Ed Wynn on Muppet Babies
Ed Wynn (1886-1966) was a comic actor (more clown than comedian) who gained fame in Ziegfeld Follies, in vaudeville, on Broadway with his fluttery characterization of The Perfect Fool, and for his radio work as The Fire Chief (1932-1935, plus other radio shows as late as 1945). His trademark fluttery voice (often punctuated with a giggling "whoo whoo" whoop), as well as his distinctive glasses and splayed hair, have often been caricatured or borrowed for cartoon voices.
In his later years, Wynn shifted to work as a character actor in television (including Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight and The Twilight Zone) and movies (winning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1959's The Diary of Anne Frank as the petulant Mr. Dussell, and playing the blind man in The Greatest Story Ever Told in 1965). In a more whimsical vein, Wynn voiced the Mad Hatter in Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) and subsequently appeared in several Disney projects, most notably as the ever-laughing Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins (1964).
References[]
Medical expert Dr. Edwynn
Professional chucklehead Mr. Poodlepants
- Clip footage of Ed Wynn is used in the fifth season Muppet Babies episode "Muppets Not Included," during Piggy's "Celebrity Circles" game, with Frank Welker dubbing a brief "Whoo hoo." Welker used the Ed Wynn voice for other characters throughout the run of Muppet Babies.
- Many Muppet characters on Sesame Street have sported Ed Wynn-inspired voices, including the following performed by David Rudman.
- Wynn's appearance and voice inspired the appropriately named Dr. Edwynn.
- Mr. Monster in the 1990 video special Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse featured Ed Wynn-style glasses, hair, and voice.
- In Episode 2579, a Muppet clock spoke with an Ed Wynn-style voice and "whoo hoo" laugh.
- A Fat Blue genie (with the light blue hair) modeled after Wynn, performed by Brian Muehl, appears in Sesame Street Episode 3204.
- Mr. Poodlepants on Muppets Tonight also speaks in an Ed Wynn imitation, coupled with the glasses and a general clownishness, which caused Los Angeles Times critic Susan King to refer to him as "the Ed Wynn-ish Mister Poodlepants."[1]
- An early Sesame Street animated segment about the letter S features a sprightly seal with an Ed Wynn-styled voice (by Allen Swift) and laugh. (First: Episode 0002)
- An animated Sesame Street insert features the Big Bad Wolf, in sheep's clothing, speaking in a manner like Wynn. (First: Episode 2405)
- An animated Zork segment on Sesame Street features a well-intentioned St. Bernard dog with a Wynn-styled laugh and voice (by Danny Mann) leading the alien down a high mountain. (First: Episode 2738)