Ships Detachment on board a Carrier, can't recall which one, it also had his Marine Corps " Mug Shot" you know the type with the Height Chart behind the man, this photo is apparantly not available online, at least I can't find it.

 

Winters as one of the village policemen Officer Norman Jones in the 1966 movie THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!

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A bit more then:

 

"JONATHAN WINTERS, Comedian

The real Jonathan Winters was born in Dayton, Ohio on November 11, 1925. After attending public school in Springfield, he joined the Marine Corps at the age of seventeen. After serving two-and-a-half years in the South Pacific, he returned to Ohio and attended Kenyon College.

His interest in art led him to Dayton Art Institute where he studied for over two years and met the girl who would become his wife, Eileen.

Eileen encouraged Jonathan to enter a local talent contest in Dayton, which he did, and he won a wrist watch, but the performance led him to a job as an early morning disc-jockey on radio station WING in Dayton (1946).

This job led him to WBNS-TV in Columbus where he worked for three years. In 1953, Jonathan headed for New York for the "big time" with $56.46 in his pocket. As a performer at Manhattan's Blue Angel nightclub, his reputation as a comic began to grow. Gary Moore, who was substituting for Arthur Godfrey on the TV Show "Talent Scouts", presented Jonathan on the show. Then came the Jack Paar Show, The Steve Allen Show, and The Tonight Show, where Jonathan was able to demonstrate his comic genius and he became a top name in American Comedy.

Jonathan and Eileen have two children and five grandchildren. They live in Santa Barbara, where Jonathan paints and writes when he is not performing."

 

Link to:

 

He was a Corporal.

 

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I recall him ad libbing on Jack Paar (?) and going into an extemporaneous bit about a Marine raid, blowing away them yellow sons of Nee-pon for mother, and his buddy the Grease Gun. "This puppy weighs 8 and a quarter pounds empty, and fires from the open bolt, it's slower firing than them Tommy guns, but it don't quit, sand, seawater, chocolate syrup, whatever -- like a MARINE!"

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I was a child of the 80's, so, to add my own personal memories, the ones that stand out most for me would be his appearances on Scooby Doo as himself and Maude Frickert and his appearances on Mork and Mindy as Mearth!

 

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He was always one of my favorites. He had a bit on an old LP record about the Corps which was hilarious! I had the pleasure of meeting him when he walked up to my table at the Great Western Show in L.A. many moons ago. I got to shake his hand and mentioned the bit on the Corps and he immediately went into character, that's if he ever went out of character! R.I.P. Marine Winters! He was one funny guy!!!! Semper Fi.......Bobgee

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Jonathan Winters was a good friend of my dear late Marine buddy, Larry Cullen and even more so his brother Peter (the voice of Optimus Prime in al lthe Transformer movies and cartoons). I met him a a few times times and he gave me a couple items of his Marine memorabilia. He was a great comedian but he was a great guy as well.

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