Winchell & Mahoney card trick....from 1950's

[MaxNY]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeJdMuOAZkw

This is some of the first television I remember.

[Kevin Connolly]

I grew up with this too. It's a shame WNEW(?) destroyed all his work on purpose.

[David Alexander]

I met Paul a couple of times. He was an interesting character with an intelligence that was wide-ranging. He had over 30 patents including the first implantable artificial heart.

One of Paul's most famous episodes illustrated how vile some corporate types can be. He was in negotiations with Metromedia over syndication rights to almost 300 Winchell-Mahoney Time tapes. Metromedia threatened to destroy the tapes unless Paul did what they wanted. He refused and the morons at Metromedia destroyed the tapes. Paul sued and walked away with almost $20 million. I suspect the idiots at Metromedia learned nothing from the episode.

Paul was a talented and intelligent man but while millions of children grew up loving him and his characters he was estranged from his children at the time of his death.

[Bill McFadden]

Sometimes it's perversely interesting to trot on over to PW's daughter's web page:

aprilwinchell.com

Caveat emptor: She has some, uh, "issues."

Weird coincidence anecdote: In June of 2005, I visited The Magic Castle, and was waxing nostalgic over the Paul Winchell exhibit along the vent wall near the W.C. Fields Bar. My companion, and others within earshot couldn't have cared less about some old guy who used to be on TV. I, on the other hand was captivated by the artifacts of one of my boyhood idols.

The very next morning, I logged on to the net and learned of his passing.

[David Regal]

Paul Winchell, by his own admission, was a deeply troubled man. I own his autobiography in which he elaborates on his psychotic delusions and sadistic upbringing. It is an understatement to say that he was estranged from his talented daughter April - she does not get mentioned in his book.

I had him inscribe the book "To David Regal, who can sometimes write comedy without moving his lips."

[Richard Kaufman]

Another vent who's nuts.

[Jonathan Townsend]

hmmm - venting?
Almost suggests a puppet that looks like a bunch of grapes but with eyes and a bad attitude.