Paul Wilchinsky, later known as Paul Winchell, was born on December 21, 1922, to Sol and Clara Wilchinsky. He would go on to become a renowned ventriloquist, captivating the hearts of American children.
Ironically, his dummy, Jerry Mahoney, might have been even more famous than Paul himself. This was a feat not achieved since the era of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.
Paul's career in the spotlight began when he entered the "Original Amateur Hour" hosted by Edward Bowes in 1948. He soon started working in a review show featuring winners from Bowes' radio program.
Paul's television career took off with appearances on "The Bigelow Show" in 1948, "The Paul Winchell Show" in 1950, and eventually "Winchell-Mahoney Time" in 1965. This show featured a clubhouse premise, with Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, another one of Paul's characters, serving as the leaders.
A unique innovation of Paul's was the replacement of the dummy's hands with those of puppeteers hidden behind the dummies in a crate. Paul also took on dramatic roles on television, often without his trusty sidekicks.
What might be even more iconic is Paul's creation of the voice of Tigger for the Walt Disney Company's "Winnie The Pooh" motion-picture series, based on the famous books by A.A. Milne. He played the role behind the scenes until 1999, when he was replaced by Jim Cummings, who also voiced Pooh after Sterling Holloway's passing.
Paul was also the voice of many other world-renowned cartoon characters.
A lesser-known fact about Paul Winchell is that he was one of the original inventors of an artificial heart, years before the first successful transplant with such a device. He also invented an automobile that runs on battery power, a method for breeding tilapia, and many other inventions that are still around today.
