1998_Who Said That_the art of the

who
s aid
h atl?l
the art of the
contemporQrV
amencan
ventriloquist
an exhibitionat the
centerfor puppetryarts
by todd sto
si
o
od
{J
q)
5
6
o
S{
€
c
ofl
eqt
ofaskilled
"beings"
burst
forthwithlifeattheknee
thatseemingly
What
dowecallthese
little
(Dummy!)
alltoo-alive
forthese
people
tooabrasive
performer?
findtheDword
Some
ventriloquist
the
figureorventfigureisthemostwidelyusedtermamong
termventriloquial
littlecreatures,The
aformofpuppet.
are,
infact,
professionals
wecallthem,they
inthefield.
Butwhatever
American
onthecontemporary
toconcentrate
TheCenterfor PuppetryArts decided
twoofthemost
compelled
toacknowledge
inaretrospection
ofthe20thcentury,lfeel
ventriloquist
Vent Haven
wonderful
thatareopen
tothepublic,The
ofventriloqui
collections
extensive
incorporated
in 1961asalivingtrustforthe
isaprivate
collection
Kentucky,
Museum inCovington,
(1878-i972)
ventriloquial
withavengeance.The
allthings
whocollected
Berger
revered
collectorW,S,
to him,and
asamemorial
thereserve
property
thatstand
ofBerger's
oldhomeandthesmallbuildings
ofrareitemsof
hundred
ventfigures
andthousands
ofseveral
anddiverse
collection
house
awonderful
of
anexhibition
andtheycurated
ConVENTion,
sponsor
aVentriloquist's
sometimes
memorabilia,They
in
i976.The
of
Cincinnati
Arts
Center
items
attheContemporary
treasured
ofthecollection's
some
has
Collection.
fromthePermanent
Selections
Museum,
brochure
oftheVentHaven
catalog
official
item.
avaluable
collectors
become
(Plato
NorthHollywood,
Publishing,
author
ofI CanSeeYourLipsMoving
Valentine
Vox,
esteemed
and
Magic
the
Movie
ventriloquism
items
within
of
anexpansive
collection
1993)
maintains
remarkable
inLasVegas,Vox's
housed
inO'Shea's
Casino
MemorabiliaMuseum,currently
White
Jeff
andhisassistant
European,
emphasis,Vox
hasadecidedly
international,largely
collection
perpetuate
theirventures.
tohelp
Association
formed
theInternationalVentriloquist
have
recently
activities
inthemuseum
andtheenthusiastic
isevident
totheartofventriloquism
Their
devotion
Convention,
hosting
LasVegasVentriloquist's
began
anannual
In1997,they
headquartered
there.
of
independent
exhibition
mounted
thelargest
Arts,
wehave
forPuppetry
Here
attheCenter
THE
CONTEMPORARY
THAT!?!:THE
ART
OF
SAID
in
the
world.WHO
ventriloqui
ofindividual
thegenerous
cooperation
brings
together
VENTRILOQUIST
AMERICAN
astudyoftheroleoftheAmerican
performing
to present
collectors
andinstitutions
artists,
craftsmen,
it isgroundbreaking.We
thisregard,
ofthe20thCentury.In
intheentertainment
landscape
ventriloqui$
years,
propagation
andaid
in
the
coming
of
similar
exhibitions
willencourage
the
hopethatitssuccess
performing
artform,
forthisintimate
andrare
ingenerating
renewed
enthusiasm
fromthe
voicecreated
isintended
to refernotonlytotheanonymous
SAID
THAT!?!
ThetitleWHO
these
beautifully
counterparts,
theirhuman
butalso
tothefactthatwithout
ventriloquist's
stilllips,
hand.
Many
voice
andguiding
puppets
awaiting
theirmaster's
stand
silent
andmotionless
crafted
andasarespectable
arepresented
asacross-section
inthiscatalog.They
masters
arehighlighted
representationofthescopeoftheartincontemporu,vri*u''f}/fu!.W
Curator.WHO SAID THATI?I
Portraitby DickWeston)
llergen & McCarthy
the
,$f
Thiscolorfulmosaicpaintingby DickWeston(detaiLat right;
wasreproduced
on the coverof the NorthAmerican
Association
of Ventritoquists
memorial
tributepublication
in 1.979
to the
lategreatperforming
artist,EdgarBergen.
Theimpishquatity
premierventriloquist
of oneof America's
figures."Charlie
McCarthy,"
is captured
fromthe artist'sinterpretation
of a
1930spubLicity
sti[[.Morethantwentyyearspasthis deathat age75,
Bergenremains
a majorinspiration
to today'sAmerican
ventriloquists.
Born
as Edgar
JohnBerggren
(1903-1978),
he couldeasilybe dubbed"TheFather
of Modern
American
Ventriloquism."
Hisstellarcareershotupwardfrom
vaudeville
to, of atl things,radio,andinto HoLLywood
motionpicturesand
tetevision.
Hebroughtthe art of ventriloquism
to the forefrontof American
popularcutture.Bergen,
whowassometimes
goaded
by his puppetside-kicks
for lazylip-control.remained
a brilliantcomedy
writeranddeveloped
charactersthat wererichin uncannypersonality
andcomicpossibitity.
Thecountry
"Mortimer
bumpkin
Snerd"andthe old maid"EffieKlinker"
haveaccompanied
"CharlieMcCarthy"
the monicled
into posterity.(SeealsoTheodore
Mack.)
rt
$$
(Uncle Sam)
\fith a careerthat spanneddecades,StanleyBurns (1919-1998)was best known for the unusual
and mysterious"Dr. Lichee"who magicallyappearedto remain aliveafter the ventriloquisthad
left the figure aloneon the stage.His main figure, "Bruce," is a Frank Marshall masterpiece,
and the figure "Uncle Sam"was carvedby the late George"Pinxy" Larson
and usedby Standuring rhe Bicentennialcelebrationsof America's
independence
in 1976.Stanleywas regardedas one of the nation's
foremost authoritieson the art of ventriloquism,havingamasseda major
private collectionof books, posters,playbills,puppersand photographs.
His talents were featured in the films DesperatelySeekingSwsanandRadio
Days. Justprior to his passing,he put the finishing toucheson a major
work on the history of ventriloquism,titled Other Voices:Ventriloquism
frorn B.C. to TV. to be releasedsoon as a CD-ROM. He lived in a
Manhattanhigh rise with his devotedwife and iong-timecompanion
SylviaBurns,in a home overflowing with a burgeoningcoliection
of fascinatingventriloquialmemorabilia. (Seealso Frank Marshall,
Pinxv and Shari Lewis.)
t
o
(Sam)
Polite
wasoftenbilledas'America's
vaudeville
headliner
African-American
ThisBrooklyn-born
(1S73-1966)
wouldperform
Cooper
ofVentriloquism,"John
Black
Napoleon
Ventriloquist"or"The
ventfigures
thathewould
many
setting
thatoftenincluded
barbershop
inacontrived
=
portraying
His
thebarber.
oneatatime,himself
andoperate
movebehind
Cooper
customers,
andvarious
boy,manicurist
included
theshoeshine
characters
andWinston
Biography
byLogan
;
Neqro
ofAmerican
isnotedintheDictionary
(WWNorton
and
character
1982),"Sam"
washisprincipal
andCo.,
NewYork,
€
=
in
whenheadlining
ashissolepartner
oftenappeared
nightspots
astheKitKat,
NewYork
suchfashionable
Hisdaughte;Joan
andtheElMonoco.
HotelLexington
for"Sam"to
leave
hasgraciously
consented
Maynard,
and
visitthe
Historical
Society
hishome
attheBrooklyn
E
JoanMaynard
Artsforthisexhibition,
Puppetry
Centerfor
=
fe$ivities
of
fortheopening
onhand
waspersonally
forPuppetry
Arts.(See
WHO
THAT!?!
attheCenter
SAID
Mack.)
also
Theodore
cn$
odn\
€{*
5X
crt
os
.9S
=E
Fl\
{JN
$
>N
,9
/
"Chuckles"
exemplifies
Fowle
r (1923-1994)
Charlie
therareperformerwhocombinedclowningwith the
alliedartsof magic,ventriloquismand"Punchand
=;E
Fashioned
|udy"into oneshow."Chuckles'Old
CircusSideShow"combinedall of these
-eF
=x
performance
andmoreinto a
techniques
programthatwasin greatdemandin the
Fowler
D.C.metropolitanareaduringmostof his lifetime.As a youngster,
Washington,
into
purchased
his first figurefrom FrankMarshallfor $35,whichCharlietransformed
"BumpsytheClownl'Muchof his influencein theart camefromclosecorrespondence
with ColonelBill BoleyandthelateKeith"OskartheClowrf'Parr(dates
relationships
of his actin"Chuckles'Clown
sharedtheinner-workings
Charliegenerously
unavailable).
publishedby theSocietyof American
Corner"in theNewOracleventriloquistmagazine
(SeealsoFoyE.BrownandFrankMarshall.)
Ventriloquists.
=E
=K E*
f=
eql
(IkeyMacGregor,
MissTillieAlbright)
the
(Dexter)
SpencerHorsman representsthe youngestof the newcomersto the art of ventriioquism.As
a child of eight he placedat a talent competitionat the Vent Haven ConVENTion. He was
invited to perform on the late Shorustarring David Lettermanon August 9, 1994,making
him the first and only ventriloquistto haveperformed on rhat program. An offspring of
two Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Baileyalumni clowns,Spencerhas inherited the gift of
e
6
figure) madenationalheadlineswhen he was temporarily lost by the
United StatesPostalServicewhile in transit to his hometownof
Baltimorefrom a refurbishingvisit on the \X/estCoast.A very sad
young Spencerwas featuredon nationaltelevisionandin People
Magazinewhile postal authoritiesscrambledto clearup a potenrial
public relationsdisaster.This "Dexter" was found and safely
returned,and subsequently
replacedby a larger and more marure
Tim Selbergcreationto match Spencer'sgrowrh into adolescence.
This time, little "Dexter" happily madethe trip to Atlanta through
the United StatesParcelServicewithout mishao.
Kt!T
$
(LambChop,HushPuppyandCharlieHorsevideoctips)
ThismultipleEmmyAward,Peabody
AwardandUN]MACitationof Excellence
recipientcouldeasilybe dubbedthe "FirstLadyof Amerjcan
Ventriloquism."
In a careerthat spanned
a 1.952
appearance
on ArthurGodfrey's
TalentScouts
throughthe continuing
successes
of PBS'LambChop's
Play-Along
andCharlie
Horse's
MusicPizza,ShariLewis(1933-1998)
Ledan amazing
careerwith her
beloved
handpuppets.
Sharidecided
puppets
earlyonthatthesmatl'er
cto.th
f^ .
were
v v s r s imore
lrvrs L
compatible
vilrpqLruls
with
v v r L r r rher
r g r petite
pgLtLt
)stature
LcrLutg o
and
i l u that
-.€:
,.
L i l g L they
L i l t r y o,sg;['
,r
"ffi&*
(D
bestdepicted
hernatural
warmth.
Asa child.shestudied
ventri[oquismWith.threeprofessional'*i'itbqyi't*-_re{
E.
u,
UilT,lf
i:[X'i^,1'fe','#if];i:fl
ili3il?1,(o'3n5.,Ip'.*6F'
herlatefather,the "0fficialMagician"
to the Cityof New
W,r'JQt
\, ]"
c.;
lfi','
j:ii:fl
#l+fi
li*i::fr
,.qryEgo
*T#{i{jii.t#*#ffi
York.Shariwasvehement
aboutnotatlowing
heryoung
3Y
Sadty.
Shiripassed
awayduring
therunof thisexhibition.
i€=
f .,.j .::. \'i g E
l5s
-IS€
(a{J+
(a:
ods
(Cat-A-Lion,
Duck)
Audrey
=:
ct$
oq
program
guestonthePBS
Dr,Linnroseto national
fameduringherappearances
asaspecial
Mister
Rogers'Neighborhoodin
the1970s.
Shespentseveralyears
atBoston
Children's
Hospital
puppet
intoa healing
forchildren.
combining
therapy
andventriloquism
dose
ofunderstanding
Shehaslectured
extensively
allovertheworldontheuseofpuppetry
asatherapeutic
tool.Her
puppets
"Cat-A-Lion"
handcrafted'Audrey
have
Duck"and
been
featured
inseveral
videoseries
designed
to helpchildren
copewith
fromdeathandlosstochronic
illness
and
difficultissues
ranging
abuse.
TheAudrey
displayed
inWHOSAID
THAT!?!
appeared
inthe
uideo
I'mStillMe:Helping
Children
Cope
withChildhood
Cancer,
U
iswearing
distributed
bytheLeukemia
Society.
Audrey
ascarf
because
shehaslostherhairdueto chemotherapy
treatments
for
childhood
cancer.
Dr.Linn's
mostrecent
workincludes
creating,
E
ginDifferent
writingandperformin
andfheSame:
Helping
(Family
Children
ldentify
andPrevent
Prejudice
Communica=
tions,Inc,,
Pittsburgh,
1996),an
videoseries
for
award-winning
I
performances
classroom
Dr,
Linn's
for
have
use,
live
children
,5
!
byanUNIMA
Citation
ofExcellence
andbythe
=
; & beenrecognized
Boston
Parents'Paper's
Performer
oftheYear
Award.
rrrL"
I rrtJwur\
(Scorch)
€N
gN
RonnLucassignifiesthenewbreedof innovativeartistswhopaidtheir
duesin theComedy
Clubgenreof the1980s
and90s.Lucas'winin a San
propelledhim ontoBroadway
Francisco
ComedyClubCompetition
to
starwith MickeyRooneyandAnn Miller in SugarBabiesandonto
Tonight
Show.Helaterstarredon Britishtelevisionin
fohnnyCarson's
his ownseriesin theearh90s.Shortlythereafter,"Scorchi'
fire-breathing
amagnificent
dragon,
wasdeveloped
intoamajornetwork
herein the
television
series
Ronn's
include
UnitedStates.
otheruniquetrade-marks
"Buffalo
Billy,'thesoftclothstylefigure;the
talking
"Mytooshie
lookslikeanelbow!";
sockroutine:
blowingupaballoonwhilethepuppetis singing;
and
gN
eql
thecreationof a clevermaskdevicethathaselevated
the
old standardventroutineof usinga volunteerfromthe
audience
to a wholenewlevelof technicalnovelgenius.
_=
E
g
=
v
the
(Lefty)
performer
Thislegendary
is probablybestknownin showbusiness
circlesas
a MasterMagician
andthe operatorof oneof the nation'slargestmagic
shops- Magic,Inc. in Chicago.
Asa sideact, he developed
an elegantvent
bit with "Lefty,"whichquickl.y
caughton andled him
to 14 appearances
on the EdSullivan
Showand
generated
popularity.
immense
TheSmithsonian
"Lefty"
glove
Institution
puppet,and
owns
this
E
graciously
has
lentit to usfor this exhibit.
Marshall
recentlyencoredhistrademark
routineanduniquecomicrendition
of the
e
song"If I HadMyWay"with "Lefty"at the
1997Festival
of the Puppeteers
of America
3
"Punchand
in Toledo.
Jayis atsoa renowned
Judy"performer
andcoltector.
q
=
(DannyO'Day, Farfel)
No ventriloquist is adored and admired more by his peers than Jimmy Nelson. Jimmy
continuesto perform his characters,best known to millions as the stars of the famed
Nestle' commercialswhich aired from 1955-1965."Danny" would sing his clearfalsetto:
"N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestle's makes the very besr", followed by "Farfel's" lower and nasal
"Chaw-klit!" Nelson holds the distinction as havingone of America'slongestassociations
as a TV spokesmanfor a commerciaisponsor.Our exhibition featuresan original Frank
z
Marshall carved"Danny O' Day", completewith crying eyesand a
smoking device,along with a cloned version (by Ray Guyll) of
Frank Marshall's"Farfel". Jimmy Nelson hasbeen
voted "Ventriloquist of the Year" at the Vent Haven
Museum.He receiveda similar honor at the Las
VegasConventionin the summerof 1998.Jimmy
alwaystakestime to greet aspiringventriloquistsor
to sign autographs.His Instant Ventriloquism
=
(furo, 1964)record has coaxedthousandsof
potentialventriloquistswith their store-bought
"Danny O'Day" dolls (from GoldbergerDoll
Company,Brooklyn) to practicethe art. (Seealso
Frank Marshall.)
(_
(s0l
0t
-l
o
F
(a_-
(Dirty
OldMan)
{r:\
performer
isfrequently
Hailing
fromQueens,
NewYork,this
billed
WillieandRosco,"
throughout
theareaas'Chilly
Theyare
featured
inthe"Ventriloquist's
Dummy
regularly
Choir"
on
Conan
)'Brienshowandrecently
touredBudapest
NBC's
(circa
"Dirty
OldMan"
1987)
withthatprogram.
wasat
onetimeusedbytheperformer
foradultparties,
The
figure
wasdonated
byWillie
totheCenter
for
Puppetry
Artsforthenoteworthy
AFRICAN
exhibition
AND
AFRICAN-AMERICAN
PUPPETRY
whichwas
curated
bySchroeder
Cheny
in 1994."Dirty
OldMan"
wasinitiallypurchased
fromtheMaher
Studios,
of
Littleton,
Colorado,
oneoftheworldslargest
suppliers
offigures
andeducational
materials
toventriloquists,
and
(See
publishers
[/enfs, back
ofNewsy
cover,)
(ax
5t
ct
o
ofli
=
=
(PluggerMcPat,FoyBrownBoy,Shaun)
"PluggerMcPat"is a woodenCraigLovikfiguresubsequently
paintedby NewYorkartist
Philomena
Maranothatstarredin theNewYork
stageplayHk Master\Voice
by DickD.
Zigunin NewYork1985."Plugger"
wasanevildummywho,whenequipped
with a toy
machine
gun,posedanominousthreatto theventriloquist's
mentalhealth."The
Foy
Brown Boy"(circa1985)waspurchased
asanintended
copyof anearlierFoyBrown
workcalled"Obie"whohadappeared
at theCenterfor PuppetryArts
In Concertl'Asis
andvenues
aroundtheworldin"ToddStockman
=P
sooftenthecase,
thewood-carved
replicaneverquitecaptures
the
uniquecharmor character
of theoriginal,evenwhencopiedby the
F-e
Institutionhaslent"Shaunl'a
originalartist.TheSmithsonian
basic"CharlieMcCarthy"
dollrecreated
intoa newcharacter
by Todd'smother."Shaun"appeared
with theteen-aged
performerat theWhiteHousefor a DiplomaticChildrent
Christmas
Partyin 1978hostedby JimmyandRosalyn
(SeealsoAboutTheAuthor/Curator
Carter.
andFoyBrown.)
ff
qF
the
(Rudy)
The king of "Kidshow" ventriloquism,Mark \x/adehas concenrratedon children's
entertainmentin a most successfulcareerthat includeshundredsof performanceseach
year in schoolassemblies
and concerts.Mark prefers ro use rhe softer, Muppet-stylecloth
PuPpetsand purports that they are much more popular with today's children'saudiences
than the traditional woodenvariety. At one time, "Rudy" was rhe staple
star of his ventriloquismact. "Rudy" is a prime exampleof the rare
and wonderful craftsmanshipof the lateJack Coats(,1931-1973).
Mark generouslysharedhis experiences
in creatingand
performing a kid's show in the hardcoverKid Show
Ventriioquism (SamuelPatrick Smith Publications,1996).
Mark Wade had servedas founder and presidentof the Society
of AmericanVentriloquists(SAV) from 1976-1986,
which is,
sadly, no longer in existence.The SAV publication TheNew
Oracle remainsa treasuredcollector'sitem. (SeealsoJack
Coats.)
g*
*€
c=
E=
'-E
-E
(CeciliaChicken,
Johnny's
Sister)
Nooneamongventriloquists
hasbecome
moreof a showbusiness
iconthan
Sefrorwences,
whosecareerhasspanned
the entirecentury.wenceslao
Moreno.
with his "S'a[[right?S'a[[right!"and"Difficultfor you,for meifs
easy,"fromPedro's
head-in-the-box
andJohnny's
faceon a'fist, respectively,
hasdevetoped
two of the mostadmiredandaffectionatety
parodied
tributei
g
= to the art of the noveltyact. sefrorwences
was
brought
to the forefrontof
6
popcultureasa recurring
America_n
staron the Edsullivanshow,the hugety
h
weeklytelevision
= successfuI
varietyprogram
that ranfrom194gto 1.971..
Wences
madeat least48 appearances
on the show.Today,
the
a
streetoutsidethe legendary
EdSullivanTheater
in Newyork
is renamed
"SefrorWences
Way"in tributeto this
E
z
reigningkingof varietyentertainment.
Heresides
'E
a coupleof blocksawayat the enviabte
ageof
102.
pleased
We
are
to
gir[
display
puppet
a
fist
g
q
=
usedbySefror
Wences
in a TVcommercial,
anda
headof thebeloved
"Cecilia
puppet.
Chicken"
o
:I
n
o
o
cn
FI
A
q
+J
\LJ
.rr
A.
o *v.s
5
od
\
J\
l€
lP
EA
=o
Eddie
0'ConnoO
(AuntMartha
Hawkeye,
MaandPaMcGrew,
Bear,
Senator
Horatio
andClarence,
headlining
ofaperformer
isastellar
example
career
shows,Weston's
LasVegas
revue
Thestarof numerous
Estenson
HewasbornEarlHenry
to latepartofthecentury.
shows
duringthemiddle
revue
inthecasino
himself
hefound
broadcast,
(1926-1996)
Bergen
age,
inspired
byanEdgar
Atanearly
inMinneapolis.
(byMartinStevens
tothe
Later,
heswitched
performing
O'Connor"
with"Eddie
familyshows
,1904-'1983),
paththattook"Dick
andClarence"to
Weston,
AuntMartha
onacareer
before
embarking
clubcircuit,
supper
Hotel;
theStardust
Show"at
onthe"Lido
included
28months
inLasVegas.
Hiscareer
thetopofthemarquee
Inn;and
bothattheDesert
on"Pizzaz7Ol
and12months
America"show
15months
atthe"Hello
intoanactive
retiring
inthe1980sbefore
Palace
atthelmperial
in"Bravo
Vegas"
paintings.
painter
Hisworkwas
ofneo-impressionist
asaremarkable
avocation
attheLas
Weston"
ofDick
posthumously
andPointillism
in"ThePuppets
featured
withthe
allofhisownventfigures,
Dick
Weston
created
in 1997.
Vegas
ArtMuseum
-1993)
(unknown(1917
Williams
andLemuel
builders
JohnShirley
helpofpuppet
a
wood
andpossess
ofplastic
areconstructed
creations
1954),
AllWeston
hallmark
asaventriloquist.The
Weston's
rusticcharm
thatbecame
distinctive
(constructed
"Clarence"
in1954)
andtheinebriated
Martha"
saucy"Aunt
(1959)
characters,
fame.
Alloftheother
himachieve
hisgreatest
helped
priorto his
in 1949andwereretired
crafted
0'Connor,"were
except"Eddie
Bergen,)
andEdgar
in 1959.(See
alsoMartinStevens
anivalin LasVegas
(ferry Mahoney,
Smiff)
Knucklehead
weremajorstarson1950s
Institution
duoonloanfromtheSmithsonian
Thisdynamic
and
Mahoney
Showfrom1950-1954
includingThePaulWinchell-lerry
networktelevision,
by
Theoriginal"]erry"wascarved
the1980s.
through
andvarietyshows
in variousseries
+,
cc)
(courtesy
NationalMuseumof
FrankMarshall."Knucklehead"
figure-maker
Chicago
byWinchell
created
to
have
been
Institution)is alleged
AmericanHistory,Smithsonian
wasalsocreatedby FrankMarshall
himself.SomeexpertstheorizethatIfuucklehead
for
by Winchell.Hisbook,Ventriloquism
andtransformed
(0ttenheimer,
1954),
was
very
Baltimore,
FunandProfit
ofventriloquismand
in teachingthetechniques
successful
of potentialyoung
to a newgeneration
dummy-making
a patentin
Dr.Winchellreceived
artists.As a side-note,
heart
for
the
artificial
models
1963for oneof theearly
whichkepta calfalivefor 94days.Heresidestodayoutside
California,andrecentlymadea rarepersonal
LosAngeles,
to muchacclaim.
Convention
at
appearance aVentriloquist
(SeealsoFrankMarshall.)
N
eql
EF
z6
=€
i6e
z6
EE
triE
+it
-e '5
ra
-sA
E.9
EE
=.E
=!P
EE
(SisterMaryAnnette)
PadyBlackwood
hadno ideawhathewasgetting
into
when
"sisterMaryAnnette"for
he
created
s
the originalNewYorkproduction
of Danny
"Nunsense."
Goggin's
The
show
has
burgeoned
E.
into oneof America's
mostproduced
musical
showsandlongestrunning0fF-Broadway
hits.
<g
Actress
Semina
Delaurentis
received
much
=:.
de
acclaimin this ro[e,andwenton to performit
!i
in the videoversionin the early90s.Pady's
popularnun puppetshavesubsequently
appeared
in thousands
of peiformances
aroundthe worldof "Nunsense,"
"Nunsense
2" and,,Nunsense
3.,,
Btackwood_is
widelyknownasthe principaL
manipulator
of "HowdyDoody,"
havingperforqgdthe famousmarionette
for televisionandliveappearanceswith BuffaloBobsmith(1918-1998)
sincethe 1970s.Hewasalsoa
puppetworks
longtimeprincipalpuppeteer
with the Bit BairdMarionettes,
andDreamstuff
Puppets
in NewYork.Padynowresides
in Dar.r.as,
Texas.
E
the
g III
Pgq
H?.
trFr
Flt
L(D
(Foy BrownBoy,Miss Ti[ie AlbrighQ
As oneof the mostprolific figuie-makers
of the lastcentury,
Foy E. Brown (1901-1989)
turnedout hundredsof ventriloquist
figuresand "PunchandJudy"puppersduringhis career.A sonof
ventriloquistCharlesE. Brown (1.862-1947),
Foy wouldoften
carvethe front half of the headin moreeasilycarvedbasswood,andthe backhalf from the lessexpensive
andmore
readilyavailable
pine.His puppershavean unmistakable
style
andlook aboutthem andarealwaysbrandedwith the smalldie
"FEBFigures"on the head-stick
andinsidethe head."Miss
Tillie Albright" andthe "Foy BrownBoy" figuressharethese
familialresemblances
andbirthmarks.Brown'sworkshopwas
locatedin Lawrence,
Kansas,
andremained
very activeuntil the
c
artist's death in 1989.Someprofessionalventriloquiststhat have
usedFoy BrownfiguresincludeTodd Oliver,Dennis
Bowman,GregClausen,TommieAtkins and BobMason
(1924-1,998).
(SeealsoCharlieFowlerandTodd Stockman.)
=
Y]:f
-(a
o
(RudY)
S{
c)
rrl
\\
s\
(1931-1973)wasborninDetroit
among
andisrevered
Leroy
JackCoats
great
figure-maken
of
the
of
the
collectors
as
one
ventriloquists
and
bythelookofthehugely
century.
Muchofhislaterworkwasinfluenced
Hisearlyworks
Frank
Marshall.
successful,
andmorefamous,
to
possess
styleoftheirown,According
andunique
acharming
his
three
of
Coats
and
owner
of
expert
on
aleading
GaryKoepke,
hours
a night
on
ofthree
acarving
schedule
figures,"With
fourhours
on
andanother
andFriday
Monday,Tuesday,Thursday
year
plus
a
allthe
about40figures
Coats
carved
Saturday,Jack
generated,Jack's
wife
Patdidall
his
shop
repaints
that
repairs
and
clients
duringthelate60sandearly70sincluded
thewigging,Jack's
ofthe
BillDeMar
andmany
Vonda
KayVan-Dyke,
former
MissAmerica
(See
Wade.)
Mark
inthebusiness."also
topvents
c
=
(Dr.Lee,PunkGirl)
a careerbetweentravelingon thehigh seasasa ventriloquist
foelLederbalances
revues,
with craftinginventive
headlineron CarnivalCruiseLineandstarringin LasVegas
Herecentlyclonedcopies
in his LasVegasgarage/workshop.
anduniqueventcharacters
Lederprefersto cast
"Walter"puppetfor a Hertztelevisioncommercial.
of |eff Dunham's
in fiberglass.|oelhasdeveloped
characters
his originallydesigned
andkookypuppetsthatare
a freshstylethatincludesnew-age
basedand/orof a morehorrificgenre.
science-fiction
sometimes
including
His characters
areusedwidelyby manyprofessionals,
.r
"Elvird'
is a truly
DialogueMagazineeditorBobLadd,whose
"Dr.Lee"andthe"PunkGirl"are
Ledercreation.
memorable
of his uniqueandfreshcartoon-likestyle."Punk
two examples
G-e
-F-" =
VisitorstoWHOSAIDTHAT!?!
Girl"is actuallytwo-faced.
hertwo
heranddiscovering
haveenjoyed
walkingaround
din The
distinctpersonalities.
Joeland"Dr.Lee"appeare
(1995),
currentlyin videorelease.
Irnmortals
(Sam)
Theodore
Mackwasthe revered
figure-maker
whocreatedthe original"Charlie
perhaps
Mccarthy,"
the mostfamousventfigureof a[[time.Ventriloquists
havedebatedaboutthe creatorof Chartie
for years.A youngEdgarBergen
boughtthe puppetat the MackBrothers
(the brotherwascharles
workshop
Mack)in the 1920s.EdgarBergen
wroteto mein the late1970sattesting
that the original"Chartie"
wascreatedby "Theo"Mack,andI havepersonalty
inspected
the originalwood-carved
versionthat is nowpartof the permanenl
collectionof the smithsonian
Institution'sNationalMuseum
of American
Historyin Washington,
D.C.Bergen
hadseveral
versions
of "Charlie"
manufacturedin lateryearsfroma varietyof materials,
whichhaveaddedto the
confusion.
It is suspected
that someofthesehavebeenacquired
andfurther
duplicated
by collectors.
One"char[ie."allegedto havebeenusedby Bergen,
recentty
soldfor morethan $100,000
by a top auctionhouseto famed
magician
DavidCopperfield.
WearedeLighted
to displaya wonderful
treasure
fromthe Mackworkshop
with JohnW.Cooper's
"Sam,"createdin the early
partof the twentiethcentury.(SeealsoEdgarBergenandJohnW.Cooper.)
the
J '.II
m
3g
3r Jrlo
slt
F(D
fi.rry Mahoney,Ikey MacGegor,Tommy Knots, Girl, Danny O'Day)
The lateFrankMarsh^ll09A0-1.969)
is admiredandrespected
amongventriloquists
for his
fine craftsmanship.
His style,popularizedby'Jerry
Mahoney"and"DannyO'Day,',sera
trendthat quintessentially
represents
the 1950sand1960stelevision
era.Marshallturnedout
Mahoney" from the SmithsonianInstitution; CharlieFowler's
"Ikey MacGregor;"and the "Tommy Knots" and "Girl"
figures,on loan from Alan Semok. Those figures were
original and popuiar novelty items Marshall churnedout
E
I
on his "dupii-carver"machine.Jimmy Nelson,who still
performs with his original "Danny O'Day," "Farfel,"
and "Humphrey Higsbye" characrers,wrote in a 1,979
tribute, "Frank Marshallwas the world's greatest
figure-maker;that goeswithout saying." (Seealso Charlie
Fowler, Jimmy Nelson and Paul \ilinchell.)
3
N$,
FF
$CD
hI
u,
o
(Uncle
5am)
>\
(cir(a1865-1960)
"Pinxy"
Hiswife,
ofChicago,
forGeorge
Larsen
nickname
wastheprofessional
andJudy"
were
noted"Punch
Pinxy"(unknown-l948).They
known
as"Madame
Grace,was
performers.
handcrafted
ventfigures
forsaleintheearlyto mid
manufactured
Hesometimes
style.
ofthe"Pinxy"
Burns,
isaprimeexample
Sam,"
onloanfromSylvia
20thcentury."Uncle
(See
Burns.)
also
Stanley
)
FT
Ff q.
J\
A
(Gran'pa)
Knownthroughouttheindustryasthe"DummyDoctorl'AlanSemokmaintainsgreat
refurbishes,
respectfor theclassicstyleventfiguresashelovinglyandpainstakingly
them.Hehascraftedscoresof originalfiguresfor otherventriloquists
clonesor creates
r
the"Gradpa"in time for this exhibition.He
fromhis Newferseystudio,completing
worksin themoretraditional"kneefigure"style,andSemok
figuresalwayscapturea rarerichnessof emotionin theface.
Alanis alsobusyoutsidetheshopperformingasa ventriloquist,
aswellasnowservingastheofficialvoice
actorandpuppeteer,
for their estate.
Alanhasdeveloped
of two of "TheThreeStooges"
reputationfor refurbishinggreatventriloquist
a world-renowned
Doodyi'to
including"Howdy
figuresandotherpuppets,
(See
theiroriginalgrandeur. alsoFrankMarshall.)
U
e
(Eddie0'Connor)
FrP
]{9
ff
q-f
E
odji
q
{
eql=
E
great
(1904-1983)
is knownas oneof America's
MartinStevens
(1899-1983),
marionettists,
whoalongwith partnerandwife0[gaStevens
throughout
the US.Hewasthe first
touredtheir puppetshowsextensively
"Eddie
is oneof
in 1937.
0'Connor"
of America
of the Puppeteers
President
figuresbelieved
to havebeencrafted
onlysix ventriloquist
wassoldto
by MartinStevens."EddieO'Connor"
(1896-7952)
in the 1.930s
and
dealerFredMaher
Landed
on the lapof a youngEar[Estenson
subsequentLy
the careerof the
in 1943and[aunched
in Minneapolis
E.E E
E.E;
FE.a
promising
youngartistlaterknownasDickWeston
(1926-1,996).
"Eddie0'Connor"
is craftedin wood
dough.(SeealsoDickWesfon.)
ToddStockman
istheauthor
ofthiscatalog
andcurator
ofWHO
SAIDTHAT!?!:THE
ART 9'
0FTHE
C0NTEMP0RARY
AMERICAN
VENTRIL0QUIST,
Besides
becoming
anationally
recognized
expert
andhistorian
inthefieldsofventriloquism
puppetry,
and
hehas
enjoyed
anaward-winning
career
thathastakenhimaround
theworldfromAnchor- c-|.
performing
agetoZanzibar
onluxurious
ocean
liners.
Hetworked
ontelevision
c-|.
projects
produced
byChildrenl
Television
Workshop
andMisterRogers'
Neighborhood;5
o
andonmanynationalTV
commercials,Todd
appeared
onceattheWhiteHouse
for
(1936,1990),
President
Jimmy
Carter
withJimHenson
andonceforPresident
George st
(1933-1
(191i-l 985),
Bush
withShari
Lewis
Hehasbeentrained
998).
byBurrTillstrom
coached
byKermit
Love,
c-F
anddirected
byFrank
02,Hehascurated
exhibitions
attheLasVegas
ArtMuseum,
andworks
fromTheTodd
!'
Stockman
Collection
have
appeared
"Puppets
inprominent
exhibitions
nationwide,
including
andThings
on
Strings"
attheSmithsonian
lnstitution,
Heisafrequent
contributor
publications
to several
national
including
lhe t',!
Puppetry
lournal,Todd
haswonfourManhattan
Association
ofCabaret's"MAC
Awards'jand
thehighest
recognio
performer
tionawarded
(Union
toanindividual
intheartofpuppetry:The
Citation
ofExcellence
byUNIMA
g
1.,:l
Internationale
delaMarionnette),
puppetry
aninternational
organization,
Hespent
thespring
andsummer
of
1998serving
asTechnical
Advisor
andpuppeteer
fordirector
TimRobbins'
plcture
newmotion
litledTheCradle st
C+
WillRock.Iodd
Stockman
calls
bothNewYork
CityandBaltimore
home,
ct
o
tr
tr
o
o
1.,!
I rnust ;rcknowledgea new and undying respectfor curarors everywhere.
Thanks to: Nancy Lohman Staub for her initial support and coordination to m;rke this idca a reality. Nancy's thorough
intesrity as ;1careful historian of puppetry arts is ;rn inspir;rtion.Rod Yor"rng.Richard Terrr-rine.
Alan "Cookie" Cook who knows
tlore,rbout curating puppet exhibitions than anyone. Ellcn Hughes' graceful coordination at the Srnithsonian.SchroederCherry
for support ,rrtdlaughs.The Brooklyn Historical Society and Jo:rnMaynard. George Latshaw. Joc Palermo and rhe Las Vegas Art
Museutn. Gary Koepke. Alan Scmok. SidneyMyer. Mark Levenson,Lettie Connell Schubert,Alice Rhodes, Larry Engler, Addis
Villiarrs, Norma Bigler, Pady Blackwood, Mark \fladc, Bob Ladd, Chillv \X/illie,Joel and Denise Lcdcr. Mr. And Mrs. \Wenceslao
Morcno. Patricia Fowler. Stan ar-rdSylvi;rBurns. Bernie and Ken Horsrn;u. Todcl Tillson and Lcwis and Lamb, Inc., and the
colrrageoLrs
Shari Lewis, Jimrny Nelson, Clinton Detweiler, Dennis Alwood, Dan Ritchard, and Ronn Lucas. Dr. SusanLinn. Nick
Coppol;r for consistentand trustcd guidance.The New York Public Library, Enoch Pratt Free Libary, Lincoln Center for the
Pcrfonnir.rsArts. George'Warner and Ann McHr-rgh for my first bre;rk.
Ancl of course, I extend personaland extra specialthanks to the Center St;lff: Vincent Anthony, whosc vision and dedication
h"rscrcated ancl developedthis world-class Cer-rterfor Puppctry Arts, Forrncr Museum Dircctor Don;'LAarronwho laid ,r great deal
of thc groundwork. Congratulations to new Museurn MalnagerSus;rnKirrncy on her first exhibition. Muscum Registrar Anne
L;rr.rford. Markcting Director Debbie George, for supen'isine this catalos :rnd arr:rnging publicity. And the photographerswhose
credits appcar throughor-rt.C;rthy Northen. D;rre M;rrtin. And the Center's ofr unsuns hcroine, Lisa Rhodes. Alex:rnder "Xan"
Dccb. Ancl the :rrtistry of dcsignerJoe Peragine.
St
o
F
5
o
€
l-,
(D
I
gq
(D
3
(D
it
j-|.
v,
aid
Th"tl?t
5
W.ho
the art oi tho ContempoitryaineriCanventriloquist
presented
4, leee
bFrthercentefr[i#lffr#r;rr;1ilr.?, tees- january
anexhibition
exhibitioncurator and catalogauthor - todd stockman. museummana$er- susankinney
exhibitiondesigner- joe peragine. catalo$designer- debbiesavannahgeorge
the.rulton
\ajor.funding.is yrovidra \v
r .t AR$Fr:LroNcou\ryARrscouNCrLs
or f,ne '
Lountg Lommrssron under Ene
guroance
I
for moreinformationon the art of ventriloquismand puppetry:
DialogueMagazine
BobLadd,Editor
103IronwoodCourt
Vinton,VA24179-4923
[email protected]
NewsyVents
Editor
ClintonDetweiler,
Box420
Littleton,CO80160
[email protected]
Puppetry|ournal
GayleSchluter,
Membership
Chair
#5 Cricklewood
Path
Pasadena.
CA91107
www.puppeteers.org
PuppetryInternational
UNIMA-USA
NW
1404SpringStreet,
Atlanta.
GA30309
www.unima-usa.org
[email protected]
Theotticial hotel:
FULTON
COUNTY
antg
COUNCIL
=
z
@
CIIY OF ATUNTA
Theoftl.l.l TV it.tlon:
Brnnem
^-o,tn"ffINN
NU
Atlanta
lVidtown
1470
Spring
Street,
N!1/
Atlanta,GA
30309
4M-872-5821
Xii"it"
AirLines
fortheArts,
inpartbytheNational
Endowment
forPuppetry
Artsisanon-profit,
tax-exempt
0rganization
andissuppofted
TheCenter
Asembly,
the
fortheAnsthrough
theappropriati0ns
oftheGeorgia
General
theJimHenson
Foundation,
theGeorgia
council
Commission
under
the
Fulton
county
C0mmission
under
theguidance
oftheFuhon
county
Artscouncil,
thetultonCounty
program,
guidance
fortheArts,Inc.,
theCityof
County
Board
ofCommissioners
andDeKalb
Council
oftheFRESH
theDeKalb
andfoundations.
TheCenter
isa
Bureau
ofCultural
Affairs
andcontributions
fromindividuals,
corporations
Atlanta
ofUNIMA-USA.
member
oftheAtlanta
Coalition
ofTheatres
andserves
asHeadquarters
centerfor puppetryarts
o
1404sprin$street,nw . atlanta,ga 90309
ticket salesoffice:404-8?3-3391
website: wwvlr.puppet.or$
com
emaillpuppet@mindspring.
Copgright@Centerfor PuppetrgArts,l998. trirstLdition.