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Paul Winchell ( Birth name Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, humanitarian, and inventor whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted The Paul Winchell Show, which also used two other titles during its prime time run on NBC: The Speidel Show, and What's My Name? From 1965 to 1968, Winchell hosted the children's television series Winchell-Mahoney Time.
He made guest appearances on television series from the late 1950s to the mid 1970s, such as Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, McMillan & Wife, The Brady Bunch, The Donna Reed Show, and appearances as Homer Winch on The Beverly Hillbillies. In animation, Winchell was the original voice of Tigger, Dick Dastardly, Gargamel, Scrubbing Bubbles, and other characters.
He also had medical training and became one of the first people to patent a mechanical artificial heart, implantable in the chest cavity (US Patent #3097366 of 1963). Winchell has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television.
At age 6, his legs atrophied after contracting polio. When he was 12 or 13, he came across a magazine advertisement offering a ventriloquism kit for ten cents. Back at school, he asked his art teacher, Jero Magon, if he could receive class credit for creating a ventriloquist's dummy. Magon was agreeable, and Winchell thanked him by naming his creation Jerry Mahoney. Winchell went back to reading magazines, gathering jokes from them and putting together a comedy routine, which he then took to the Major Bowes Amateur Hour in 1938, winning first prize. A touring offer, playing various theaters with the Major Bowes Review, was part of the prize. Bandleader Ted Weems saw the young Winchell while on tour; he visited Winchell and made him an offer of employment. Winchell accepted and became a professional at age 14.
Winchell's first show as a ventriloquist was on radio with Jerry Mahoney in 1943. The program was short-lived, however, as he was overshadowed by Edgar Bergen. Winchell also created Ozwald, a character that resembled Humpty Dumpty. The effect was accomplished by painting eyes and a nose on his chin, then adding a "body" covering the rest of his face, and finally electronically turning the camera image upside down. In 1961, Berwin Novelties introduced a home version of the character that included an Ozwald body, creative pencils to draw the eyes and nose, and a "magic mirror" that automatically turned a reflection upside down.
In 1948, Winchell and Joseph Dunninger were featured on Floor Show on NBC. Recorded via kinescope and replayed on WMAQ-TV in Chicago, the 8:30–9 p.m. Central Time show on Thursdays was the station's first midweekly program.
During the 1950s, Winchell hosted children's ( The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show) and adult programs with his figures for NBC Television, and later for syndication. The NBC Saturday morning program, sponsored by Tootsie Roll, featured a clubhouse motif and a theme song co-written by Winchell and his longtime bandleader and on-air sidekick, Milton Delugg. The theme song was titled "HOORAY, HOORAH" and featured the secret password "SCOTTY WOTTY DOO DOO". An ending song titled "Friends, Friends, Friends" was sung by the children in the audience. In October 1956, Winchell moved to ABC, hosting Circus Time on Thursday evening for one season before returning to Winchell-Mahoney on Sunday afternoons. On one episode in late 1959, The Three Stooges appeared on the show to promote their joint feature film venture, Stop, Look and Laugh. Winchell made an appearance on Nanny and the Professor ( Season 2, Episode 13) as a "mean old man" (a puppeteer who had retired into seclusion after losing his wife in an accident). In 1996, Winchell contracted with figure maker Tim Selberg to construct a more contemporary version of Jerry Mahoney, which Winchell described as "Disney-esque". Winchell used the new figure version to pitch a new TV series idea to Michael Eisner. In 2009, Winchell was featured in the comedy documentary I'm No Dummy, directed by Bryan W. Simon.
Winchell had also at one point, auditioned for the role of the Pillsbury Doughboy for the Pillsbury Company commercials, but lost out to Paul Frees.
He also provided the voice of Bubi Bear in Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! in 1971, Revs on Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, Moe on The Robonic Stooges, and Shake on The CB Bears. In 1973, he did the voice of Goober the Dog on the H-B show Goober and the Ghost Chasers and also guest starred as the rain-making villain on an episode of Hong Kong Phooey. For Disney, Winchell voiced Tigger in Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes, and won a Grammy Award for his performance in Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too.
Beginning with the television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, he alternated in the role with Jim Cummings, the current voice of Pooh. Winchell's final performances as Tigger were in 1999 for and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction at Walt Disney World. After that, Jim Cummings permanently took over the role of Tigger, starting with Sing a Song with Pooh Bear in 1999 (though some of Winchell's vocals from previous Pooh animations were included). Other Disney roles included parts in The Aristocats as a Siamese cat named Shun Gon, and The Fox and the Hound as Boomer the woodpecker. He was also the original voice of Zummi Gummi on the TV series Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears for seasons 1–5; Jim Cummings took over for the final season in 1990.
Winchell provided the voices of Sam-I-Am and the unnamed character Sam pesters in Green Eggs and Ham from the animated television special Dr. Seuss on the Loose in 1973. He played Fleabag on The Oddball Couple, Fearless Freddy the Shark Hunter on the Pink Panther spinoff Misterjaw in 1976, as well as a number of one-shot characters in The Blue Racer series. In commercials, he voiced the character of Burger Chef for the fast food chain of the same name, the Scrubbing Bubbles for Dow Chemicals, and Mr. Owl for Tootsie Roll Pops.Joan L. Feder, "I’ve Heard That Voice Before: Paul Winchell", All Ears
From 1981 to 1989, Winchell voiced Gargamel on The Smurfs as well as on several Smurfs television movies. During the 1980s, he was called upon by Hanna-Barbera to reprise his role of Dick Dastardly on Yogi's Treasure Hunt (which was a tour de force, featuring all of the H-B characters) and later on Wake, Rattle and Roll (which was a Wacky Races spinoff). Also on the animated movie Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose, he did the voice of the Dread Baron, who was previously voiced by John Stephenson on the Laff-a-Lympics.
Winchell appeared as himself in 1963 in the NBC game show Your First Impression. He appeared in the late 1960s in a sketch on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in as a French ventriloquist named Lucky Pierre, who has the misfortune of having his elderly dummy die of a heart attack in the middle of his act. On Love, American Style, he appeared with fellow ventriloquist Shari Lewis in a sketch about two shy people in a waiting room who choose to introduce themselves to each other through their dummies.
Winchell started "negotiating with Metromedia in 1970 to syndicate the 305 color segments of the show", but nothing came of it. Finally, "Winchell offered to purchase the tapes outright for $100,000. Metromedia responded with an ultimatum...: Agree on a syndication plan or the tapes will be destroyed." When Winchell did not agree, Metromedia carried out with its threat and the tapes were erased and destroyed. Winchell sued Metromedia and in 1986 a jury awarded him "$3.8 million for the value of the tapes and $14 million in punitive damages against Metromedia." Metromedia appealed the award all the way to the Supreme Court but was unsuccessful.
Winchell's last regular on-camera TV appearances working with his puppets were Storybook Squares, a children's version of the adult celebrity game show Hollywood Squares, which was seen Saturday mornings on NBC during the 1969 TV season, and Runaround, another children's TV game show seen Saturday mornings on NBC from September 1972 to September 1973.
There is some debate as to how much of Winchell's design Robert Jarvik used in creating the Artificial heart. 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." Jarvik denied that any of Winchell's design elements were incorporated into his device, which was first successfully implanted in Barney Clark in 1982.
Winchell established more medical patents while working on projects for the Leukemia Society (now known as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) and the American Red Cross. Other devices that he invented and patented included a disposable razor, a blood plasma defroster, a flameless Lighter, a garter belt with no outwardly visible lines, a fountain pen with a retractable tip, and battery-heated gloves.
Winchell's autobiography, Winch (2004), exposed many details of Winchell's life that had previously been kept private, including early stories of an Child abuse, a long history of depression, and at least one Mental disorder, which resulted in a short stint in an institution. The book revealed the bad treatment Winchell had received from his mother for a considerable period, and the mental impact that continued to negatively affect him for decades after his mother's death (Clara Wilchinski died in 1953 when she was 58 years old, and Paul was 30). The autobiography caused a major estrangement between Winchell and his children, prompting daughter April to publicly defend her mother, who was negatively portrayed in the book.
After writing in God 2000: Religion Without the Bible (1982) that religion brought more chaos to humanity than any "other invention of man", Winchell expressed Deism opinions within his 2004 book Protect God.
Winchell was estranged from his children, and they were not immediately informed of his death. Upon learning of it, April posted an entry on her website:
Jim Cummings took on the role of Tigger full-time starting with The Tigger Movie (2000) after Winchell was rejected by the studio as it thought at that time that his voice and energy sounded and felt too old for the role of the character (at the time of the production of this movie Winchell was 75 years old). Tom Kenny and Peter Woodward took on the role of Dick Dastardly and Hank Azaria, Rainn Wilson, and Mark Irons took on the role of Gargamel.
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Live-action work
Winchell (often with Jerry Mahoney) was a frequent guest panelist on What's My Line? in 1956. (On the April 29 episode, in which Winchell was a panelist, the mystery guest was Edgar Bergen; after his identity was revealed, Jerry Mahoney and Mortimer Snerd carried on a conversation.) Other work included on-camera guest appearances on such series as The Polly Bergen Show; The Virginian; The Lucy Show; Perry Mason; The Donna Reed Show; Dan Raven; The Brady Bunch; as Homer Winch on The Beverly Hillbillies; and as Claude Wilbur on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He appeared in a 1960 motion picture that included a compilation of Three Stooges shorts ( Stop!, Look and Laugh), and also in the Jerry Lewis movie Which Way to the Front?.
Winchell-Mahoney Time
Winchell's most successful TV show was Winchell-Mahoney Time (1965–1968), a children's show written by his wife, actress Nina Russell.Miller, Quinlan (2019). Camp TV: Trans Gender Queer Sitcom History. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. p. 127. . "In Winchell-Mahoney Time, NBC, written by Nina Russel sic, Winchell hosted and played characters that included Bonehead Sniff, Mr. Goody-Goody".Sabu Cat (1965). "Winchell-Mahoney Time (1965) Original complete episode #18". YouTube. Retrieved April 16, 2025. "Written by — Paul Winchell, Nina Russell, Dave Cameron; Assistant Producer — June Robert" Winchell played several onscreen characters, including Knucklehead Smiff's father, Bonehead Smiff. He also played himself as friend and adult adviser to Mahoney and Smiff. He also created "Mr. Goody-good," a surreal character, by painting eyes and a nose on his chin, covering his face with a small costume, then having the camera image inverted. The resulting pinheaded character seemed to have an immensely wide mouth and a highly mobile head. Winchell created this illusion by moving his chin back and forth. The show was produced at KTTV in Los Angeles, which was owned by Metromedia.
Other pursuits
Medical and patents
Winchell was a pre-med student at Columbia University. He graduated from The Acupuncture Research College of Los Angeles in 1974 and became an acupuncturist. He also worked as a medical hypnotist at the Gibbs Institute in Hollywood. He owned more than 30 patents in his lifetime. He invented an artificial heart with the assistance of Henry Heimlich (inventor of the Heimlich maneuver) and held an early US patent for such a device. The University of Utah School of Medicine developed a similar apparatus around the same time, but when they tried to patent it, Winchell's patents were cited as prior art. Eventually, Winchell donated his heart patents to the university.
As a philanthropist
In the 1980s, Winchell's concern about starvation in Africa led him to develop a method to cultivate tilapia in tribal villages and small communities. The fish thrives in brackish waters, which made it particularly well suited for sub-Saharan Africa. Winchell appeared before a Congressional committee with several other celebrities, including actors Richard Dreyfuss and Ed Asner, and Dr. Heimlich. The committee declined to finance a pilot program for the tilapia aquaculture project in Africa because it required digging wells into non-potable water.
Personal life
Winchell had three children: a son, Stacy Paul Winchell; a daughter, Stephanie, from his first marriage to Dorothy "Dottie" Movitz; and a daughter, April Winchell (the current voice of Clarabelle Cow), who is a comedian and voice actress, from his second marriage to actress-writer Nina Russell.Chase, Dennis (August 13, 1976). "NCMC Theatre Season Coming to a Close; Meet Six Torch Light Theatre Stars: April Winchell". Petoskey News-Review. 1976. p. 27. Retrieved April 16, 2025. "Do you remember the young lady with the high pitched squeaky voice who played Ado Annie Carnes SO well in 'Oklahoma'? That was April Winchell, 16, and a native of Woodland, Cal. ... 'I got involved in theatre very early,' she recalled, 'since I come from what's known as a show business family. ... 'My mother is a screenwriter and my father is a ventriloquist,' she said, "and while they never pushed me into anything, I was constantly surrounded by all aspects of theatre, and I really loved it.'"Associated Press Wirephoto (October 7, 1961). "Entertainers Wed". The Greensboro Record. p. . Retrieved April 16, 2025. "Ventriloquist Paul Winchell, the voice of dummy Jerry Mahoney, and actress Nina Russell kiss just before they were wed Thursday by a judge in Harrisburg, Pa. Winchell is 38 and his bride is 30 and it was a second marriage for each." "Frolic From Cuba". The Atlanta Journal. January 19, 1958. p. 3E. Retrieved April 16, 2025. "Dancer Nina Russell rehearses with Tom Poston (left), Don Knotts (center) and Louis Nye for their Cuban 'Man on the Street' sequence as part of the Steve Allen show Sunday (8, WSB-TV). The show will originate 'live' in Havana, Cuba, to become the first major program to be telecast from the island to the U.S.." "Tonight's TV Previews: Sports crowd TV hours with top offerings". The Star-Ledger. March 21, 1964. p. 9. Retrieved April 16, 2025. "HOLLYWOOD PALACE 9:30 7 It's a good night for music. With Nat King Cole in charge, and Diahann Carroll as chief guest, what else could you expect? ... Paul Winchell—in a funny operating room scene, aided by Chris Quinn and Nina Russell—and a few minor acts round out the bill." "At the 'Bowl'". The Orange County Register. June 14, 1964. p. LT-28. Retrieved April 16, 2025. "Paul Winchell, Jerry Mahoney and lovely Nina Russell are currently appearing at the Anaheim Bowl through June 24."Library of Congress (1961). Catalog of Copyright Entries. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1961. pp. 1244, 1492. "HE'S EQUIPPED; w Paul Winchell & Nina Russell; m John Russo. © Priscilla Music Corp., 3Aug61; EU681266. ... "SHE JUST DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE; w Paul Winchell & Nina Russell; m John Russo. © Priscilla Music Corp., 3Aug61; EU681265."Library of Congress (1970). Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Parts 3-4: Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery Jan-Dec 1970: Vol 24 No 1-2. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 39. "NIGHT NOISES, an animated cartoon for theatres by Paul Winchell. 13 1. Appl. authors: Paul Winchell & Nina Russell. © Paul Winchell; 22Apr70; DU76994." His third wife was the former Jean Freeman.
Death
Winchell died on June 24, 2005, at the age of 82, from natural causes in his sleep at his home in Moorpark, California. He was survived by his wife, his children, and three grandchildren. His remains were cremated, and his ashes scattered over his home property.
I got a phone call a few minutes ago, telling me that my father passed away yesterday. A source close to my dad, or at least, closer than I was, decided to tell me himself, instead of letting me find out on the news, which I appreciate. Apparently a decision had been made not to tell me, or my father's other children. My father was a very troubled and unhappy man. If there is another place after this one, it is my hope that he now has the peace that eluded him on earth.
Filmography
Film
1960 Stop! Look! and Laugh Himself – The Ventriloquist Live action 1968 Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day Tigger Took over for Wally Boag after the featurette was aired 1970 The Aristocats Shun Gon 1970 Which Way to the Front? Schroeder Live action 1974 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too Tigger 1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Tigger 1981 The Fox and the Hound Boomer 1983 Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore Tigger 1997 Tigger Direct-to-Video, Nominated-Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production 1999 Tigger Direct-To-Video; Archive footage 2002 Tigger Direct-To-Video; Archive footage 2002 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Story Behind the Masterpiece Himself Video documentary short 2009 I'm No Dummy Himself Archival Footage
Television
1950–1961 The Paul Winchell Show Host, Jerry Mahoney Live action 1953 Season's Greetings Himself TV special 1956 What's My Line? Himself – Panelist 1956–1957 Circus Time Host, Jerry Mahoney, Knucklehead Smiff Live action 1962 Saints and Sinners The Promoter Live action, "Dear George, The Siamese Cat is Missing" 1962 The Beverly Hillbillies Grandpa Winch Live action 1963 77 Sunset Strip Skeets Riley Live action, "Falling Stars" 1964 Perry Mason Henry Clement Live action, "The Case of the Nervous Neighbor" 1965–1968 Winchell-Mahoney Time Himself, Jerry Mahoney, Knucklehead Smiff, Bonehead Smiff, Mr. Goody-good Live action 1966 Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles Diabolical Dauber, Aquator, Devilish Dragster The Impossibles segments 1966 The Dick Van Dyke Show Claude Wilbur Live action, "Talk to the Snail" 1967 The Lucy Show Himself, Doc Putman Live action, "Lucy and Paul Winchell" 1967 The Dean Martin Show Himself "Episode #2.29" 1968 The Virginian Jingo Live action, "Dark Corridor" 1968–1969 Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In Lucky Pierre Live-Action 1968–1970 Wacky Races Dick Dastardly, Clyde, Private Meekly, Sawtooth 1968–1970 The Banana Splits Fleegle, Cuckoo, Goofy Gopher 1969 The Flying Nun Claudio Live action, "My Sister the Star" 1969–1970 Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines Dick Dastardly, The General, Additional voices 1969–1970 The Perils of Penelope Pitstop Clyde, Softy, Additional voices 1969–1970 Here's Lucy French Knife Thrower, Jeweler, Carlo, The Tailor Live action, "Lucy, the Cement Worker", "Lucy and Liberace" 1970 Nanny and the Professor Herbert T. Peabody Live action, "The Humanization of Herbert T. Peabody" 1971 The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show Rockhead, Father "Mayor May Not" 1971 The Brady Bunch Skip Farnum Live action, "And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor" 1971 Curiosity Shop The King of Id Episode: "How Do You Fix a Broken Funnybone?" 1971–1972 Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch! Bubi Bear, Furface the Lion, Slicks the Fox, Tiptoes the Ostrich, Gabby the Parrot, Specs the Mole, Pipsqueak the Mouse He did the voice of Slicks in the first episode, but from then on the character was voiced by Daws Butler, who also voiced Furface in some episodes. Also, Winchell did the voice of Pipsqueak in "Bridal Boo Boo" while in "Love Bug Bungle", the character was voiced by Janet Waldo. 1972 McMillan & Wife TV Interviewer Live action, "Cop of the Year" 1972 A Christmas Story Goober TV special 1972 Why We Have Elections, or The Kings of Snark The Narrator TV short 1972 The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie Fleegle, additional voices "The Banana Splits in Hocus Pocus Park" & "Tabitha and Adam and the Clown Family" 1972–1973 The New Scooby-Doo Movies Additional voices 1972–1973 Runaround (game show) Host Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff made frequent appearances 1973 Circle of Fear Mr. Carlson Live action, "The Ghost of Potter's Field" 1973 Yogi's Gang Sheik of Selfishness "The Sheik of Selfishness" 1973 Dr. Seuss on the Loose Sam-I-Am, Guy-Am-I, Sneetches TV short 1973–1975 Goober and the Ghost Chasers Goober, Additional voices 1974 Hong Kong Phooey Mr. Shrink, The Mayor "Dr. Disguiso & The Incredible Mr. Shrink" 1974–1975 These Are the Days Additional voices 1974–1975 Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch Revs, Captain Tough, Mailman, Lifeguard 1975 Adams of Eagle Lake Monty Live action, "Treasure Chest Murder" 1975 The Tiny Tree Turtle TV short 1975 The Oddball Couple Fleabag 1976–1977 The Pink Panther Show Fearless Freddy 1976–1977 Clue Club Woofer, Additional voices 1977 CB Bears Shake Shake, Rattle & Roll segment 1977–1978 The Skatebirds Moe, The Amazing Bordoni, Professor Octane, Blob Leader, Woofer The Robonic Stooges and Clue Club segments 1977–1978 Fred Flintstone and Friends Goober, Additional Voices 1978 Misterjaw Fearless Freddy TV short 1978 Hanna-Barbera's All-Star Comedy Ice Revue Bubi Bear/Fleegle TV special 1979 Casper and the Angels Additional voices 1979 The Super Globetrotters Bad Blue Bart, The Phantom Cowboy 1980–1982 Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Additional voices 1980–1982 Heathcliff Marmaduke, Phil Winslow, Additional voices 1981 Trollkins Mayor Lumpkin 1981 Umpire, Thief, Reporter TV film 1981–1989 The Smurfs Gargamel 1982 My Smurfy Valentine Gargamel TV special 1982 The Smurfs Christmas Special Gargamel TV special 1982 The Smurfs' Springtime Special Gargamel TV special 1982 Spider-Man Uncle Ben, Silvermane 2 episodes 1982–1983 Meatballs & Spaghetti Additional voices 1983 The Smurfic Games Gargamel TV special 1984 Here are the Smurfs Gargamel TV movie 1985 The Jetsons Dr. Input "S'No Relative" 1985 Disney Family Album Himself "Voice Actors" 1985–1988 Yogi's Treasure Hunt Dick Dastardly, Additional voices 1985–1990 Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears Zummi Gummi (Seasons 1–5) 1986 King Saul TV film 1986 Smurfquest Gargamel TV movie 1987 Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose Dread Baron TV film 1988–1990 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Tigger, Additional voices Seasons 1–3 1988-1995 Garfield and Friends gramps, Mr. Baggett seasons 1-7 1990–1991 Wake, Rattle and Roll Dick Dastardly Fender Bender 500 segment 1991 Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too Tigger TV special 1991–1994 Garfield and Friends Additional voices Joined the cast in season 4 1993 Droopy, Master Detective Rumpley's Dad "A Chip off the old Block Head" 1998 A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving Tigger TV special 1999 A Valentine for You Tigger TV special
Video games
1998 My Interactive Pooh Tigger
Radio
1938 Major Bowes Amateur Hour Himself 1 episode
Theme parks
1999 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Tigger (Walt Disney World version)
External links
Categories: 1922 Births, 2005 Deaths, 20th-century American Male Actors, Acupuncturists, American Hypnotists, American Inventors, American Male Film Actors, American Male Television Actors, American Male Voice Actors, American Sketch Comedians, American Writers, Celebrity Doctors, Columbia University Alumni, Disney People, Grammy Award Winners, Hanna-barbera People, High School Of Art And Design Alumni, Male Actors From New York City, Polio Survivors, Ventriloquists
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