Today’s Guests: Jim Pasternak and Richard Marshall, producers, Jonathan Winters documentary Certifiably Jonathan
Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of people claiming to be characters created by Jonathan Winters … in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!
Finding the real Jonathan Winters could not be easy.
But you might try looking in the toy aisle at Target with Howie Mandel. Or a video store with Sarah Silverman, perhaps flashing a little boob – just one, though. Let’s not go crazy. If all else fails, there is always a seance with the Arquette family.
Filmmakers Jim Pasternak and Richard Marshall shot 250 hours with Winters and a parade of comedians marching through his life, including everyone from Robin Williams and Jim Carrey to Robert Klein and Jimmy Kimmel.
RICHARD MARSHALL podcast excerpt: “Jonathan told us, ‘My career wasn’t as big as it could have been because producers didn’t trust me. I wouldn’t follow the script very well.'”
It’s not quite a documentary and not quite a story, although there is a slice of fiction threaded in there. What it is – and what matters most – is that Pasternak and Marshall have captured a late-in-life slice of the great Jonathan Winters, sprinkled in with classic moments from the humorist’s past.
And like every other moment in time when you’ve seen the comedian, you’re never quite sure what is real and what is performance. But who cares? It’s an irresistible piece of cinema.
Joining me today is Certifiably Jonathan director Jim Pasternak and producer/photographer Richard Marshall.
Certifiably Jonathan Website • Twitter • Facebook • Blog • YouTube • Order Certifiably Jonathan from Amazon.com
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