I was saddened to learn of the passing of Jonathan Winters when I saw Larry’s obit this evening.

Baby boomers and their parents became acquainted with Winters through his appearances on The Tonight Show first with Jack Paar and then Johnny Carson or in movies like It’s a Mad, Mad World and The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming. 

My generation got to know Winters through Robin Williams during his stint on the last season of Mork & Mindy playing Mearth. As my roomie Christopher put it to me, if there was a 60-year old who could pull off playing a baby it would be Jonathan Winters.

Just by looking into Winters’ eyes, you knew he was up to some kind of mischief. Yet it was a mischievousness without malice. 

One of Winters’ most notable characters was school marm Maude Frickert and here she is roasting then California Governor Ronald Reagan at the very first Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.