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 born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

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

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

'', 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 (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...

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 ''Maxwell House Show Boat'' was the top radio show in the United States from 1933 to 1935. The program was sponsored by Maxwell House coffee, and it aired on NBC Radio Thursday nights, 9 pm. The first show was broadcast in 1931. ''Maxwell House ...

'', which was clearly inspired by the Broadway musical. Winninger's

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

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 ''Three Smart Girls'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Barbara Read, Nan Grey, Deanna Durbin (her feature film debut), and Ray Milland. The film's screenplay was written by Adele Comandini and Austin P ...

'' (as the father of

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...

's character), 1937's '' Nothing Sacred'' (as the drunken doctor who misdiagnoses Carole Lombard's character), 1939's ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey ...

'' (as Wash, the sheriff), 1941's ''

Ziegfeld Girl Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris. Desc ...

'' (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 th ...

'' (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 ''The Sun Shines Bright'' is a 1953 American Comedy-Drama Western film directed by John Ford, based on material taken from a series of Irvin S. Cobb "Judge Priest" short stories featured in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' in the 1910s, specifica ...

'',

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's remake of ''

Judge Priest ''Judge Priest'' is a 1934 American comedy film starring Will Rogers. The film was directed by John Ford, produced by Sol M. Wurtzel in association with Fox Film, and based on humorist Irvin S. Cobb's character Judge Priest. The picture is set i ...

''. 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 television 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 show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' 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 remembered for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', "Bub" O'Casey in the television comedy ser ...

) 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 motion pictures. She was best known for her rendition of "In the Good Old Summer Time." Early l ...

. They were divorced on June 12, 1951. He married Gertrude Walker in 1951, which lasted until his death. Winninger died in 1969 and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Recognition

In 1960, Winninger received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

for his radio contributions.

Filmography

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

Pied Piper Malone ''Pied Piper Malone'' is a 1924 American silent comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Thomas Meighan. The Famous Players-Lasky produced the film and Paramount Pictures distributed. Plot As described in a film magazine review ...

'' (1924) - Louie - the Barber * ''

The Canadian ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1926) - Pop Tyson * '' Summer Bachelors'' (1926) - 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 Healy, ...

'' (1930) - Otto Schmidt * '' Fighting Caravans'' (1931) - Marshall * '' Bad Sister'' (1931) - Mr. Madison * '' Gun Smoke'' (1931) - Tack Gillup * ''

God's Gift to Women ''God's Gift to Women'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic musical comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Frank Fay, Laura LaPlante, and Joan Blondell. The film, based on the play ''The Devil Was Sick'' by Jane Hinton, was original ...

'' (1931) - John Churchill * '' Night Nurse'' (1931) - Dr. Bell * ''

Children of Dreams ''Children of Dreams'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code musical film, musical operetta drama film photographed entirely in Part Technicolor and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by Alan Crosland. ''C ...

'' (1931) - 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 tell ...

'' (1931) - Photographer * '' Flying High'' (1931) - Doctor Brown * ''

Husband's Holiday ''Husband's Holiday'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Robert Milton and written by Ernest Pascal and Viola Brothers Shore. The film stars Clive Brook, Vivienne Osborne, Charlie Ruggles, Juliette Compton, Harry Bannister, Do ...

'' (1931) - 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) - Jonesie * ''

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

White Fang ''White Fang'' is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) — and the name of the book's eponymous character, a wild wolfdog. First serialized in ''Outing'' magazine between May and October 1906, it was published in book form in Oc ...

'' (1936) - Doc McFane * ''

'' (1936) - Judson Craig * ''

Woman Chases Man ''Woman Chases Man'' is a 1937 romantic comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea. Plot B.J. Nolan tries to get his millionaire son Kenneth to invest $100,000 in a housing development called Nolan Heig ...

'' (1937) - B.J. Nolan * ''

Cafe Metropole ''Cafe Metropole'' is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by Edward H. Griffith, released by 20th Century Fox and starring Loretta Young, Tyrone Power and Adolphe Menjou. Plot In Paris in 1937, Victor Lobard owns the very exclusive C ...

'' (1937) - Joseph Ridgeway * '' The Go Getter'' (1937) - Cappy Ricks * ''

You Can't Have Everything ''You Can't Have Everything'' is a 1937 Fox musical film directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The film stars Alice Faye and Don Ameche, and was the film debut for Gypsy Rose Lee credited as Louise Hovick part of her bir ...

'' (1937) - Sam Gordon * '' Nothing Sacred'' (1937) - Dr. Enoch Downer * '' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1937) - Van Reighle Van Pelter Van Doon * ''

You're a Sweetheart ''You're a Sweetheart'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by David Butler and starring Alice Faye, George Murphy and Ken Murray. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures who loaned Alice Faye from 20th Century Fox to he ...

'' (1937) - Cherokee Charlie * ''

Goodbye Broadway ''Goodbye Broadway'' is a 1938 American film. The movie is based on the play ''The Shannons of Broadway'' written by actor (and ex-vaudevillian) James Gleason. A previous film had been made of the play entitled ''The Shannons of Broadway''. Pl ...

'' (1938) - Pat Malloy * '' Hard to Get'' (1938) - Ben Richards * ''

Three Smart Girls Grow Up ''Three Smart Girls Grow Up'' is a 1939 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster, written by Felix Jackson and Bruce Manning, and starring Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey, and Helen Parrish. Durbin and Grey reprise their roles from ''Three Sm ...

'' (1939) - Judson Craig * ''

Babes in Arms ''Babes in Arms'' is a 1937 coming-of-age musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a group of small-town Long Island teenagers who put on a show to avoid being sent to a wor ...

'' (1939) - Joe Moran * ''

'' (1939) - 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 denot ...

'' (1939) - Samuel J. Cady * ''

If I Had My Way ''If I Had My Way'' is a 1940 musical comedy film directed by David Butler and starring Bing Crosby and Gloria Jean. Based on a story by David Butler, the film is about a construction worker who takes charge of the daughter of a friend killed i ...

'' (1940) - Joe Johnson * '' Beyond Tomorrow'' (1940) - 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 Reisc ...

'' (1940) - Julius Malette * ''

Little Nellie Kelly ''Little Nellie Kelly'' is a 1940 American musical-comedy film based on the stage musical of the same title by George M. Cohan which was a hit on Broadway in 1922 and 1923. The film was written by Jack McGowan and directed by Norman Taurog. It ...

'' (1940) - Michael Noonan * '' Pot o' Gold'' (1941) - C.J. Haskell * ''

'' (1941) - 'Pop' Gallagher * '' The Getaway'' (1941) - Dr. Josiah Glass * '' My Life with Caroline'' (1941) - Bliss * ''Mister Gardenia Jones'' (1942, Documentary short) - John Jones * '' Friendly Enemies'' (1942) - Karl Pfeiffer * ''

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

'' (1943) - 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 the unofficial '' Three Smart Girls'' trilogy. In ''Hers to Hold'', Deanna Durbin reprises her role as Penny Craig, wh ...

'' (1943) - Judson Craig * '' A Lady Takes a Chance'' (1943) - Waco * ''

Flesh and Fantasy ''Flesh and Fantasy'' is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Robert Cummings, and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previous ...

'' (1943) - King Lamarr (Episode 3) * ''

Broadway Rhythm ''Broadway Rhythm'' (1944) is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Technicolor musical film. It was produced by Jack Cummings and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film was originally announced as ''Broadway Melody of 1944'' to follow MGM's ''Broadway Melody' ...

'' (1944) - Sam Demming * ''

Sunday Dinner for a Soldier ''Sunday Dinner for a Soldier'' is a 1944 American drama romance war film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Anne Baxter and John Hodiak. It is based on a novelette by Martha Cheavens. Plot A poor family in Florida saves all the money they c ...

'' (1944) - Dudley 'Granfeathers' Osborne * ''

Belle of the Yukon ''Belle of the Yukon'' is a 1944 American comedy musical Western film produced and directed by William A. Seiter and starring Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dinah Shore and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Houston Branch and set in the days of ...

'' (1944) - Pop Candless * ''

'' (1945) - Abel Frake * ''

She Wouldn't Say Yes ''She Wouldn't Say Yes'' is a 1945 screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Rosalind Russell and Lee Bowman. Plot A psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Lane, is leaving a military hospital after spending two weeks working with patients ...

'' (1945) - Doctor Lane * '' Lover Come Back'' (1946) - William 'Pa' Williams, Sr. * ''

Living in a Big Way ''Living in a Big Way'' (1947) is an American musical comedy film starring Gene Kelly and Marie McDonald as a couple who marry during World War II after only knowing each other a short time. This was director Gregory La Cava's final film. P ...

'' (1947) - D. Rutherford Morgan * ''

Something in the Wind ''Something in the Wind'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by Irving Pichel and starring Deanna Durbin, Donald O'Connor, and John Dall. Durbin's third husband Charles David said she "hated" making her last three films and that she ...

'' (1947) - Uncle Chester Read * '' The Inside Story'' (1948) - Uncle Ed * ''

Give My Regards to Broadway "Give My Regards to Broadway" is a song written by George M. Cohan for his musical play ''Little Johnny Jones'' which debuted in 1904 in New York. Cohan, playing the title character, sings this song as his friend is about to sail to Americ ...

'' (1948) - Albert Norwick * ''

Father Is a Bachelor ''Father Is a Bachelor'' is a 1950 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and Norman Foster. It stars William Holden and Coleen Gray. Plot Carefree vagabond Johnny Rutledge is stuck in a small town when his medicine show ...

'' (1950) - Professor Mordecai Ford * ''

Torpedo Alley The Torpedo Alley, or Torpedo Junction, off North Carolina, is one of the graveyards of the Atlantic Ocean, named for the high number of attacks on Allied shipping by German U-boats in World War II. Almost 400 ships were sunk, mostly during t ...

'' (1952) - Oliver J. Peabody * ''

'' (1953) - Judge William Pittman Priest * ''

A Perilous Journey ''A Perilous Journey'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Richard Wormser. The film stars Vera Ralston, David Brian, Scott Brady, Charles Winninger, Hope Emerson, Eileen Christy and Leif Erickson. Th ...

'' (1953) - Captain Eph Allan * ''

Champ for a Day ''Champ for a Day'' is a 1953 American crime film directed by William A. Seiter and written by Irving Shulman. The film stars Alex Nicol, Audrey Totter, Charles Winninger, Hope Emerson, Joseph Wiseman and Barry Kelley. The film was released on ...

'' (1953) - Pa Karlsen * ''Those Were the Days'' (1953, TV Movie) * '' Las Vegas Shakedown'' (1955) - Ernest Raff * ''

Raymie ''Raymie'' is a 1960 drama film directed by Frank McDonald and starring David Ladd. It is perhaps best known for its title song, which was sung by comedian Jerry Lewis and written by Ronald Stein. Plot A nine-year-old boy and an experienced ...

'' (1960) - R.J. Parsons * ''The Miracle of the White Reindeer'' (1960) - 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 Vaudeville performers Deaths from sepsis Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) 20th-century American male actors