Product Description
The enchanting NPR holiday favorite is finally on CD.

"Old Marley was as dead as a doornail"—and so, nearly, was Christmas itself when Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol" in 1843. Most traditions had been forgotten, and few if any employees got time off to celebrate. Dickens' story captured the imagination of a generation and transformed December 25 into a major holiday.

For many National Public Radio listeners, it just wouldn't be Christmas without hearing Jonathan Winters perform "A Christmas Carol." The master comedian brilliantly re-creates Dickens' cast of colorful characters: Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley's spirit, and the three Christmas ghosts, Past, Present, and Future. His distinctive and charming reading uses a special version of the story prepared by Dickens for his own performances. The liner notes are by Winters, who clearly revels in the story's language and message: "Merry Christmas, every one!" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Jonathan Winters' "A Christmas Carol" is a triumph!
Jonathan Winters is a tremendously talented comedian, but he also makes an excellent well-rounded actor as this recordings demonstrates. His Scrooge is mean, troubled and seemingly irredeemable but as Mr. Winters makes his way through the story he shows us a quite complex and interesting portrait of the infamous miser. Just so you know there is a female actress to do the female parts and there is music and sound effects throughout the story to make it well paced and impossible to take your ears off of it. Although I don't want to give too much away Mr. Winters gives a Ghost Of Christmas Present with a Scottish accent! This is a wonderful way to help celebrate Christmas!

I never thought I'd find something to rival Patrick Stewart's one man show, but this is a thoroughly entertaining production especially considering the "reader" is American!

Review of Jonathan Winters "A Christmas Carol"
A very intertaining & interesting rendition of my favorite Christmas story, "A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens".I have over 30 different versions of this classic and this one is the most unique.If you are a collector of "A Christmas Carol" you need to at least take a look.

Abridged version leaves out a lot
Jonathan Winters does a good job of narrating this Christmas classic, but the abridgment is pretty severe. Too much good stuff is left out. I prefer the unabridged Jim Dale version. My favorite is the unabridged cassette version read by Paul Scofield, but it seems to be out of print. If I could find that one on CD, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Jonathan Winters plays it straight.
I've been a huge fan of Jonathan Winters all of my life.What is surprising in this CD is that Winters remains faithful to Dicken's text.I had fully expected him to get carried away and go off on his fantastic tangents like he usually does with his own characters like Maudy Frickert or Elwood P Suggins.He doesn't.
So, for those looking for a wild and crazy version of A Christmas Carol you COULD be disapointed.However, as a dedicated Winters fan, I enjoy this recording.

Authentic!
Jonathan Winters reads from Dicken's own version written for public readings, so it moves along nicely, never dragging or labored.

You'll want to pick up several copies of this CD for friends as a welcomed Christmas surprise. ... Read more

Product Description
The most original and influential comic mind of our generation gives us a rollicking tour of his expansive imagination. Alongside the hilarity are intimate, revealing, and poignant recollections of childhood`s pains and lost love, as well as remarkable illustrations from Winters` accomplished, surreal pen. From the Jonathan Winters'

Introduction: Throughout my life, I've been gratified that I've been able to keep the child in me alive and inspire others to do the same. If these stories do that for you, I'll be happy. (Or maybe I should say happier.) Not all of these tales, of course, are funny, but I hope they all let you use your imagination in whatever way that sets you free. It's what they've done for me, and if I'm lucky, they will do the same for you, too. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Eagerly anticipated- utterly disappointed
I have always been a big fan of Jonathan Winters, and it was with some excitement that I ordered this book.Unfortunately , it was one of the few I have ever thrown away.The "stories", as such, are not much more than idle and disconnected ramblings and often if a selection does contain anything to link it, the ending is nonsensical and unsatisfying.The "humor" in the book would only appeal to someone who found illogic a source of mirth.I'm sure if this book had been submitted for sale by an unknown author, it would have gone quickly to the place publishers call the "slush pile."

Don't waste your money on it.

Writing from a comedy genius
This book is a little off of the beaten path, just like Jonathan himself.Very dark, very unusual (and offensive to some) and very laugh out loud funny.If you like high quality humor you need to check this one out.

Disturbing stories that I found difficult to read
Jonathan Winters is a man known for his humor, not his writing of serious stories. From the content of this book, it will do little to improve his standing in the latter. These stories are deeply disturbing, they reminded me of some of the writings of Ray Bradbury, yet they lack his intensity that somehow softens them.
The most disturbing is "A Well-Kept Secret", about a boy raised by his grandfather and who grows up to be a cross-dressing gay man who performs in a Las Vegas show. He invites his grandfather to Vegas and pretends to be Lilly Long, a female friend of the grandson. When his grandfather arrives, he goes through the actions of "seducing" his grandfather, even kissing him passionately. When his robe catches on a piece of furniture and his manhood is revealed, the grandfather dies of a heart attack.
Most of the other stories were in a similar macabre vein, while I sometimes read such stories and enjoy them for their message, it was hard to complete this book. The story "The Last Day the Circus Came to Town" is a flashback to the old days of the traveling circus and the parade they held from the train station to where they were to hold their performances. In this case, the circus train is hit head-on by a fast-moving freight train and most of the performers and animals are killed or taken down. This book is for the very hard-hearted and there is no humor here.

Disappointing Work Of An Otherwise Mad Genius
[...]

What this short volume consists of are notions of stories; a setting, some characters, a dash of conflict -- and then a too-quick dart to the end, often with a nonsensical twist ending thrown in for ... well, I don't know what for. Not effect, because it doesn't have much of an effect other than to make me scratch my head and wonder, "What the --?"

If Winters had taken more time to flesh things out, to expand from where he starts so confidently, these could have been much better. His writing has echoes of Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut, both master craftsmen of short stories, and to take that on a trip through the demented twists and turns that can be found in Winters's performances would have been brilliant. (For example, in one story, a man on his way to a costume party in Beverly Hills dressed as Hitler in a pink Gestapo uniform has his Mercedes break down in the Fairfax district -- a unique premise that has promise. What happens next? Well, he tells us in one sentence what really should have been the rest of the story, the gist of which is that he was beaten up for being dressed like Hitler in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.)

But I can't review what might have been, only what is, and this is a disappointingcollection of stories that Winters seemed to have lost interest in halfway through the writing of each.

Less Odd than YouMight Think.
These aren't short stories--more like scenarios, or poems in the form of scenarios.Jonathan Winters impersonates children, a baby robin, a migrating duck, a tiger, a lunatic from an asylum on a picnic, a bear cub that becomes a teddy bear, a child going to an asylum, the President of the United States hosting a boring reception, a man attacked by a bear, soldiers, an alcoholic Navaho artist looking to his Medicine Man for a cure, a test pilot, orphans, Santa Claus & a turkey, among others.He has it in for Admiral Byrd--maybe the name, because birds appear often.Each "take" has a twist at the end, more for surprise than irony.His tone is more screwball than bizarre, as if he were trying to bean the reader with a wild pitch.His method is to strew stimulation everywhere, but he also deals with serious subjects--love, war, loss.His mood is plaintive rather than deep, like a kitten crying.He searches for value & finds none except laughter, as if he were Kafka scripting an episode of "The Twilight Zone."If the book gets thin in places, it's because the written word is less effective for a performing artist than the spoken word.Listen to the casette first. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very Funny - Completely spur of the Moment.
This is a collection of messages left on a close friend's of Jonathan Winters answering Machine. All of it right off the top of Jonathan Winter's head. He would call to talk to his friend about something, get the machine, and just start up another rendition of something, that was on his mind at the moment. While the subjects may seem random to us, it was usually something his friend could relate to, and Mr. Smith gives a short preface, about the most of the messages. Some are Very funny! Jim Smith was a close friend to Jonathan & his wife, and worked with him over the years on various projects, including Hee Haw. There is a very nice introduction to the book, and many pictures throughout... It's a different kind of book, because it was all quoted from a caller, that didn't know he was building a book. I guess it made it even all the better. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: United Brethren Publishing HousePublication date: 1889Description: Ms. note dated 1965 ([2] leaves) tipped in at leaf 25.Subjects: Reference / GenealogyNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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From impersonations of Jimmy Carter to Marlon Brando, Winters' irreverent humor will put listeners away. ... Read more

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Jo Anne Worley, Jonathan Winters, and Woody Allen explain such "stuff" as how bird's nest soup is made, how hot dogs got their name, and where mustard comes from. ... Read more

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An untoward, unrehearsed, and outrageous view of all manner of human activities as seen in the movies of yesterday with hilarious comments by the authors. ... Read more

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Largely ignored for decades, the World Bank increasingly finds itself at the center of an international political maelstrom. Attacked by the Right as the last bastion of socialism and by the Left as an instrument of economic imperialism, the Bank has struggled to adapt to a changing post-Cold War era. Still the world's leading development institution in terms of size and influence, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development's failure to articulate and implement a convincing strategy to reduce world poverty has left it vulnerable to the charge that, at least in its present form, it has outlived its usefulness.

In a book neither funded nor controlled by its subject, leading North American and British scholars critically examine the World Bank. They contend that an institution that has grown to unmanageable proportions through internally driven change cannot realistically be expected to effect its own reform program. All the Bank's previous attempts at self-redesign have failed, and the contributors argue it is beyond reform; it must be reinvented.

Reinvention involves a thoroughgoing and externally controlled process of transformation, starting from basic principles and encompassing three closely related dimensions: operations, or the fit between the Bank's lending program and its development objectives; concepts, its vision of development and anti-poverty strategy; and power, which includes the Bank's relationships with member countries and the wider public, as well as structures of internal governance and accountability. ... Read more

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Jonathan Winters appears in a collection of impersonations--of Robin Williams, Saddam Hussein, and Groucho Marx--as well as appearances of such famed characters as Grandma Frickert and Chester Honeyhugger. ... Read more

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Aus Wikipedia. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: Danyon Loader ONZM (born on 21 April 1975 in Timaru, New Zealand) is an Olympic champion, former World Record holding swimmer from New Zealand, based in Dunedin. As of 2009, he is a National Record holder. He swam for New Zealand at two Summer Olympics (1992, 1996) and three Commonwealth Games (1990, 1994 and 1998). At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, he garnered a silver medal in the 200 Butterfly. In 1996 in Atlanta, Loader won two gold medals: in the 200 and 400 freestyles. He set World Records in the short course 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle; and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2003. He has recently reappeared on the local swimming scene after years spent away from it. He is now interested in coaching and takes part in youth development programmes. He is currently coaching at Capital Swim Club in Wellington. He co-coaches alongside Gary Hurring ...http://booksllc.net/?l=de ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Jonathan Harshman Winters, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 3198 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

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This digital document is an article from St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1006 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Signed essays ranging from 500 to 2,500 words, written by subject experts and edited to form a consistent, readable, and straightforward reference. Entries include subject-specific bibliographies and textual cross-references to related essays. ... Read more