Ed Wynn
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| Ed Wynn | |
 from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943) |
|
| Born | November 9, 1886 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | June 19, 1966 Beverly Hills, California |
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. He was often seen wearing a fireman's helmet, as the "Texaco Fire Chief".
Wynn founded his own short-lived radio network, the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, which lasted only five weeks in 1933. In the late-1940s and early-1950s, he hosted a television show, and won an Emmy Award in 1949.
After the end of his television show, Wynn reluctantly began a career as a dramatic actor in television and movies. His son, actor Keenan Wynn, had encouraged him to make the career change rather than retire. The two appeared in 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.
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 and another 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. 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.
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."
[edit] Complete work for Broadway
- 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"
- 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
