The passing of comedy legend Jonathan Winters is particularly tough for Radio and Television Hall of Famer Gary Owens, who was best friends with Winters for 55 years. Even when Winters moved to Montecito, north of Los Angeles, Owens recalls, "I'd go up there and we'd have lunch together. And we'd talk twice a week. He was always a different person, of course."
Of course, Owens is referring to Winters' uncanny ability to drop into character at the drop of a hat, which he would employ not only to entertain audiences, but to occasionally pull silly pranks with Gary back in the day. "He was a master of the put-on," notes his friend. On one such occasion, for example, Gary and Jonathan were in a medical building in Toluca Lake and suddenly felt inspired to pretend they were doctors discussing the effects of "Fin Dingler's Disease" on a patient -- as they stood near an ever-more-horrified group who could not help but hear as they waited for their prescriptions to be filled. Suffice it to say, you do not want to come down with "Fin Dingler's Disease."
The treasure trove of Winters' performances captured on film and TV over the 60-year course of his entertainment career includes plenty of bits with Owens. The one-time "Laugh-In" announcer is on film interviewing Winters in and out of character at various junctures of their professional lives, too. And Owens appears in the 2011 "Certifiably Jonathan" -- a film referred to as a "dadamentary." It has Winters losing his sense of humor as he advances as a painter and includes observations from such Winters-influenced performers as Robin Williams, Tim Conway, Robert Klein, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman
The comedic great continued to perform occasionally through his later years (his final role was the voice part of Grandpa Smurf in this year's "The Smurfs 2"), but Winters, who was also an accomplished abstract painter, preferred to spend his time at home with his wife of 61 years, Eileen, until her death in 2009.
He appreciated the slower pace after a frenetic life in which he suffered from manic depression and was voluntarily institutionalized twice after mental breakdowns.
"He could do almost anything with that great voice," says Owens. "I'm going to miss him so much."
MEANWHILE: Now semi-retired after decades of radio shows and more than 3,000 cartoons, Owens' own great voice still sounds terrific. He's keeping his voice in the game, some, as the announcer for the Tribune Company's Antenna TV. Both of Owen and his wife, Arleta's, sons have become successful producers -- Chris, with 25 years under his belt at Warner Bros., and Scott, with shows such as "America's Most Wanted" and "The Amazing Race" to his credit.
THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: "Nurse Jackie" showrunner Clyde Phillips admits shifting over to the Edie Falco Showtime dramedy has been a refreshing change of pace after the years he put in as executive producer on "Dexter." As he notes, "'Dexter' is as dark as it gets, and it would take its toll on all of us. Michael Hall -- I have such respect for him and for what he does."
With Falco's pill-popping emergency room nurse through rehab and embarking on romance this season, perhaps "Nurse Jackie" is leaving some of its own bleakness behind? "That doesn't mean it's farcical or light comedy. It's deeply complex comedy. It's dark comedy, and I think extremely interesting," Phillips says.
He also says, "We knew there was more room to up the stakes in storytelling. Even though the show, in the first four seasons, went pretty far, we thought we could take it to a whole new level and the actors were ready for it, eager for it."
Wow.
Creative considerations aside, it was "Nurse Jackie's" New York-based production that made Phillips happy. "I left 'Dexter' because I was living in California, and my family was in the east. I wanted to be with my family. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk with Showtime, to meet with Edie. When I realized they were really serious about my movie over to 'Nurse Jackie,' I became really serious about it, and the stars sort of have lined up."
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