Search - Winters, Jonathan :: CRANK(Y) CALLS

Disappointed

Algernon D'Ammassa | 11/29/1999

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Jonathan Winters is a great comedic talent, but I'm sorry to say this album was a disappointment. It was rambling and repetitive. A better bet would be his earlier work."

Beware of Strange Friends with Answering Machines

shoutgrace | Charleston, WV United States | 06/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thanks to Jonathan Winters' friend J. B. Smith we can all listen to the funniest guy in show biz in the most candid setting by way of the answering machine! Yep, Smith collected all of Winters' craziest moments all on tape. Winters' stuff maybe a little dated but one thing it never gets old. Winters still has his genious in this upclose and personal off-stage improvisation. I miss all the old comedians like Phyllis Diller and Bob Hope. That was when comedy was really funny and not obscene. His funniest routines are his C.B. Caller one, 'Blue Fox to Red Beaver.' He impersonation of Ross Perot and the telephone evangelist 'Do You Have Your PTL card' are hiliarious. They're all so funny to listen to. Some may sound a like from the dark side than the Winters the public is familiar with. But, do you feel bad listening in on someone's telephone conversations? It's your descretion to listen in. Hopefully they will come out with vintage Winters shows for us to enjoy. Is anybody listening? Do you remember Winters in the 'Mork & Mindy' TV series as Mearth (1981-1982)? Too bad they're NOT out on video. Only the early versions of the show. He and Robin Williams were a team when it came to hysterical comedy. Williams talks of his friend in Winters' documentary, 'The Unknown Jonathan Winters.' His funniest character was Maude Fricket. You can catch him/her(?) in 'Gone Fish'n.' His Fricket material revolutionized actors to dress up in old ladies clothes that it got Johnny Carson doing it on his talk show. There's an animated version similar to 'Gone Fish'n' with Jonathan Winters, see 'Tiny Toons Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation' (1992). If like Jonathan Winters as much as I do, some of his best stuff is from his TV show 'Jonathan Winters: on the Ledge.' His classic movies are 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,' (considered one of the top classic comedies of all time) 'The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh' and 'Moon Over Parador.' And if you like to read more about Winters try the New York bestselling autobiography, 'Winters' Tales.' He tells the truth about his early life that made him the quick-witted, funniest comedian in show biz."

Amusing but not what you might expect

Algernon D'Ammassa | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/06/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The cover of this CD suggests that this album won a Grammy. It's a simple, delightful product: a friend of Jonathan Winters had the foresight to collect and keep messages the comedian left on his answering machine. In one, Winters pretends to be Ross Perot; in another, he is "Dr. Death," a suicide specialist offering his services; in another, he is a child singing the Peter Cottontail song and explaining how rabbits lay such colorful eggs.These improvisations were not really meant for a general audience. They ramble, as Winters appears to be hoping his friend will pick up the phone. They are laced with what may be in-jokes. There are hints of Winters's genius, and his wonderful mania. The jokes get pretty dark, too. But many of these are just silly messages from a friend to a friend, intended as private and perhaps better left so."