Orphans, dead parents, lonely children at Christmas, morose spoken word recordings, everything you love about the holidays. Move the turkey over so you can fit your head in the oven.

Winchell portrayed the "Glendale Federal Bank" lady – a cranky cynical customer mollified by the service at her new bank – in a series of highly successful radio commercials which Winchell wrote and directed herself. Subsequent to the end of this program in November 2002 April Winchell appeared semi-regularly on the Ask Mr. This weekend program aired for three years and enjoyed the fastest growing audience in the history of the station.

She was born in New York City the daughter of ventriloquist voice actor and comedian the late Paul Winchell.