Ed Wynn
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| Ed Wynn | |||||||
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 from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943) |
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| Born | Isaiah Edwin Leopold November 9, 1886 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Died | June 19, 1966 (aged 79) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
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| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Elizabeth Nesbitt (1946 - 1955) Frieda Mierse (1937 - 1939) Hilda Keenan (1914 - 1937) |
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Ed Wynn (November 9, 1886 - June 19, 1966) was a popular American comedian and actor.
The distinctive giggly wavering voice which Wynn created for his "Perfect Fool" character remains much imitated, especially by voice actors of animated cartoons. Hanna-Barbera's Wally Gator's voice is probably the nearest to an exact impersonation of the Perfect Fool.
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[edit] Biography
Born Isaiah Edwin Leopold in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he ran away from home in his teens and eventually adapted his middle name "Edwin" into his new stage name, "Ed Wynn", to save his family the embarrassment of having a low comedian as a relative.
In his youth, Wynn worked as an onstage assistant to W. C. Fields. Fields caught him "mugging" for the audience during his "Pool Room" routine and knocked him unconscious with his cue. Wynn became a headliner in vaudeville in the early-1910s, and was a star of the Ziegfeld Follies starting in 1914.
He was best known as a comedian, billed as The Perfect Fool (and starring in a musical revue of that name on Broadway in 1921). Wynn also wrote, directed, and produced many shows. He was famous for his silly costumes and props, and always worked "clean," making his shows suitable for the entire family.
He hosted a popular radio show for most of the 1930s, heard in North America on Tuesday nights, sponsored by Texaco gasoline. The stage-trained Wynn insisted on playing for a studio audience, thus instituting[citation needed] the tradition of comedy programs with live audience response. Wynn did each radio show as though it was a stage show, with many visual bits for the benefit of the studio audience. He often wore a colorful costume and a fireman's helmet, as the "Texaco Fire Chief," opposite genial announcer and straight man Graham McNamee. Sample joke: "Graham, my uncle just bought a new second-handed car... he calls it Baby! I don't know, it won't go anyplace without a rattle!"
By 1930 Wynn was a radio superstar, and reprised his radio character in two movies, Follow the Leader (1930) and The Chief (1933). Near the height of his radio fame he founded his own short-lived radio network, the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, which lasted only five weeks in 1933.
Wynn was offered the title role in MGM's 1939 screen adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, but he turned down the role, as did his Ziegfeld contemporary W. C. Fields. The part finally went to Frank Morgan.
In the late 1940s Ed Wynn hosted one of the first comedy-variety television shows, and won an Emmy Award in 1949. Buster Keaton made guest appearances with Wynn, establishing him in television as well.
After the end of Wynn's television series, his son, actor Keenan Wynn, had encouraged him to make the career change rather than retire. Ed Wynn reluctantly began a career as a dramatic actor in television and movies. The two appeared in two productions: the 1957 Playhouse 90 broadcast of Rod Serling's play Requiem for a Heavyweight. Ed was terrified of "straight" acting and kept goofing his lines in rehearsal. When the producers wanted to fire him, star Jack Palance said he would quit if they fired Ed. On live broadcast night, Wynn surprised everyone with his pitch-perfect performance, and his quick ad libs to cover his mistakes. Ed and his son also worked together in the Jose Ferrer film "The Great Man," Ed again proving his unexpected skills in drama.
Requiem established Wynn as serious dramatic actor who could easily hold his own with the best. His role in The Diary of Anne Frank won him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor in 1959.
Also in 1959, Wynn appeared on Serling's TV series The Twilight Zone in "One for the Angels". Serling, a longtime admirer, had written that episode especially for him, and Wynn later starred in the episode "Ninety Years Without Slumbering". For the rest of his life, Ed skillfully moved between comic and dramatic roles. He appeared in feature films and anthology television, endearing himself to new generations of fans.
Wynn provided the voice of the Mad Hatter in Walt Disney's film, Alice in Wonderland and appeared as the Fairy Godfather in Jerry Lewis' Cinderfella. In the movie, That Darn Cat! (1965) Ed played Mr. Hofstedder, the watch jeweler. One of his best-known performances during later years was as "Uncle Albert" in Mary Poppins. In addition to Disney films, Wynn was a popular character in the Disneyland production The Golden Horseshoe Review. The last movie that he appeared in was The Gnome-Mobile (1967) in which he plays the character Rufus.
Ed Wynn died June 19, 1966 in Beverly Hills, California of throat cancer, aged 79.
[edit] Quotations
- "A comedian is not a man who says funny things. A comedian is one who says things funny."
- "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Heck, I'll take that and more!"
[edit] Complete work for Broadway and film
- The Deacon and the Lady (1910) - musical - actor/performer
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1914 (1914) - revue - actor/performer
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1915 (1915) - revue - actor/performer
- The Passing Show of 1916 (1916) - revue - actor/performer
- Sometime (1918) - play - actor
- Ed Wynn's Carnival (1920) - revue - composer, lyricist, book-writer and performer/actor
- The All-Star Idlers of 1921 (1921) - revue - actor/performer
- The Perfect Fool (1921) - revue - composer, lyricist, book-writer, director and actor/performer
- The Grab Bag (1924) - revue - producer, composer, lyricist, book-writer, and actor/performer
- Manhattan Mary (1927) - musical - actor in the role of "Crickets"
- Simple Simon (1930) - musical - co-book-writer and actor
- Revived in 1931 (was also producer in addition to above roles)
- The Laugh Parade (1931) - revue - producer, co-book-writer, director, originator and star actor/performer
- Alice Takat (1936) - play - producer
- Hooray for What! (1937) - musical - actor in the role of "Chuckles"
- Morose Thoughts (1941) - revue - producer, book co-author, and actor
- Boys and Girls Together (1940) - revue - producer, co-book-writer, originator, director, and actor/performer
- Laugh, Town, Laugh! (1942) - revue - producer, book-writer and director
- Alice in Wonderland (1951) - voice actor (as Mad Hatter)
- The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) - actor (as Fritz Pfeffer)
- Mary Poppins (1964) - actor (as Uncle Albert)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Ed Wynn on Great Character Actors site
- Ed Wynn at the Internet Movie Database
- The Ed Wynn Show at Classic TV Info.
- Four Star Revue/All Star Revue at Classic TV Info.
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by none |
Emmy Award for Best Live Show for The Ed Wynn Show 1950 |
Succeeded by none |
| Persondata | |
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| NAME | Wynn, Ed |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Leopold, Isaiah Edwin |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 9, 1886 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1966-6-19 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Beverly Hills, California |
