Mike & Bernie Winters
Encyclopedia
Mike & Bernie Winters were English brothers who formed a comedy double act
, consisting of Mike Winters, born Michael Weinstein (15 November 1930) and Bernie Winters
, born Bernie Weinstein (6 September 1932 – 4 May 1991). The act was very popular in the United Kingdom
from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s.
, London
to Jewish parents.
In the brothers' biography, Shake a Pagoda Tree, published in 1967 by W.H. Allen, Mike remembered the area as one of the toughest in London. "Thieving and violent robbery were commonplace, shootings not infrequent, and the police patrolled always in pairs."
When Bernie was three, the Weinstein family moved to a house in Tottenham
across the road from Georgie Marks, who later became Harrison Marks
, the pornographer. Mike recalled that it was with Georgie that he mounted his first 'promotion'. "We would dress up in whatever clothes we had managed to scrounge from our parents and put on shows in our garden." Bernie's friend was Danny Sewell, younger brother of George
who went on to star in such shows as 'Special Branch' and 'UFO'. Danny was the local heavy and used to look after Bernie. "If anybody said anything nasty to me, he (Danny) hit them."
Mike went to the City of Oxford School and later to the Royal Academy of Music
. Bernie moved along the apprenticeship route, getting a job at the Regency Club in London's Soho
where he played the ukulele
and performed as a stand-up comedian
.
, the brothers won a talent contest held in Manchester
, England
. They won the first prize which was a one-week tour. Despite changing their stage name
to the Winters Brothers, they were not successful at first, and went their separate ways for a time.
On 25 June 1955, Mike and Bernie appeared for the first time on television, on the BBC
show called Variety Parade. The show was a great hit. The brothers remained with the show until 1958. Their next move, secured by their agent Joe Collins (father of Joan Collins
and Jackie Collins
), was to the ITV
television network and the show Sunday Night at the London Palladium
, which at the time was the most important variety show on British television. Due to their popularity, they were invited to appear before Queen Elizabeth II
at the 1962 Royal Variety Show. In 1963 they starred alongside Frankie Howerd
and Tommy Cooper
in the Michael Winner
film The Cool Mikado. By 1965, the act was a great success, thanks in part to the shows Big Night Out and its follow-up, Blackpool
Night Out. Finally, the brothers were awarded with their own show that ran from 1965 to 1973. They also received equal billing in "The Peters and Lee Story" on December 27, 1975 as guest stars on ATV. The act fell apart by 1978, amid well-publicized animosity between them.
Mike emigrated to the United States
while Bernie went solo in the UK, signing a contract with Thames Television
. His biggest success was his eponymous series where his comedy 'partner' was a St. Bernard
named Schnorbitz. Schnorbitz was owned and trained by comedian Winters, and played a major part in his later career. The comic Harry Hill
also introduced a St. Bernard named Schnorbitz into his act, although he was keen to stress that it was not the same dog.
called Scribble. He also presented a UK version of Make Me Laugh
, a Tyne Tees Television
production for ITV
. The show kickstarted the comedy career of Brian Conley
. He was also one of the hosts of the long running ITV
show Whose Baby?
, taking over from Leslie Crowther
in the mid-1980s.
Schnorbitz once fell into a swimming pool at Terry Scott
's house, only to be rescued by Barbara Windsor
. In the 1980s, the brothers finally made their peace with each other, though they never worked together again.
Bernie Winters died on 4 May 1991, at age 58, from stomach cancer
. As of 2009, Mike lives in Miami, Florida.
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
, consisting of Mike Winters, born Michael Weinstein (15 November 1930) and Bernie Winters
Bernie Winters
Bernie Winters was an English comedian and the comic relief of the double act, Mike and Bernie Winters with his brother, Mike. He later performed solo, often with the aid of his St...
, born Bernie Weinstein (6 September 1932 – 4 May 1991). The act was very popular in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s.
Early life
The Winters were born in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Jewish parents.
In the brothers' biography, Shake a Pagoda Tree, published in 1967 by W.H. Allen, Mike remembered the area as one of the toughest in London. "Thieving and violent robbery were commonplace, shootings not infrequent, and the police patrolled always in pairs."
When Bernie was three, the Weinstein family moved to a house in Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
across the road from Georgie Marks, who later became Harrison Marks
Harrison Marks
George Harrison Marks was a British glamour photographer and director of nudist, and later, pornographic films who was active in the fields for several decades.-Kamera and Pamela Green:...
, the pornographer. Mike recalled that it was with Georgie that he mounted his first 'promotion'. "We would dress up in whatever clothes we had managed to scrounge from our parents and put on shows in our garden." Bernie's friend was Danny Sewell, younger brother of George
George Sewell
George Sewell was an English actor.-Early life and early career:The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist; Sewell left school at age 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses...
who went on to star in such shows as 'Special Branch' and 'UFO'. Danny was the local heavy and used to look after Bernie. "If anybody said anything nasty to me, he (Danny) hit them."
Mike went to the City of Oxford School and later to the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
. Bernie moved along the apprenticeship route, getting a job at the Regency Club in London's Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
where he played the ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
and performed as a stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
.
Career
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the brothers won a talent contest held in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They won the first prize which was a one-week tour. Despite changing their stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
to the Winters Brothers, they were not successful at first, and went their separate ways for a time.
On 25 June 1955, Mike and Bernie appeared for the first time on television, on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
show called Variety Parade. The show was a great hit. The brothers remained with the show until 1958. Their next move, secured by their agent Joe Collins (father of Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
and Jackie Collins
Jackie Collins
Jacqueline Jill "Jackie" Collins is an English novelist and former actress. She is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins. She has written 28 novels, all of which have appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list. In total, her books have sold over 400 million copies and have been...
), was to the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television network and the show Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...
, which at the time was the most important variety show on British television. Due to their popularity, they were invited to appear before Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
at the 1962 Royal Variety Show. In 1963 they starred alongside Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
and Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
in the Michael Winner
Michael Winner
Michael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
film The Cool Mikado. By 1965, the act was a great success, thanks in part to the shows Big Night Out and its follow-up, Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
Night Out. Finally, the brothers were awarded with their own show that ran from 1965 to 1973. They also received equal billing in "The Peters and Lee Story" on December 27, 1975 as guest stars on ATV. The act fell apart by 1978, amid well-publicized animosity between them.
Mike emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
while Bernie went solo in the UK, signing a contract with Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
. His biggest success was his eponymous series where his comedy 'partner' was a St. Bernard
St. Bernard (dog)
The St. Bernard is a breed of very large working dog from the Italian and Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size.-Appearance:The St. Bernard is a large dog...
named Schnorbitz. Schnorbitz was owned and trained by comedian Winters, and played a major part in his later career. The comic Harry Hill
Harry Hill
Harry Hill , is a Perrier Award–winning English comedian, author and television presenter. A former medical doctor , Hill began his career in comedy with the popular radio show Harry Hill's Fruit Corner.-Personal life:Hill was born in Woking,...
also introduced a St. Bernard named Schnorbitz into his act, although he was keen to stress that it was not the same dog.
Later years
In 1987, Bernie hosted a quiz show on HTVHTV
HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...
called Scribble. He also presented a UK version of Make Me Laugh
Make Me Laugh
Make Me Laugh was an American game show in which contestants watched three stand-up comedians performing their acts, one at a time, earning one dollar for every second that they could make it through without laughing. Each comedian got sixty seconds to try to crack the contestant up...
, a Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
production for ITV
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
. The show kickstarted the comedy career of Brian Conley
Brian Conley
Brian Conley is an English comedian, television presenter, singer and actor. At the peak of his television career, he was the highest-paid male television personality in the UK. Outside of television, he is best known for his frequent portrayals of Buttons in pantomime versions of...
. He was also one of the hosts of the long running ITV
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
show Whose Baby?
Whose Baby?
Whose Baby? is a 1917 silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson.-Cast:* Bobby Vernon* Gloria Swanson* Jay Dwiggins* Martha Trick* Robert Milliken* Fritz Schade* Juanita Hansen* Sylvia Ashton* Helen Bray...
, taking over from Leslie Crowther
Leslie Crowther
Leslie Crowther, CBE was an English comedian, actor and gameshow host.-Biography:Crowther was born in West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire. At the end of 1944 he moved to London with his parents, but was evacuated for a few months to Bute until just after the war ended.His father, Leslie Frederick...
in the mid-1980s.
Schnorbitz once fell into a swimming pool at Terry Scott
Terry Scott
Owen John "Terry" Scott was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven Carry On films. He also appeared in BBC1's popular domestic sitcom Terry and June with June Whitfield...
's house, only to be rescued by Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
. In the 1980s, the brothers finally made their peace with each other, though they never worked together again.
Bernie Winters died on 4 May 1991, at age 58, from stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
. As of 2009, Mike lives in Miami, Florida.