Interview: David Winters, Bobby's Friend and Producer of "The Darin Invasion" TV Special

by Michael Macomber
David Winters	To say David Winters is accomplished in his field would be a massive understatement. For starters, his field covers a lot of ground. As a singer, dancer, actor, writer, producer, director, and choreographer, he falls most easily into the category of all around entertainer. His professional accomplishments include (but are by no means limited to): playing Baby John in the original Broadway cast of "West Side Story" and "A-Rab" in the film; recording on Bobby Darin's Addison Records label in 1959 (Addison release #15000 "Sunday Kind of Love/Princess"); singing lead and co-writing all the songs for the group "David Winters and the West Siders" with partner Paul Simon; directing Paul Newman in the 1968 film "Once Upon a Wheel"; directing and choreographing the 1969 "Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love" TV special; producing "The Darin Invasion" special in 1970 for Canadian TV; choreographing the 1976 version of "A Star is Born" with Barbra Streisand.
In all, Winters has produced and directed 70 motion pictures and well over 200 television shows. His talent has been recognized with 25 award nominations and 14 wins, including the Peabody Award, the Christopher Award, and three World Television Awards. The list of stars he has worked with stretches from here to the moon and back again: Diana Ross, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Danny Thomas, Cher, Alice Cooper, Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, Tom Jones and countless others. Winters also has his own production company, Action International Films, and his own distribution company, West Side Studios, and has made films starring Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, and Sally Kirkland, just to name a few.
David Winters' first Emmy nomination was for the 1967 Nancy Sinatra special "Movin' with Nancy."
His most recent work includes producing the award-winning epic adventure film "The King Maker" (released on DVD April 3rd, 2007 by Sony Entertainment), portraying Silas Bridges in the 2006 Hallmark Channel mini-series "Blackbeard," and co-starring in the upcoming film "Hanuman the White Monkey Warrior." Currently he is producing and directing an animated/live-action musical film in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, entitled "Nicholas Jingle."
David Winters at 17	Back in 1957, when he first met Bobby Darin, teenager David Winters was already appearing in his fourth Broadway show. "I met Bobby at Hanson’s Drugstore," says Winters. "That was on the corner of 7th Avenue and I think 51st. It was attached to the Brill Building and was also next to the backstage door of the Winter Garden Theatre, where I was performing in the original Broadway version of West Side Story. The Brill Building was called Tin Pan Alley in those days, as all of the writers and singers would meet there, and all of the record companies and music promoters and agents had offices there."
As Winters recalls, the friendship was immediate. "I liked Bobby as soon as I met him. We hit it off right away. He was a real down to earth guy who was trying to get discovered himself, like all of the other musical talent hanging around Hanson’s. We would just sit and have a soda and talk about the business and some of the people who had made it from the Brill Building, like Neil Sedaka, Carole King, Connie Francis etc. We would talk about our dreams and people like Frank Sinatra, Elvis, etc. We were on the same wavelength and so we would talk about the thing we loved the most, show business." Winters also remembers getting a preview of Bobby's breakthrough hit, "Splish Splash," some time before it was recorded. "It was at Hanson’s. One day, Bobby was talking about it, and then he started signing it to me—and I thought it was great. I told him, if he ever got it released properly, it would be a big hit and make him a big star. We laughed about it, because it was so different, and the lyrics were so funny. He was very excited about it and I was also excited for him." Winters was so taken with the song, he was still talking about it when he got to the theater that night to perform in "West Side Story." "When I went backstage that night to do the show, I sang it for Chita Rivera (who played Anita)," he explains. "I also sang it to Larry Kert (Tony) and Tony Mordente (A-Rab), and Grover Dale (Snowboy), and Eddie Roll (Action). We all shared a dressing room right across from Chita, and Larry was down the hall. We were all very close friends." Eventually, he had everyone in the cast singing it. "We used to sing it all the time backstage at the show," he says. "Then one day, during curtain calls, I started singing it on stage, and everyone joined in. By this time, the whole cast had heard the song. And so for a while it became our backstage and curtain call anthem. And then when it was released, we all went crazy, because we knew it beforehand and we all knew it would be a big hit. It was like we were a part of its success, and Bobby’s too."
David Winters at 13	"Splish Splash" would become Bobby's first Gold Record, reaching #3 on the Pop Chart and #1 on the R & B Chart in the summer of 1958. Before its release, though, Winters recalls Bobby being a little superstitious about jinxing the song's hit potential. "Bobby hoped for it, but I think he didn’t want to spook it too much, and expect too much, so he wouldn’t be disappointed if it didn’t happen. I assured him all the time that it would be a smash hit."
The following year, Bobby started his own record label, Addison Records, and demonstrated that he had the same kind of unflagging faith in his friend's talent, by immediately signing Winters. "'Sunday Kind of Love' was a song I really loved and used to sing all the time," explains Winters. "I had a version that I sang to Bobby one day and he loved it. So he said, let’s put it down, and let me sign you up under a contract to my label as a singer. It was so easy between us—I totally trusted Bobby and knew he would always be honest and straight with me. The idea of not signing with him never entered my mind. Of course I would... happily!" Winters' trust was rewarded when, not surprisingly, Bobby turned out to be just as adept in the role of producer as he was in the role of performer. "Bobby was a real pro and knew everything about the studio, and recording. He knew all the tricks. He was a musical genius. I was really impressed with him. We had been just friends before and now we were partners in business, and I was so pleased that it had happened, no matter what the results. And I was also very proud that Bobby believed in my talent enough to spend the money on me and the record."
Winters on the set of "The Last Horror Film" (1982). He produced, directed, starred in and co-wrote this award-winning movie.	As the years went on, their friendship grew, fueled by great professional and personal respect. "Over time, I got to realize that Bobby was a very, very loyal friend and person," says Winters. "He had a big heart and was only too happy to help others in need. There were a few times that Bobby came to my rescue and I really appreciated him so much. He was a very good and gentle man. He was a very special person and I was proud to know him." Bobby's willingness to step in and help a friend in need was never more evident than in 1969, when Winters was working on a pilot for a TV variety series starring singer Barbara McNair. "At that time this was a real gamble, because in the South, they did not want black people with their own show, and the stations were hesitant to run our series. We knew if we could get a Bill Cosby or a Sammy Davis Jr., who were both so hot at the time, to be in the pilot, it would sell for sure." Unfortunately, Cosby begged off, and Sammy Davis Jr. agreed, but then cancelled at the last minute. Three days before shooting, Winters was left without a big name guest star.
"So I took a chance and called Bobby. I told Bobby this was a ground breaking and possibly dangerous situation, and I could only pay him scale—which was a few hundred dollars at the time. He said, 'David, I still remember times when a few hundred dollars would have been reason enough to go to a gig.' He said he would do it. I loved him for it. And true to his word, two days later he showed up at the studio and did the TV show for me." Not long afterward, in 1970, Winters returned the favor, by producing "The Darin Invasion," an hour-long Bobby Darin Special for Canadian TV. "I had a deal to do a series of specials," he says, "and so I just called Bobby and said how about it? Bobby and I always had this easy relationship. It was based on respect for each other’s talent and a kindness we shared throughout the years."
David Winters directing an episode of "The Monkees"
Winters remembers the project as one of the best and most easygoing experiences of his career. "By this time, Bobby was a master performer and a big star. It was as easy as eating a piece of cake. Bobby performed fantastically and my staff did what was needed technically. There were no problems, no fights, no misunderstandings… it was pure pleasure. And it was a gas to be Bobby’s boss, ha ha! But I never used my position against Bobby, as I respected him above all and our friendship went back so many years." While Winters was not aware of Bobby's health problems at the time "The Darin Invasion" was shot, in retrospect, he is amazed at the way Bobby set aside his pain in order to perform. "I think he truly just blocked it from his mind when he went on. He was the ultimate performer. Show business was in his heart, and I knew how deeply he was committed to it. He wanted to be the best and give the audience more than they had paid for. Even on TV he was truly 'one of a kind.' He was born to be a performer and he loved every minute of it. He loved the feedback from the audience as well." Clearly, this intense dedication to the business and to performing is a trait these two men share. "I think that is why Bobby and I really clicked when we first met," agrees Winters. "We understood that about each other, and recognized it as well. We both had this drive in common. If he were here today, he would still be performing, for sure, until he died." Winters ought to know. He himself is doing just that, continuing to make every minute count, and continuing to produce great work. And as he pursues his artistic goals, he also continues to treasure the friendship he shared with Bobby Darin. "I met a special person and was fortunate enough to have a close and loyal friend in Bobby," he says. "He helped me many times, some that no one else but me knows about to this day. I miss him and wish he were still with us. As I look back at my life, there are a few people that stand out in it. Bobby was for sure one of them, Elvis another. Bobby taught me about generosity and humility and kindness to others. He was a wonderful friend and teacher, and it was wonderful to have someone as talented as he, believing in me. He was an honest and simple man, and I am so thankful that you are keeping his memory alive with your site. To all his fans, I just wish you could have met him, as you would have loved him even more than you do now."
Reference sources for this article include: The Official David Winters Page on MySpace, and The David Winters Tribute Site.