Ed Wynn
(1886 - 1966)Anyone who ever saw Ed Wynn will remember him. That tousled hair, that rubbery face, that fluttery voice and his kindly demeanor. The sad thing is that his, and many of these brilliant character actor’s, memories are fading away. Young people are truly missing out on some fabulous talent. The legacy of Ed Wynn and the others is preserved on film and video tape but these youngsters need to be aware of that. Ed Wynn had his own style, which began in vaudeville and evolved from there into television and movies. He was more a clown, than comedian in style. He brought vaudeville to television in its waning days and those of us living in the 1950s were privileged to experience that medium. He evolved into one fantastic character actor in his later years, even garnering an Oscar nomination for his work. Although he looks very little like his son, Keenan, he was a very jolly looking man, with a pudgy face, a slightly bulbous nose and twinkling eyes. As mentioned his voice was so memorable with its blustery quality, a slight listhp and his trademark giggle. He was born Isaiah Edwin Leopold on November 9, 1886 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a European immigrant family. His father was a milliner and as a child young Isaiah would wear his father’s hats and perform for customers. He would often play hooky from school and go see a vaudeville show. At age 13 he ran away for a few days to join a traveling medicine show. At age 16 he made his debut on the local stage. His father who disliked his choice of a profession begged him to change his name so as not to disgrace the family. Young Isaiah chose to split his middle name Edwin and became Ed Wynn. Before long he was a hit in vaudeville and on Broadway. His burlesque type humor was somewhat unique in that it was “clean” and wholesome but silly and he was billed as “the Perfect Fool.” He was a star in all media: vaudeville, stage, radio, television and films. On radio he was probably best known as “The Fire Chief.” On television he appeared on variety shows such as “The Colgate Comedy Hour” and his own “Ed Wynn Show” and he even won an Emmy Award. After a time his comedy became outdated and he was out of work. It was at his son Keenan’s insistence that he take up serious acting and he developed a flair for drama. He became a great character actor. His films include: “Rubber Heels” (1927) a silent film and his film debut; “Follow the Leader” (1930) as Crickets; “Hollywood on Parade” (1932) as Himself; “The Chief” (1933) as Henry Summers; “Stage Door Canteen” (1943) as Himself; Disney’s animated feature “Alice in Wonderland” (1951) as Voice of the Mad Hatter; “The Great Man” (1957) as Paul Beaseley, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Theatre Arts) Award; “Marjorie Morningstar” (1958) as Uncle Sampson, one of his better roles; “The Diary of Anne Frank” (1959) as Mr. Albert Dussell (Dr. Friedrich ‘Fritz’ Pfeffer), his best role for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination; “Cinderfella” (1960) with Jerry Lewis, as Fairy Godfather; “The Absent-Minded Professor” (1961) with Fred MacMurray, as Fire Chief; “Babes in Toyland” (1961) with Annette Funicello, as Toymaker; “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” (1962); “Son of Flubber” (1963) as A.J. Allen; “The Sound of Laughter” (1963) as College Professor; “The Patsy” (1964) as Himself; “Mary Poppins” (1964) as Uncle Albert, the Laughing Man, a nice role; “Dear Brigitte” (1965) as The Captain; “Those Calloways” (1965) as Ed Parker; “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965) as Old Aram, another fine role; “That Darn Cat!” (1965) as Mr. Hofstedder; “The Daydreamer” (1966) as Voice of The Emperor and “The Gnome-Mobile” (1967) Rufus, his final film. It is most unfortunate that he got stuck in those mediocre film Disney comedies of the 1960s but he elevated them a little just by his presence. There was definitely a serious drought of good comedy in those years. It is sad that his dramatic acting abilities were not tapped more often. On TV he was a regular on the series: “The Ed Wynn Show” (1949) a Variety series, as Host; “Four Star Revue” (1950-52) a Variety series as Alternate Host and “The Ed Wynn Show” (1958-59) a sitcom, as John Beamer. He appeared in a few TV specials including: “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1956); “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1959); “Miracle on 34th Street” (1959) and “For the Love of Willadean” (1964). He also appeared in an episode of "The Twilight Zone" called 'One for the Angels' as Lew Bookman, a sidewalk pitchman. He was offered the title role in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) but turned it down because he thought it a small role. He was a victim of Parkinson’s disease. He was married three times to: Hilda Keenan from 1914-1937 from which he had a son Keenan; Frieda Mierse from 1937-1939 and Dorothy Elizabeth Nesbitt from 1946-1955. He died of throat cancer on June 19, 1966 in Beverly Hills, California at age 79.
From Great Character Actors, Page 9.
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