Charles J. Winninger (May 26, 1884 – January 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals.

Life and career

Winninger was born in Athens, Wisconsin, the son of Rosalia (Grassler) and Franz Winninger. His parents were Austrian immigrants. He began as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

actor. His most famous stage role was as Cap'n Andy Hawks in the original production of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

'', the

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

musical classic, in 1927. He played the role in the 1932 stage revival and the 1936 film version of the show. He became so identified with the role and with his persona as a riverboat captain that he played several variations of the role, notably on the radio program '' Maxwell House Show Boat'', which was clearly inspired by the Broadway musical. Winninger's

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

film career includes '' Night Nurse'', a 1931 drama about two girls being systematically starved to death by the family chauffeur. Winninger portrays a kindly physician who attempts to save the suffering children. After the film of ''Show Boat'' in 1936, Winninger appeared in 1936's '' Three Smart Girls'' (as the father of

Deanna Durbin Edna May Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born American soprano and actress, who moved to the U.S. from Canada with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1 ...

's character), 1937's '' Nothing Sacred'' (as the drunken doctor who misdiagnoses

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard ...

's character), 1939's '' Destry Rides Again'' (as Wash, the sheriff), 1941's '' Ziegfeld Girl'' (as the father of Judy Garland's character), and 1945's ''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

'' (as Abel Frake). He returned to Broadway only once for the 1951 revival of Kern and Hammerstein's ''Music in the Air''. Winninger had the lead role in only one film, 1953's '' The Sun Shines Bright'',

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's remake of '' Judge Priest''. Winninger played the role that

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

portrayed in 1934. Winninger made a notable television appearance in 1954 in ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'' as Barney Kurtz, the former vaudevillian partner of Fred Mertz (played by

William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...

) in an episode titled "Mertz and Kurtz". He made his last film in 1960.

Personal life

On November 12, 1912, Winninger married actress

Blanche Ring Blanche Ring (April 24, 1871 – January 13, 1961) was an American singer and actress in Broadway theatre productions, musicals, and Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood motion pictures. She was best known for her rendition of "In the Good ...

. They were divorced on June 12, 1951. He married Gertrude Walker later that year; they remained married until his death. Winninger died in 1969 and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park-Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.

Recognition

In 1960, Winninger received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for his radio contributions.

Filmography

* ''Mister Flirt in Wrong'' (1915, Short) as Mr. Rawsberry * ''Lizzie's Shattered Dreams'' (1915, Short) as 2nd Stranger from the City * ''The Doomed Groom'' (1915, Short) as The Groom * ''A September Mourning'' (1916, Short) as The Artist * '' Pied Piper Malone'' (1924) - Louie as the Barber * ''

The Canadian ''The Canadian'' () is a transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Pacific introduced this serv ...

'' (1926) as Pop Tyson * '' Summer Bachelors'' (1926) as Preston Smith * ''

Soup to Nuts ''Soup to Nuts'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film written by cartoonist, sculptor, author, and inventor Rube Goldberg and directed by Benjamin Stoloff. It was the film debut of the original four members who would later, minus Ted Hea ...

'' (1930) as Otto Schmidt * '' Fighting Caravans'' (1931) as Marshall * '' Bad Sister'' (1931) as Mr. Madison * '' Gun Smoke'' (1931) as Tack Gillup * '' God's Gift to Women'' (1931) as John Churchill * '' Night Nurse'' (1931) as Dr. Arthur Bell * '' Children of Dreams'' (1931) as Dr. Joe Thompson * ''

The Sin of Madelon Claudet ''The Sin of Madelon Claudet'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Edgar Selwyn and starring Helen Hayes. The screenplay by Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht was adapted from the play ''The Lullaby'' by Edward Knoblock. It tells t ...

'' (1931) as M. Novella, Photographer * '' Flying High'' (1931) as Doctor Brown * '' Husband's Holiday'' (1931) as Mr. Reid * ''

Social Register The ''Social Register'' is a semi-annual publication in the United States that indexes the members of American high society. First published in the 1880s by newspaper columnist Louis Keller, it was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Since 2014, ...

'' (1934) as Jonesie * ''

'' (1936) as Cap'n Andy Hawks * ''

White Fang ''White Fang'' is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) about a wild wolfdog's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. First serialized in ''Outing'' magazin ...

'' (1936) as Doc McFane * '' Three Smart Girls'' (1936) as Judson Craig * '' Woman Chases Man'' (1937) as B.J. Nolan * '' Cafe Metropole'' (1937) as Joseph Ridgeway * '' The Go Getter'' (1937) as Cappy Ricks * '' You Can't Have Everything'' (1937) as Sam Gordon * '' Nothing Sacred'' (1937) as Dr. Enoch Downer * '' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1937) as Van Reighle Van Pelter Van Doon * '' You're a Sweetheart'' (1937) as Cherokee Charlie * '' Goodbye Broadway'' (1938) as Pat Malloy * '' Hard to Get'' (1938) as Ben Richards * '' Three Smart Girls Grow Up'' (1939) as Judson Craig * '' Babes in Arms'' (1939) as Joe Moran * '' Destry Rides Again'' (1939) as Washington Dimsdale * ''

Barricade Barricade (from the French ''barrique'' - 'barrel') is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. Adopted as a military term, a barricade denotes ...

'' (1939) as Samuel J. Cady * '' If I Had My Way'' (1940) as Joe Johnson * '' Beyond Tomorrow'' (1940) as Michael O'Brien * ''

My Love Came Back ''My Love Came Back'' is a 1940 American comedy-drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Olivia de Havilland, Jeffrey Lynn, Eddie Albert, and Jane Wyman. Based on the 1935 Austrian film ''Episode'' written and directed by Walter R ...

'' (1940) as Julius Malette * '' Little Nellie Kelly'' (1940) as Michael Noonan * '' Pot o' Gold'' (1941) as C.J. Haskell * '' Ziegfeld Girl'' (1941) as 'Pop' Gallagher * '' The Getaway'' (1941) as Dr. Josiah Glass * '' My Life with Caroline'' (1941) as Bliss * ''Mister Gardenia Jones'' (1942, Documentary short) as John Jones * '' Friendly Enemies'' (1942) as Karl Pfeiffer * ''

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

'' (1943) as Finnigan * ''

Hers to Hold ''Hers to Hold'' (aka ''Three Smart Girls Join Up'') is a 1943 American romantic musical comedy film and is the third film in '' Three Smart Girls'' trilogy. In ''Hers to Hold'', Deanna Durbin reprises her role as Penny Craig, who is the only ...

'' (1943) as Judson Craig * '' A Lady Takes a Chance'' (1943) as Waco * '' Flesh and Fantasy'' (1943) as King Lamarr (Episode 3) * '' Broadway Rhythm'' (1944) as Sam Demming * '' Sunday Dinner for a Soldier'' (1944) as Dudley 'Granfeathers' Osborne * '' Belle of the Yukon'' (1944) as Pop Candless * ''

'' (1945) as Abel Frake * '' She Wouldn't Say Yes'' (1945) as Doctor Lane * ''

Lover Come Back Lover Come Back may refer to: *''Lover Come Back'', a 1940 novel by Clair Blank *Lover Come Back (1931 film), ''Lover Come Back'' (1931 film), starring Constance Cummings *New Moon (1940 film), ''New Moon'' (1940 film), a musical also known as ''Lov ...

'' (1946) as William 'Pa' Williams, Sr. * '' Living in a Big Way'' (1947) as D. Rutherford Morgan * '' Something in the Wind'' (1947) as Uncle Chester Read * '' The Inside Story'' (1948) as Uncle Ed * '' Give My Regards to Broadway'' (1948) as Albert Norwick * '' Father Is a Bachelor'' (1950) as Professor Mordecai Ford * '' Torpedo Alley'' (1952) as Oliver J. Peabody * '' The Sun Shines Bright'' (1953) as Judge William Pittman Priest * '' A Perilous Journey'' (1953) as Captain Eph Allan * '' Champ for a Day'' (1953) as Pa Karlsen * ''Those Were the Days'' (1953, TV Movie) * '' Las Vegas Shakedown'' (1955) as Ernest Raff * '' Raymie'' (1960) as R.J. Parsons * ''The Miracle of the White Reindeer'' (1960) as Zoo Keeper

Radio appearances

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Winninger, Charles 1884 births 1969 deaths People from Athens, Wisconsin Male actors from Wisconsin American male stage actors American male film actors American male radio actors American vaudeville performers Deaths from sepsis in the United States Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American male actors Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players