Jonathan Winters - along with a gift of comedy, a shyness.
Jonathan Winters – along with the gift of comedy, a shyness.

– Day At Night Program – James Day Interviews Jonathan Winters – July 7, 1974 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –

Probably one of the most gifted and well-known of comics of the 20th century, Jonathan Winters was a household name to anyone growing up in the late 1950s, when he first rose to public attention.

A purveyor of outrageous comedy and mimic, Winters became the benchmark for most comics coming along after him, and the bar to be measured against.

But with all great comedians, there’s that other side; the not-so-public side. And during this rare straight forward/non-comedic appearance by Jonathan Winters on the NET program Day At Night, hosted by James Day, Jonathan Winters reveals his crippling shyness and painful insecurity over his abilities to be funny.

Further evidence that nothing is ever what it seems, and those things we take for granted are painstakingly arrived at after much work, soul-searching and triumph over demons.

Jonathan Winters has been gone a little over two years now. It’s very difficult to imagine he’s been away that long. His work is timeless and will most likely stay that way a good long time.

As a reminder, here is that interview with Jonathan Winters, conducted by James Day and broadcast on July 7, 1974.