Watch The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show

Paul Winchell was a popular ventriloquist, actor and comedian who had shows on television during the 1950s and 1960s. The dummies he worked with most often were named Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, both designed to represent young male personas. Interacting with these characters, Winchell played the straight man delivering setups for the punch lines that got the laughs. Mahoney had a brash, somewhat smart-aleck personality. Knucklehead Smiff, as the name suggests, represented the ‘dumb lug’ stereotype.

Filmed in black and white, these shows represent their time period very well while retaining a certain innocent charm for today’s audiences.