Paul Winchell

2.1. Childhood and Education

Born Paul Wilchinsky in New York City on December 21, 1922, he was the son of Solomon Wilchinsky, a tailor, and Clara Fuchs. His grandparents were Jewish immigrants who had come to the United States from Congress Poland and Austria-Hungary. At the tender age of six, Winchell contracted polio, which led to the atrophy of his legs. This early struggle did not deter his spirit. When he was around 12 or 13, he discovered a magazine advertisement for a ventriloquism kit, sparking a lifelong passion. While attending the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan, he approached his art teacher, Jero Magon, and asked if he could earn class credit for constructing a ventriloquist's dummy. Magon agreed, and in gratitude, Winchell named his creation Jerry Mahoney.

2.2. Early Activities

Winchell diligently began to hone his craft, gathering jokes from magazines and assembling a comedy routine. This routine led him to the Major Bowes Amateur Hour in 1938, where he won first prize. As part of his prize, he received an offer to tour with the Major Bowes Review, performing in various theaters. During this tour, bandleader Ted Weems observed the young Winchell's talent and offered him a professional engagement. Winchell accepted, officially becoming a professional entertainer at the age of 14. This early exposure and success laid the foundation for his extensive career in entertainment.

3.1. Ventriloquist Work

Winchell's most famous ventriloquist dummies were Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. Jerry Mahoney was originally carved by the renowned Chicago-based figure maker Frank Marshall. Winchell later commissioned a commercial duplicating service to create basswood copies of Jerry's head. One of these copies became the upgraded Jerry Mahoney figure prominently featured throughout Winchell's television career. He modified two other copies to create Knucklehead Smiff. The original Marshall-crafted Jerry Mahoney and one copy of Knucklehead Smiff are preserved in storage at the Smithsonian Institution, while the other two figures are part of the collection of illusionist David Copperfield.

Winchell introduced an innovative technique for his television performances: actors would slip their hands into the sleeves of the dummies, creating the visual effect of the figures gesturing with their hands while "conversing" with each other. His first venture as a ventriloquist on radio was in 1943 with Jerry Mahoney, though the program was short-lived, overshadowed by the popularity of Edgar Bergen. Winchell also developed a unique character named Ozwald, who resembled Humpty Dumpty. This effect was achieved by painting eyes and a nose on his chin, then covering the rest of his face with a "body" costume, and finally electronically inverting the camera image. In 1961, Berwin Novelties released a home version of Ozwald, which included the Ozwald body, creative pencils for drawing the features, and a "magic mirror" that automatically flipped the reflection upside down.

In 1948, Winchell and Joseph Dunninger appeared on Floor Show on NBC. This program, recorded via kinescope and replayed on WNBQ-TV in Chicago, marked the station's first midweekly show. During the 1950s, Winchell hosted both children's programs, such as The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show, and adult programs with his figures for NBC Television, later moving into syndication. The NBC Saturday morning program, sponsored by Tootsie Roll, featured a clubhouse motif and a theme song titled "HOORAY, HOORAH," co-written by Winchell and his longtime bandleader and on-air sidekick, Milton Delugg. The show's secret password was "SCOTTY WOTTY DOO DOO," and an ending song, "Friends, Friends, Friends," was sung by the children in the audience. In October 1956, Winchell transitioned to ABC, where he hosted Circus Time on Thursday evenings for one season before returning to Winchell-Mahoney on Sunday afternoons. In late 1959, The Three Stooges made a guest appearance on his show to promote their feature film, Stop, Look and Laugh. Winchell also appeared on Nanny and the Professor in 1970 (Season 2, Episode 13), portraying a reclusive puppeteer. In 1996, Winchell commissioned figure maker Tim Selberg to create a more contemporary, "Disney-esque" version of Jerry Mahoney, which he intended to use for pitching a new television series idea to Michael Eisner. Winchell was also featured in the 2009 comedy documentary I'm No Dummy, directed by Bryan W. Simon.

3.2. Voice Acting

After 1968, Paul Winchell's career largely shifted to extensive voice work for animated television series and films, where he created some of his most memorable characters. For Hanna-Barbera, he became the original voice of the villainous Dick Dastardly in multiple series, including Wacky Races and Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines. He also voiced Clyde and Softy on Wacky Races and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Fleegle on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and the iconic sorcerer Gargamel on The Smurfs from 1981 to 1989, as well as in several Smurfs television movies. Other Hanna-Barbera roles included Bubi Bear in Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! (1971), Revs on Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, Moe on The Robonic Stooges, Shake on The CB Bears, Goober the Dog on Goober and the Ghost Chasers (1973), and a rain-making villain on an episode of Hong Kong Phooey. He also reprised his role as Dick Dastardly on Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Wake, Rattle and Roll, and voiced the Dread Baron in the animated movie Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose.

For Disney, Winchell provided the distinctive voice of Tigger in the Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes, earning a Grammy Award for his performance in Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. He shared the role of Tigger with Jim Cummings starting with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh television series. Winchell's final performances as Tigger were in 1999 for Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You and for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction at Walt Disney World. Other Disney roles included Shun Gon, a Siamese cat in The Aristocats, and Boomer the woodpecker in The Fox and the Hound. He was also the original voice of Zummi Gummi on Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears for its first five seasons, with Jim Cummings taking over for the final season in 1990.

Winchell also voiced Sam-I-Am and the unnamed character Sam pesters in Green Eggs and Ham from the 1973 animated television special Dr. Seuss on the Loose. He played Fleabag on The Oddball Couple, Fearless Freddy the Shark Hunter on the Pink Panther spinoff Misterjaw in 1976, and several one-shot characters in The Blue Racer series. In the realm of commercials, he was the voice of the character Burger Chef for the fast food chain, the Scrubbing Bubbles for Dow Chemicals, and Mr. Owl for Tootsie Roll Pops. He had also auditioned for the role of the Pillsbury Doughboy for the Pillsbury Company commercials but the role ultimately went to Paul Frees.

3.3. Live-Action Work

Paul Winchell frequently appeared on camera, often alongside his dummy Jerry Mahoney, as a guest panelist on the game show What's My Line? in 1956. Notably, on the April 29, 1956, episode, the mystery guest was Edgar Bergen, and after his identity was revealed, Jerry Mahoney and Mortimer Snerd engaged in a conversation. Winchell made numerous guest appearances on popular television series from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s, including The Polly Bergen Show, The Virginian, The Lucy Show, Perry Mason, The Donna Reed Show, Dan Raven, and The Brady Bunch. He had a recurring role as Homer Winch on The Beverly Hillbillies and appeared as Claude Wilbur on The Dick Van Dyke Show.

In film, Winchell was featured in the 1960 motion picture Stop!, Look and Laugh, which compiled The Three Stooges shorts, and also appeared in the 1970 Jerry Lewis movie Which Way to the Front?. He appeared as himself in the 1963 NBC game show Your First Impression. In the late 1960s, he performed a sketch on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in as a French ventriloquist named Lucky Pierre, whose act takes a dark turn when his elderly dummy suffers a heart attack. On Love, American Style, he appeared with fellow ventriloquist Shari Lewis in a sketch about two shy individuals in a waiting room who use their dummies to introduce themselves. Winchell's last regular on-camera television appearances working with his puppets were on Storybook Squares, a children's version of Hollywood Squares, which aired on NBC during the 1969 TV season, and Runaround, another children's game show on NBC from September 1972 to September 1973.

3.4. Winchell-Mahoney Time

Paul Winchell's most successful television program was Winchell-Mahoney Time, which aired from 1965 to 1968. This popular children's show was written by his wife, actress Nina Russel. On the show, Winchell played several on-screen characters, including Bonehead Smiff, who was the father of Knucklehead Smiff. He also appeared as himself, serving as a friend and adult adviser to Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. A unique and surreal character he created for the show was "Mr. Goody-good," achieved by painting eyes and a nose on his chin, covering his face with a small costume, and then inverting the camera image. This created a pinheaded character with an immensely wide mouth and a highly mobile head, an illusion Winchell created by moving his chin back and forth. The show was produced at KTTV in Los Angeles, which was owned by Metromedia at the time.

A significant legal dispute arose concerning the tapes of Winchell-Mahoney Time. In 1970, Winchell began negotiating with Metromedia to syndicate the 305 color segments of the show, but these negotiations did not yield an agreement. Winchell then offered to purchase the tapes outright for 100.00 K USD. Metromedia responded with an ultimatum: either agree to a syndication plan or the tapes would be destroyed. When Winchell did not agree to their terms, Metromedia carried out its threat, and the tapes were subsequently erased and destroyed. Winchell filed a lawsuit against Metromedia, and in 1986, a jury awarded him 3.80 M USD for the value of the tapes and an additional 14.00 M USD in punitive damages against Metromedia. Metromedia appealed the award, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court, but their appeal was ultimately unsuccessful in 1989.

4.1. Medical and Patents

Paul Winchell possessed a keen interest in medicine, having been a pre-med student at Columbia University. In 1974, he graduated from The Acupuncture Research College of Los Angeles and became a practicing acupuncturist. He also worked as a medical hypnotist at the Gibbs Institute in Hollywood. Throughout his lifetime, Winchell held more than 30 patents, showcasing his inventive mind.

One of his most notable inventions was an artificial heart, which he developed with the assistance of Dr. Henry Heimlich, the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver. Winchell held an early US patent for such a device, designed to be implantable in the chest cavity (US Patent #3097366 of 1963). Around the same time, the University of Utah School of Medicine developed a similar apparatus. When they sought to patent their device, Winchell's existing patents were cited as prior art. In a philanthropic gesture, Winchell eventually donated his heart patents to the university. There has been some debate regarding the extent to which Robert Jarvik utilized Winchell's design in creating the Jarvik-7. Dr. Heimlich stated, "I saw the heart, I saw the patent, and I saw the letters. The basic principle used in Winchell's heart and Jarvik's heart is exactly the same." However, Jarvik denied incorporating any of Winchell's design elements into his device, which was first successfully implanted in Barney Clark in 1982.

Winchell continued to secure medical patents while working on projects for the Leukemia Society (now known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) and the American Red Cross. His other patented inventions included a disposable razor, a blood plasma defroster, a flameless cigarette lighter, a garter belt designed with no outwardly visible lines, a fountain pen with a retractable tip, and battery-heated gloves.

4.2. Philanthropic Activities

In the 1980s, Paul Winchell's deep concern for global issues, particularly starvation in Africa, led him to develop a practical solution. He devised a method for cultivating tilapia fish in tribal villages and small communities. This particular fish species thrives in brackish waters, making it exceptionally well-suited for the environmental conditions prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Winchell actively advocated for this project, appearing before a Congressional committee alongside several other celebrities, including actors Richard Dreyfuss and Ed Asner, and his collaborator Dr. Heimlich. Despite his passionate appeal, the committee ultimately declined to finance a pilot program for the tilapia aquaculture project in Africa, primarily due to the requirement of digging wells into non-potable water sources.

7.1. Film

7.2. Television

7.3. Video Games

7.4. Radio

7.5. Theme Parks

8.1. Positive Assessment

Winchell's achievements in ventriloquism were groundbreaking. He modernized the art form, introducing innovative techniques like having actors' hands inside his dummies, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, to create more dynamic performances. His long-running television shows, particularly Winchell-Mahoney Time, entertained and educated generations of children, establishing him as a beloved figure in early television. His pioneering work earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a testament to his significant impact on the entertainment industry.

As a voice actor, Winchell's contributions are iconic. His portrayal of Tigger for Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh series earned him a Grammy Award and cemented his place in animation history, creating a character voice that remains instantly recognizable and cherished globally. Similarly, his voices for Dick Dastardly and Gargamel became synonymous with those characters, showcasing his versatility and ability to bring complex personalities to life through vocal performance.

Beyond entertainment, Winchell's inventive genius was remarkable. His development and patenting of an early artificial heart with Dr. Henry Heimlich demonstrated a profound commitment to medical innovation, even leading him to donate his patents to the University of Utah School of Medicine. This work highlights his dedication to scientific advancement and his desire to contribute to human well-being. His philanthropic efforts, such as the tilapia aquaculture project aimed at alleviating starvation in Africa, further underscore his humanitarian spirit and desire to make a positive social impact.

8.2. Criticism and Controversy

Despite his public success, Paul Winchell's life was not without criticism and controversy. A major legal battle arose from the destruction of the master tapes of his popular children's show, Winchell-Mahoney Time, by Metromedia. Winchell sued the company, and a jury awarded him a substantial amount in damages, including punitive damages, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court. This highly publicized dispute highlighted the challenges artists faced in controlling their intellectual property.

Furthermore, his autobiography, Winch (2004), revealed deeply personal and often painful details of his life, including an abusive childhood, a long history of battling depression, and at least one significant mental breakdown that resulted in a brief stay in a psychiatric institution. The book's portrayal of his mother and other family members caused significant distress and led to an estrangement from his children, including his daughter April Winchell, who publicly defended her mother against the book's narrative. These revelations presented a more complex and troubled side to the beloved public figure.

8.3. Impact on Posterity

Paul Winchell's impact on posterity is multifaceted. He set a high bar for future ventriloquists, demonstrating the potential for the art form to thrive on television. His innovative techniques and the enduring popularity of Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff continue to influence performers. His prolific career as a voice actor established many iconic character voices that remain beloved and influential in animation. The distinct vocal performances for characters like Tigger, Dick Dastardly, and Gargamel have left an indelible mark on popular culture, shaping the way these characters are perceived and remembered by generations.

Beyond entertainment, Winchell's contributions as an inventor, particularly his work on the artificial heart, underscore his legacy as a visionary who applied his intellect to critical medical challenges. His philanthropic endeavors, though not fully realized, demonstrated a pioneering spirit in addressing global issues like food security. His life story, including the struggles detailed in his autobiography, also offers a complex narrative of a public figure grappling with personal demons, contributing to a broader understanding of the human experience behind the celebrity. Winchell's career serves as an inspiration for aspiring entertainers and inventors alike, showcasing the power of creativity, innovation, and a desire to make a difference.