VENTRILOQUIALLY YOURS

2011 VENT HAVEN CONVENTION-FT MITCHELL KENTUCKY

2011-07-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

This was a convention that should not have been missed this will be one that will be remembered for your lifetime, having Jay Johnson, Terry Fator, Jeff Dunham and Jimmy Nelson on the same stage in the same 2 hours no to out do the other entertainment present through out the room, all world class ventriloquists. There were so many names in that room it was a virtual who's who with vents from all over the world and representing almost every state. The international show usually not quite understood, was stupendous, not one bit dull, all upward in spirit.
The first day We signed in and the camera's were rolling Neil Leifer was there to film and document the happenings from the moment it began to its final seconds. The gift were wonderful, we rec'd a keep sake scrap book of Jimmy Nelson's life, of which I got signed by as many people as I could as well as a wonderful poster to be framedI also got many signatures on it. Buttons which we were told to trade each package contained four buttons of Jimmys four characters, Danny, Farfel, Humphrey Higsbye and Ftatateeta and then a larger button for $2. which went to the museum. On to the first timers of which they broke records 104 newbies and at this time 465 present, but wait that will change by the end of the convention 539 present. Now its time to meet the Nelsons (no time tonight for dinner) Mark introduced Jimmy and Betty Nelson to a standing Ovation...I had an opportunity to ask Jimmy about his contract with the Nestles corporation. Then the official opening with Brook Brookings and Mark and then the big wednesday night show Mc'd by Bob Hammill and Philip Jones..as Laurel and Hardy, Swami (like Carnac and presenter of the questions) then Philip as Sarge Sound, the other entertainement was the fabulous Mike Himmelgarn and his juggling and vent, Neal Bacon with 3 of his characters and Pete Michaels... Then woman got their turn at the round table discussing woman in vent, Lynn Trefzger-Joy, Peggy Miller, Sylvia Fletcher, Liz Von Seggen and Mary Kingsley I didn't stay for the entire discussion due to Al Good having a vent piece for me, but as I was leaving they began heckling me, all I could say was sorry but I must do a man's thing and left.
2nd Day Mark greeted us and then presented Gary Owen gave us a lecture on adding vocal variety to our act..beginning with some warm up scales, then he told us to in the gary owen style (from laugh in) hear ourselves say hello, the lecture included various types of personalities, rough, soft, well you know Virginia Peterson and Neal Bacon and one other who slips my memory presently went on stage for Gary to help them with a new voice.
Mark Wade and Ken Grove take the stage again to lecture us on Generating Great Ideas for Vents...Such as Marks Crying baby routine using a aud vol. How to write a routine using the wheel style with the theme as the hub, ect. A new Idea from Axtell and Kokodo, a mouth piece and fake mic...they are selling very fast, he is now backed up 3 months...An announcement was made that the lecture Comedy converstions was recorded and available in the dealers room. Hey its Lunch time...YUM!!! returning to the Junior open Mic with Bob Isaacson who presented his character Donny O'Day a cousin to Danny and did a bit on that. 5-8 junior vents presented their talent, one better then the next. Now lets see if the seniors can out do the juniors, wow it was tough..5-8 senior vents as well. Al Getler was the mc for this portion of the show. Now on to another round table discussion What Makes a Pro presented again by Al Getler, the panel consisted of Pete Michaels, Don Bryan, Dan Horn, Peggy Miller, Sammy King and The Dummy Doctor Alan Semok...Sorry can't share much about this due to having other thingsd needed to get done. Dinner Time...and Open Dealer room... Now moving on to the event of the convention The Jimmy Nelson feature, Tom Ladshaw presents 'The Jan 2011 Archieve Filming of The Jimmy Nelson Life Story for bothe the vent Haven Museum and Museum of Television and Radio this was a 15 min snipet with Q and A to follow after a presentation of Jimmy Nelson to another standing O.
Followed by Gen'l open Mic which went on till 2 am (the second night went to 3 am.
3rd Day was our work shops in the moring covering a wide range of topics followed by the group photos as picture time with our friends..followed by lunch, boy do we eat a lot...After lunch, it was time for dinner, hahahha!! no we went on to learn how to create photos to tell stories presented by Bob Rumba, 3 people were chosen to make a new picture, they were Neale Bacon, Dirk Golden and sorry her name escapes me at this time but she had a pretty blue wrap around bird...Bob showed us how to pose ourselves and the character pupets to sell the act. One of the highlights of the week was A Conversation with Terry Fator, Mark presented Terry to a standing O questions that mark threw out at him regarding his career, from how he got involved in vent. Then questions were asked by various members of the audience, I asked him the usual stuff as my involvement..then he brought out Winston and performed What a Wonderful World, he only brought Winston with him, alright everybody same time Awwwww!!! Time to do that thing we vents do alot of DINNER!!!!
JIMMY NELSON 70 YEARS OF LAUGHTER-Mark Presented Tom Ladshaw who told us some of the high lights of Jimmy Nelsons career..then presented a 70 minute film of his life, where as Jimmy remarked when he was presented his just rewards, "I felt like I died."
When the film ended,An aside I was a very fortunate vent to sat directly behind Betty and Jimmy. When it was Jimmy turn to take the stage again he did it to a thunderous applause, now its time to give back to him for the many years he has given to us. Many acculades were bestowed upon him, from the Mayor of Ft Mithcell,He received letters from both congress and the senate, The Gov'nor of the state sent him a letter as well as a letter from President Obama.
Donald Woodward presented Jimmy Nelson with his likeness in wood Alfaro made a bronze bust, the museum renamed one of the buildings in his honor and a sign (banner) was also presnted to him a copy of which was won by a vent in the raffle. Ok Now the Raffle with proceeds going to the museum, many nice items were donated to the raffle, too many to name here, but there were figures electronics and two major figures one by Jim Eisenberg from Ventriloquist Sidehows and the major award from MAT puppets... Ok you think you might have had enough for one day, well think again vents of many talents, time for the open mic, which began at 11:30 pm and went on to the wee hours 3:30 to be exact.
I needed the hospitality room, oh have I said the hospitality room was open since Wed 9pm
and every evening till the convention closed.
4th Day- The International Show-MC'd by Stevo Shuling, the talents of Peter and Mary Kingsley(Canada) who used Mark Stise in a part of her show, next we had Frodolin Calindo Kalt (Switzerland) Johnny Welsh (Mexico) Sarah Jones (Australia)..How much I enjoyed this international show this year is way beyond discription, it was exceptional. After the show was finished with a standing O included in the show, we moved on to the Panel discussion with all the talent from the show/which we didn't have because it ran to long Steve said "more show less talking"...Back to the show, Peter and Mary opened their show to singing and had the audience joining in, they brought up Mark Stise, and her old lady figure sang to him. Then they used Keven Barnett turning him into a human dummy.Sarah Jones gave us a demo on her children's shows, not very different then american childrens shows, Johnny Welsh gave us a fabulous hat routine that was as funny as you can possibly imagine...Hey guess what were doing now, can you guess, WERE EATING AGAIN!!!!LUNCH.. Ok I ate a quick sandwich and took a nap, its off to the museum to see the new Jimmy Nelson display in his very own building. as well as building where my pictures were in, a braggert am I, yes yes!!!! This went on till 4PM Next came a lecture to end all lectures by Jeff Dunham, it was suposed to be on how to write a 5 minute routine, well he did tell us how in less then 5 minutes, what made the lecture was, it should have been titled WELCOME TO THE FUTURE...What was it about you might ask?? How to clone your dummy, thats right you can now print any dummy with the aid of a new machine and new technology, watch for the first copies to be coming out in Nov/Dec 2011 Keep you eyes and ears tuned to Jeff Dunham...Alright time for the all star show...with Mark Merchant, Peggy Miller, Don Bryan and Gary Hunter mc'd by Mark Merchant, I don't need to tell you how talented each of these vents are great show..The Dealer rooms open again till mid night and hospitality room..sliders, pizza, snacks, drinks, poolside, all are part of the offerings and don't forget to tip your bar maid. Well thats the story of the convention hope you liked it and anyone with any thing to add please do...Good bye to Vent Haven Con 2011 and lets get ready for 2012...add your comments and questions.

SOME HISTORY FROM RUSSO LEWIS

2011-07-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hi N Jay
The main difference between entertaining with ventriloquism today as opposed to the way it was in the 60s and 70s.is in it’s new varieties of application.

As fine art (realism) is to abstract art, ventriloquial characterizations; the realistic urban type, cheeky boy character, Charlie McCarthy, in America, or Archie Andrews in the UK, Jerry Mahoney, or Nelson’s Danny character, their sidekick offsets, the country bumpkin, Mortimer, or Nelson’s Humphry Higsby, even Ricky Laine‘s Velvel were standard applications of the art. This includes Senor Wences, face on a hand or voice in a box…”S’awright!”

Today, however, the art transcends the tradition in a number of ways. There is the musical bent by way of Terry Fator’s impressionism and abstracted oddities…such as the purple Woozel by Dunham, highly acceptable and successful.

Sherry Lewis acted as a bridge in a way between the earlier system and the present one. She successfully demonstrated that the ventriloquial illusion was broad enough in its scope to manifest with even a sock puppet.

As to puppets for ventriloquists we went from wood to cloth to latex. Ventriloquial puppet designers such as Steve Axtell’s latex models and his mechanical variations, (a talking drawing board) hypotheticaly move the traditional puppet form for the ventriloquist into the computer generated character forms.
fat and green or skinny and gray, Shrek and his talking donkey, Woozles or singing troubadours, all forms are acceptable to the ventriloquist , his or her imagination and their audience.

Where once upon a time such concepts most certainly would have been considered too odd and too far ahead of their time to be understood by people of that era, with the introduction of comedy into the form in the late 19th century, ventriloquists and their audiences have seen continual changes in the ventriloquist’s application. Between the late 50‘ into the 60‘s and 70‘s, to the present time, today’s huge menu of variety entertainment, live and broadcast has served to educate and increase ventriloquism‘s potential target audience, always seeking some new and different characterization of earlier art forms.

'DUMBSTRUCK' THE MOVIE

2011-04-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Attending the convention last year gave me the opportunity to view the movie and must say was very impressed with what I saw. The awards that this movie has won were well deserved. From Fators climb to the top as well as the heart breaks of many of the vents profiled. Hope everyone who get the chance to view this movie enjoys it as well as I did. This is a must see movie for those who like ventriloquism and the behind the scenes stuff you don't normally see. Go See Dumbstruck..

JIM CARLO FROM SPORTS HERO TO MAGICIAN AND CHILDRENS ENTERTAINER

2011-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Jim Carlo known to the world of childrens entertainment and close up magic as Jimbo,Jimbo, has been a professional magician for over 20 years. In this time he has won international acclaim as a top comedy Cabaret performer and Children's
Entertainer. He has represented the United Kingdom in the Comedy Slapstick awards on German TV,and has appeared no less than 20 times on international and UK Television
Jim began as a lover of sports, let Jim tell you in his own words "I was very sporty playing for all the school teams, football, rugby, swimming, athletics,... At 14 I managed to get a set of drums and taught my self how to play. I left school at 15 and joined a group as a drummer. We played cover songs in Pubs, Clubs etc." One christmas Jim was bought a chord organ with 3 octive of keys for the right hand and 12 chord buttons for the left."I was on this non stop learning new songs and because the left hand only had to press a button for a chord it was quite easy." All of which began his road to the world of entertaining. Due to Jims family piano, it was easy for him to self teach himself,learning some of the popular songs on the time.

As a young boy, Jim grew up in the UK and watching magic shows on TV. Ali Bongo, David Nixon were two of his favorites. As a lad Jim had a great intrest in magic. My father worked in a steel foundary and each year for the workers children they had a Christmas Party. At the end Santa would come and give all the kids a present. I always wanted a magic set. Each year I asked Dad if they would give me a Magic Set. and each year I didnt get one. My mom showed me a couple of simple tricks with cards and that was about it.

At around 8 or 9 I started to play Key Boards. Jim keeping his interest in magic continued with is music, becoming a great drummer. The tides begin to change for Jim when he get hold of an old copy of the Magic Magazine, he taight himself some tricks, soon he got himself another book by Patrick Paige '150 Comedy Props. To make the magic and the music work he turned the band into a comedy band, using the principals of comedy he culled from these books.

"I got an intrest in close-up magic around the age of 21/22 so started doing a few card tricks, vanishing silk etc etc. Around 1987 I did a summer season at a holiday park with my comedy group called Bumper Bundle. We did a music/Dance/ Comedy show. The comedy show as Fire Eating and Cod Magic. But a couple of tricks went how they should."

The following year we did functions and then another summer season at a Holiday Centre in Skegness England. This was where all the families used to have an holiday for a week or 2. We were the resident band playing 6 nights a week. But on 1 night we would do our cabaret spot featuring me dressed as Abdul the Amazing Catastrophy. It was a comedy Magic and Fire eating shows with all sorts of silly props.

This is just the beginning of Jimbos climb to the top of the world of magic in UK, there will be much more to come.

Jimbo is a clown from the minute he gets on the stage to the minute he enters his dressing room, to say the least Jimbo is always on, some of his pantomine included Jack & the Beanstalk-Cinderella-Wizard of Oz-Babes in the WoodSanta and the Ice Witch
The Land of Make Believe

Jim was the recipient of many national and international awards: 1989 Awarded 3 nominations by the Variety Club of Jersey
1991 International Brotherhood of Magicians Triple Award Winner for Best Comedy Act, Most Original Act,Best Magic Act 1998 winner of the British Championships of Comedy magic. Jim's comedy entertainment has taken him to many distant landsfrom Paris, Russia,USA, Germany, Spain to name just a few. He was a welcome entertainer aboard many of the worlds cruise lines as a recurring entertainer, like the Royal Carribbean
Jimbo has worked on the top American and Eiropean Cruise Lines, and summer resorts and hotels which included 15 summer seasons at Butlins, Pontins,Haven, Jersey and the Isle of Man Hotels. Not to omit any chances of entertaining, jim searched out and won the hearts of those who camped. To add to his accomplishments he has performed and won awards at the Magic Castle in LA, as well as the Kidabra convention in Dollyword Tennessee.

Jimbo's membership includes: World Famous Magic Circle London, Associate of the Inner Magic Circle London, Awarded the Silver Star, International Brotherhood of Magicians UK, International Brotherhood of Magicians USA, International Magicians Society USA, Wolverhampton Circle of Magicians (President 2003/4), Founder Member of Captain Invisible's Occasional Magic Assembly Equity

Some of the stars that Jimbo has opened for were: Ken Dodd 4 years,Billy Pearce 2 years,Joe Pasquale, Vince Hill, The Drifters,Bobby Davro, Bernie Clifton, Ali Bongo
And Danny LaRue.

I am fortunate to have added Jimbo to my world of friends M8's and hopefully will keep him as a friend for many many many years. Jimbo your one of the best.

THE VARIOUS IDEAS OF WRITING A ROUTINE

2011-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

Please fill me in on how to write comedy routines for kids shows-Timing-Puppet and vent interaction-being Origional with a 3-5 minute routine-How to develope a new Char-Fresg material for the new character..The Character is a turtle, an Aligator, and a wrinkly face type dog...Where does one cull jokes from and if its for a kids show should it be jokes or a 5 min. or more routine. What are the basics of writing funny for children? You are correct in trying to make things character based. I believe that a great way to start is to write a biography about each character. It should be short, but sweet.

Example:
Turtle: Was once offered a role in the movie, "Finding Nemo" but turned it down. He decided he didn't want to be an actor. He didn't really want to come out of his shell. Although the above is a joke it is based on the character and his/her experience or life. Add to this the fact that he was once in a play in high school. He played a rock. He hates the phrase, "flat on your back!" (What comedic routine could come from that?) He flunked high school physical education because he never could touch his toes. (But look at my rock hard abs!) His girlfriend? Shelly. His mother is upset with him because he's 23 years old and has never left home.

Rules for kid comedy
1. Keep it short. The rule of thumb is one minute for each year in a child's age. So a 4 year old might be able to handle a 4 minute skit. As the year's go by I've seen that limit decrease. My LONGEST skit is 7 minutes, but most are 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Politically correct. Do the search for "7 things you can't say in kindergarten" on this forum to see what common words should not be in a public skit.
3. Welcome tangents. If you say in a story, "I have a dog" you will spend the next 30-60 seconds hearing the young audience say, "I have a dog! I have a dog! I have a cat! I have a sister." That doesn't mean you shouldn't say it, but be ready for the possible interruptions. As long as the interruptions are centered on what you are doing they are really enhancing the show! (Let me repeat that.) AS LONG AS THE INTERRUPTIONS ARE CENTERED ON WHAT YOU ARE DOING THEY ARE REALLY ENHANCING THE SHOW!
4. Old jokes are new to young kids.
5. Surprise is either funny or scary to kids. I stay away from loud screeches and noises, but you may want them. An example is taking a familiar nursery rhyme or song and changing the lyrics. This makes it funny to the kids! Or take a familiar story and change it. "Goldilocks and the three alligators." What would she try out in an alligator's home? Or the Alligator under the bridge instead of a troll in the Three Billy Goats Gruff.
6. For small audiences allow the kids to pet the animal. I often let them tickle the vinyl orangutan. (Some are allergic to latex so I prefer that they don't touch the latex.) I let them tickle his ankle as they look for a bug that might be in his fur.
7. Expound on the familiar. How would a turtle play hide and seek? Where would he ALWAYS hide? Then call a child up and have them hide while you cover the turtle's eyes.

MUSIC-MAGIC- CLOWNING AND STORYTELLING
I know that to make a show complete that all of the above should be incorporated into your performance...How do you build your show and in what order. Is there any set music you use and where do you draw the line on mixed audiences for the music, I am just beginning to learn childrens magic and thank you for the heads up on Mr. Ginn, is there any favorite tricks kids like year after year..I have incorpotated clowning into my show light facial make up, should I be thinking of making up the kids faces too? There once was a ventriloquist who told a story using his vent figger...it was the Frog prince, are there other already prepared storyskits that i can use in my shows or is it the same old same old. Thanks for the help...
Coming out of the shell
Is it true that when writing you should deside on a theme, lets use the rabbit as an example...So he is the center theme, then spokes off that center hub could include his favorite food, his hobby...and so forth can you be more explicite...so what would be a funny line and thats the problem most new writers have desiding whats funny and whats not...
Writing for kids
Tony had some great guidelines there, but to get me started I use what I call the magic "What if" For example "What if Castor (my beaver) wanted to play a sport? What would be funny?" That's how we got our golf routine
"What if Horton wants to be a character in a story?" The Frog Prince and a few Bible story routines came from that.
Rather than just joke and punchline I try to write a situation and find the humour in it.

Great tip
Excellent tip, Neale. I'm sitting here thinking "What if a beaver wanted to play golf."
1. He would use the tee for a toothpick, then chew it up.
2. If he hit in the middle of some trees he would take the time to chew them down.
3. He would purposely aim for the waterhole.
4. Everytime he heard another player yell "Dam" he would say, "It wasn't mine!"
5. His teeth keeping him from yelling "Fore" so he yells, "Watch out" instead.
6. All of his remaining clubs are metal. He has no more wooden heads for some reason.

Terry Wild add his advice What I Do To Create Fun
I try and visualise what would be the most absurd thing for that creature to be, or to do. My favourite puppet is Ax's Croc, whom I call Crikey. My latest story involves Crikey confessing to me he can't swim! So the fun begins when I decide to teach him. Of course all the other swimmers in the pool climb out very fast on seeing Crikey enter the water. So, stuff like that is easy to think about and perform. Why didn't his dad teach him? There are lots of side issues there! How did he come to be delivered to my place, thousands of miles from Duckpoo Swamp? Kids love that sort of thing. I think it's because they identify with the character based on their own life experiences.
Writing a script N J
So First thank you to Terry Neale and Tony for always being there with this great advice..and next I see that when you write as Mark Wade said, you must have a central theme, such as a school playground and the spokes that comes off of it could be ideas like a 'fight' or something happening on the monkey bars boys not mixing with girls, or 'a boy and a girl meet for the first time'(these are my ideas)..now all this is good..he then said to view these situations threw the eyes of a child, the colors and imagination...this is where I get lost, yeah I know 'so get lost' Tony lets take the writing step by step in the above situation little boy or girl could be on the playground but it could be a wabbit,a snail, a croc, bear, monkey, well you understand I am sure... As they say in the song, lets start at the very beginning ...you know thats a very good place to start.... I bring out a figure, lets say a snail, introduce him to the boys and girls he says where he's from and the beat goes on.......
Snail on a playground
The way I write is to jot down some ideas and then try to incorporate them into a skit. Here are some initial thoughts on a snail on a playground. "I'm always the last one chosen for relay races." "I always get in trouble after recess. The teacher says it takes me too long to come back to class." "There is a little girl that I like. But I'm shy." "You need to come out of your shell." "They always find me first at hide and seek. They follow my slime trail." "I don't eat lunch with the other kids if there is salt on the table." "The kids love me on rainy days. They use my antennae to get a good reception and we watch television." "I don't use email. We still use snail mail." "I got a letter from my cousin. He is coming to visit. He should be here in a few years." "I'm really good at slow pitch softball." "I'm really good at freeze tag. I move so slowly that I always look frozen." "The coach wants me to go out for the track team. The other school's track team!"
Writing skits/routines
So If when I write I am to use the char and put him into a situation and write how the figure would fit or not fit into that situation...
Another example could be a Chimp without any paticular situation, he is a little slow, what ever he does the kids in the aud mimic, I blow up a balloon ask him to hold it...ask him how he's doing, he answers and lets the balloon go and it travels all around the room...the balloon is blown up a few different times with various slap stick happenings, with me getting slapped a few times by him, him floating...so if I was to do this kind of stuff how do I writ it into a routine, with various axtell animals gettinvolved at different times...Lets go to the next step...
Robin add some stuff
How to write for you puppets
How I learned to write for my shows it to take my puppet shopping with me. When I do that I am forced to make conversation with the kids and come up with on the spot personality, conversation and situations.I get ideas by what the kids say and do and ask the puppet. I look at cloths (for the puppet) and try them on her or him. I make the puppet appear as real as possible so people look to see if its real (easy to do with Axtell puppets). I go to Wal-Mart, and the local food stores, (be prepared to not get anything else done). I made the mistake of taking an old rat puppet with me to the store and was asked to leave! A lady freaked out she thought it was real and it took 2 people to calm her down.LOL ( I was pretty good at moving it like a rat) Watch out when you take your puppet to the street, it might cause accidents when people rubber neck, been there too! Have fun, don't even buy a puppet unless you fall in love with it and see it's personality already,It will be a great puppet sitting in your studio but not used. I did this with one and gave it away 2 times and they still don't know what to do with it, (cause it was my puppet not their idea, even though the puppet was awesome). Now I wish I had it back!
Watch others act and get tidbits of ideas or conversation and make it your own... Dont copy make it original. If you arent sold on the joke or personality no one else will buy it either. YOU must fall in love with each of your puppets! Ribbons the clown/ventriloquist Ribbons the clown Rev. Robin E. Bremer www.Ribbonstheclown.com
Author of "Feed My People Joy" available at www.Amazon.com, www.Barnes&Noble.com coming to a bookstore near you.
Another thought from Robin
Jokes are great but a lot of ventriloquist just SAY the joke and that is it. A joke has to be delivered.... from the personality of the vent or puppet. It matters how you say it, The tilt of your head the naturalness of your body language. Did you pause for the laugh, the funny body movement you did with the puppet. The reaction of the puppet or you! Do NOT repeat what the puppet says! It is not natural! Some vents repeat EVERY LINE the puppet says and that's annoying and not normal or funny. HAVE A CONVERSATION, react and react use your whole body.I visualize me and my puppet having the conversation they I write down what I see INCLUDING what body movements she will do when she says that line. YOU ARE AN ACTOR and comedian.
1. I get an idea for a skit,
2. I practice it over in my head till I get the whole idea.
3. I write the basic line.
4. I practice sitting on my bed with my puppet and paper, (to memorize lines) I make edits and correction.
5. I practice it in front of the mirror. ( you can get stuck here and watch yourself instead of having a conversation)
6. I put away the mirror and practice it in front of the camera.
7. Do it in front of my husband. (3rd party gives me ideas how to move the puppet better or change a line)
8. PRACTICE PRACTICE until I can ENJOY doing it without thinking!
Thats how I come up and prefect a new idea for a show.
Hope this helps Ribbons the clown Rev. Robin E. Bremer www.Ribbonstheclown.com
Author of "Feed My People Joy" available at www.Amazon.com, www.Barnes&Noble.com coming to a bookstore near you.
Continuing with writing December 26 2010, 8:25 AM
Another thought from me
Maximizing Punch lines..what do you do to maximize your punch lines...remembering that the figure is the funny comedian.You the vent paint the picture your puppet derails you... Every day in every situation there is something or someone that made you laugh...what are a few examples of situations that have occured to you? I have gotten into a habit of carrying a small note pad because if I didn't and got home trying to remember the joke I tell you I couldn't...what are some other methods..
Do you add singing to your show how has that worked for you? Maybe like me magic is part of your show...what are some ways you have adhanced your show by writing into it new stuff?
Where do you get your comedy material from...Do you steal it, like milton berle buy it like many comedians have or do you write your own and in what style. Sit com, one line jokes or do you pick a subject and back and forth set up punch line?
when writing for a figure who is it?. What's its background? What's his preferences? Make a list of your likes and dislikes on one side of a page and list of the figures likes and dislikes on the other and compare.. Why does he have them, what causes them? How will the figure react to situations thrown at him? More to follow

oops! Tony you always have great stuff to say
I re-read your post and you have some great tips for people to develop their scripts. If we each do what you have suggested we will come out with stronger characters. I have mentioned in the past that Jim Adams of "James and the Professor" recommends watching television with one's character and carrying on a conversation. (Don't try this at a movie theater as people around you will get upset.)
Likewise, I have seen vents walking around with their character and talking with them even when there isn't an audience. I have even seen people in Sacramento walking around talking to themselves when they had no puppet! (But that's another story.)
Famous comics
Most comedians keep a file system of jokes. In books they are usually categorized. "Golf" "Politics", etc. So I assume they use a similar method. I was in Goodwill yesterday during their after Christmas half price sale. They had Steve Allen's private file of jokes. (No longer private since he published it.) The problem with most joke books is that they are not character driven. You're lucky to get a dozen usable jokes out of the hundreds written inside. I think it is better to build on the character of the puppet. Then something that is said is funny because of who said it. Garfield is a great example. It takes awhile to figure out his character and the strip seems unfunny until you do. Once you do then it is fantastic.
This means that you need a bit of character intro for audiences as well. Edgar Bergen used a slow fanfare for Mortimer Snerd. He established Mortimer's limited intelligence very quickly in each script then went on to the funny character based lines.
Here are some character "traits" that drove past stars:
Jack Benny was cheap. "Your money or your life, Mister!" (I'm thinking about it!)
Rodney Dangerfield got no respect. "My parents gave me a radio for a bath toy."
Edgar Bergen was seen by Charlie McCarthy as cheap. "All my shirts have a hole in the back!"
Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy always wanted to help, but it would invariably backfire.
Frank Burns in MASH was an adulterous hypocrite whom everyone loved to hate. His many funny story lines would come from getting his due. (In my opinion he had one of the best TV characters of all time, but it must have been very difficult to play. Larry Linville, who played him, was a well respected actor even though his character was universally disliked because he played him so well.)
In modern comedies you have Charlie Sheen's womanizing character and his backward, though intellighent brother in Two and a Half Men.
Monk is obsessive compulsive and filled with phobias, but also driven by the storyline of a murdered wife.
So a good goal is to streamline your character's description.
"This is my bear, Gladly the Grizzly. He loves food and sleep, but not necessarily in that order."
"This is Sally. She is a child psychologist who is actually a child. She helps her friends understand their world."
"This is Leo the Lion. He's a scaredy cat who thinks his tail is a giant bug trying to bite him."
"This is Magic Monkey. He THINKS he can do magic. (All of his tricks are plays on word.) Ex. "I can say two magic words that will make this volunteer disappear."
What are the two words? "Go home!" Ex. 2 "I can make that man's hair disappear. Hair BE GONE!" His hair is still there. "Wait for it." Nothin happened. "You have to wait a long time."
Write for kids shows...
When I enter my show after playing some intro music to to warm up the children yes and the adults as well..I enter with one of my figures if possible through a back door and work through the aud up to the stage area...It could be the Chimp, My bear, any of the larger figures intermingle with the children..stop for a picture or two announce to the kids who they just met and bring out another figure when I get there, possbibly the story teller, have him do a short routine, if the theme is Jungle Jay he will ask the kids to make sounds of different animals, or he might ask for a few vol to come up to the stage and we place different animal noses on them and I will discribe the animal, very discretely and have them say which animal and make its noise, there is no losers each vol gets a gift, and then some magic and balloonie toons depending on the show or party some musical chairs which might include one of the figures, and try to make him lose right away and he goes into his sob story of why he lost and I tell the kids that its not right to be a party pooper, but a good player because there are no losers...
If you were to write this into a routine on paper how would it be discribed? Would you include puns, cliche's or idioms we are talking first about children ages 3-6 then 6-8 and lastly 8-11 Is it wise to write three different routines for the different age groups...My routines are short because I have found that the kids like to be more involved with action such as musical relay games, musical chairs ect. My question is what works for you? I guess the question here is not only what to write but
HOW DO I PREVENT THE ROUTINE FROM BECOMING BORING??? What I mean is how do you go about keeping it interesting?
How to Write a routine More ideas into writing
I have found it safe to carry a pad and pen or a tape recorder to not lose a joke Imight have heard- because I am the type who would forget the joke before I got home if I left it to memory.No matter what age group the joke is geared to. I then rewrite the joke to have it fit into a routine for children, I have heard some jokes meant for adults and completely revamped it and it became a funny childrens joke...so no matter what you hear it is usable if you gut it and replace it with a new engine that fits a childs mind. I am sure I am not the only one that does this..anyone Else have other ideas for writing for children?
Here is a good example:With a traffic jam situation
F My dad said he was in a traffic JAM..V-Oh I am so sorry for him F-why... he said he had his coffee and toast
F-were you ever in a traffic jam-V yes I was in one this morning F was it sticky?
F-Are we there yet V-no were bumper to bumper F-Oh are we going to play bumper cars...
Seems puns work well for younger children, but it has to be boom boom boom set up punch line rapid fire...
jam In the traffic jam my Dad's car got bumped. He was glad because he needed "ajar"! Or He was in a jam so he made his door ajar.
Neale add some more thought Another reason to come to Venthaven December This is the kind of subject that comes up at Venthaven convention. I remember Tom Ladshaw did a great lecture on adding punch to the punchline, and Dan Horn did a whole workshop on using puns in your routines.I have re-read their lecture notes many times.
To pun or not to pun
Puns are considered the cheapest sort of humor. That puts them in my price range. I know we have a past forum topic on puns. "Punishment" "Pun"itive damage.
But they can be useful. The movie "Tangled" is actually the story of Ra-PUN-zel, for example. I think they work great for certain puppets whose character would be likely to use a pun.
On the other hand, a little go a LONG way. Too many and the audience will be ready to yell back at you with their own better versions.
puns *#%@ Puns... hmmmm... let's see. I think puns can be fine to use in a performance. Distinctions need to be made, however. The challenge is to be clever with their use. Worn out, over used punnery is why the word "hackneyed" is not a compliment. Effective humor should get a laugh or even a smile from the audience... NOT A GROAN! Some say "A groan is as good as a laugh". You could also say "Dirt is as good as a dollar" - doesn't make it true. One groan, maybe - but groans to me are buyer's remorse for people who didn't pay to get in.
It's good if puns are not all one has to offer as a professional entertainer. And if you're clever in the use of puns, Jeff Dunham can never say you stole his material.
Off the cuff from Sleve Petra
Steve, If "Dirt is as good as a dollar" does that make farmers filthy rich?
Words from my dodo My Axtell dodo gave some wise advice. If given EGGStemperaneously and not EGGSorbitantly, puns can be an EGGSiting addition. Try not to be EGGStravagent or your audience will be EGGSasperated! I told him his advice was for the birds! (Above you have a clever use and a poor use of puns, depending on the age of your audience.)
That's not punny! I grew up quite a pun lover, and really liked the pun humor of the older comedians like Rip Taylor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQN3Augv2PA . When I got into entertaining and making puppets, especially animal puppets, the puns were a natural for quick jokes and tying some cheap dialog to specific animal or character. About 20 years ago at a Vent Haven Convention Jeff asked me to help write a routine, along with Mark Wade for a new character he was going to perform with that night. I wish I could remember what it was, but I began prolifically writing a long string of puns. Jeff who we all now know is at the top of the comedy game, stopped me and said, I'm after more character driven humor. It made me very aware that "character" is another layer over top of the puppet. Personality and situational driven humor is where the real comedy and funniest laughs are. I still mix the puns in but more sparingly. Ax
Writing for children
I think there is a slight difference when putting together a childrens show...There is still a lot of preperation..there is a lot of music, and entrance routine (a lot of which could be adlibbed) a short routine getting me to my platform (stage area)to work with a second figure, some ballonie toons, some magic, a relay race for the kids, another figure (generally saving the best for last) But if its parties my question here would be what to talk about, or should I refrain from talking and stay with lots of audience involvement? and then to close with a fairy tale using...I know many of you who do childrens shows have some feed back and I look for any imput here....Tony I have put a lot of effort in the things you've said here as well as Steve Petra's great skill, maybe i just might reach a level of your calibre before i reach pubity.. AX I find that many times when I just walk in with your puppets the ooohhhs and aaaahhhhs begin..Thank you for those great figures...I just don't know where I will be going with this years sellections, but thats not the subject we are discussing writing routines, wish Mark Wade was reading this...
in defense of the much maligned but not puny pun
I have only two words to say... Veterinarian Hospital!
Steve Axtell Now that's Punny!
Yes....Puns play good when the routine it's short and intentionally puns for puns sake. Veterinarian Hospital was indeed great as a stand alone segment, but if the entire Muppet Show had been built on a steady string of puns it wouldn't have had the life it had. Solid character and situational comedy driven comedy made it hit. Kermit was a frog, but he wasn't based on frog jokes or puns....his staying power was his well developed kind insecure self (character) amidst the chaos of crazy critters putting on a show (situation). My point is just base your comedy writing on character and situations first, then if a few puns fit in, go for it. Ax

FROM OUTTA WILD OL' DAN'S SADDLEBAGS

2011-01-07T12:40:00.000-08:00

"While I was out horsin' around the ventriloquist world a few days back, I stumbled onto this feller named Wild Ol' Dan. Reckon you could say that he's a grizzled ol' cowhand from way, way back. Anyways, I got to readin' some of his stuff...and, it seemed to me, there was a lotta horse sense in it. So I asked him if we might share some of it over here. Here's what he said..."
Howdy N Jay Holtz,
All this stuff is super top secret stuff ya know? Still, it might be kinda fun to have a little section titled "From Outta Wild Ol' Dan's Saddlebags..."
But, you could probably find somebody a whole lot smarter than this ol' cowhand to add stuff to your site. Shucks, there's some
real high class folks out thar wanderin' around...
Reckon it's up to you pard. If ya use my stuff just tell the folks this is from Wild Ol' Dan...that way you wont get blamed for nuthin'...
The way I see it us ol' timers had oughta be helpin' the newer
fellers figure out some of this stuff...help 'em to see there's somethin' more to all this than "not movin' your lips."
If ya decide to use this stuff just let me know ya did...reckon
I'd kinda like to read it too. It's good for my ego don'tcha know?
Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail.

Howdy Dan, My gosh thanks for welcomin' me to this here outfit... I reckon I've been interested in ventriloquism since I was a wee youngun way back in the ancient times. Just celebrated my 60th Christmas... Anyways, speakin' of those ancient times...I grew up around the Detroit area...and in those parts, well, I reckon just about everybody knew ol' Sagebrush Shorty. You put a picture up...one of those mystery things...askin' folks to identify the ventriloquist and his figure. Then you said the ventriloquist was Ted Lloyd which was right...and the figure was Sagebrush Shorty which was wrong. You see this feller Ted Lloyd, well HE was Sagebrush Shorty and that thar figure you showed on his lap was none other than BRONCO BILLY BUTTONS. Sagebrush's most popular figure was none other than Skinny Dugan. (A wonderful McElroy figure that he bought from Mrs. Maher after Fred, Skinny's original partner, went on ahead. Skinny is now owned by a feller named Jeff Dunham.) Anyways, I saw Sagebrush and Skinny live and in person once...what a joy that was. Skinny did just about everything he could do...includin' wigglin' his ears, his nose, spittin', cryin', his hair stood up, and he could make faces at ya...shucks, even his nose turned red when he told a lie! There is a great DVD out these days called I'M NO DUMMY. On it, one of the Bonus Features is Jeff Dunham showin' Skinny and all that he can do. What a delight...especially for those of us who remember the great Sagebrush Shorty (Ted Lloyd) and those days a long, long time ago... Anyways, thanks again, pard... Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail. Wild Ol' Dan

Howdy Pards, Well...I've added a couple photos to a brand new photo album back yonder celebratin' Ted Lloyd aka "Sagebrush Shorty". In one you'll see Skinny Dugan, Sagebrush Shorty, and Bronco Billy Buttons together. As I mentioned earlier Skinny Dugan (2) was originally owned by Fred Maher, founder of the famous Maher Home Study Course in Ventriloquism. Jeff Dunham, Skinny's new owner, estimates that Skinny was made around 1936 by the famous McElroy Brothers. The McElroy Brothers sold their famous figures through the Abbotts Magic Catalog...for, are you ready for this? $125. Course, that was back in the 1930's...I can't wait to get this here time machine of mine workin'... Well, anyways...Skinny is celebratin' mor'n seventy years in show business. Jeff calls him the stratovarius of ventriloquist figures and I couldn't agree with him more. I'm sure if Jeff used him in his act today, he would become a super star once again...as he was for all of us who knew him when he worked with Sagebrush up thar in Detriot City all those years ago. Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail. Wild Ol' Dan
Hi Wild O'Dan
Thanks for your additions to our group. I just wanted to correct a couple things. I have an original Abbott's Catalogue #4 which is the only one to show pictures of the McElroy figures and it is dated 1937. The price listed in the catalogue for the extra special figure, which was the fully loaded figure, was $115.00. This was for the figure that has garnered the name Troll.This price also included the case. The subsequent figures sold by the brothers including Sagebrush was after that so it was made in more than likely 1939-1940. You can see this catalogue listed on Ventriloquist Central site under the Ventriloquist Central Collection / McElroy figures.Dan

Howdy Pards,
Ya know, I spose it would be kinda foolish to think that you could play the violin the very first time you picked one up. It's an instrument that takes some study to play correctly. Quite a bit of study and practice as a matter of fact.
I reckon I always think of a puppet or ventriloquist figure in much the same way as I would a musical instrument. It takes some study to play it correctly. Quite a bit of study and practice as a matter of fact.
Does that mean you should never try? Of course not. But, it does mean that before you perform for an audience you should put in some serious time with the big mirror...and practice, practice, practice.
I think it is important...just as important... to watch BAD ventriloquists perform...as it is the great ones. You can learn a lot from each. Trust me.
And, believe me, I've seen some bad ones. Really bad ones. The only thing those performers didn't lack was "self confidence".
In fact...some seemed to be motivated...at least a little you might say by an out of control ego.
Study these things. If you see a really bad ventriloquist act...jot down as soon as you possibly can all the things that made it bad. I'm serious. It is very important to know, not only the things that make an act very good...but also the things that make an act very bad.Never pour cold water on someone else's dream. But, learn all you can as you pursue your own dream...Ventriloquism is truly an entertainment art form in the right hands. Learn the details...all of the details...that are involved in a quality performance.
Don't take the easy way... I've seen it time and time again, bad performer uses shocking language or behavior to get a laugh...that kind of thing simply makes folks cringe.
Respect your audience, respect your art...get respect for your performance the old fashioned way...that right...earn it.
When you step to the microphone in front of an audience make sure
you are prepared to give them your absolute best. It will take time...but the results will be worth it.
Do you care enough about what you are doing to only deliver the very best? Think about that as you get your act together...and learn from both the good, the bad, and the ugly... Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail. Wild Ol' Dan

Howdy Pards,Ya know, there's a big difference in the desire for the spotlight and the desire to entertain. A big difference indeed...
Some folks get started doin' ventriloquism just cause they want folks to look at 'em. They need attention. I reckon they are the kinds of folks who use the words ME, and I, and MY just a wee bit too much...
Others look at ventriloquism as a way of bringing laughter, smiles,imagination and fun into the lives of others. I suppose the big word for all this is "motivation".
And, I suppose it's important for each of us to take a good hard look at what motivates us...at why we do this you might say.
Twas the feller who wrote Peter Pan...you know, James M. Barrie...yep, twas him that said, "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves."
Now, any entertainer will tell you that applause is a wonderful thing. Makes ya feel good all over to know that they liked whatcha did. That's natural.
But, did ya ever see an entertainer who seemed to just expect applause? No matter how good or bad his or her performance was... I have...and trust me, you can tell the difference.
I believe you have to have one goal in mind when you walk out on that stage...and it should not be a selfish one. Nope. Your goal should be to make that audience happy, to bring them joy, laughter, and fun...and to always leave'em wantin' more.
So all that effort you're puttin' in...all that practice...all that hard work...and turns out it ain't about YOU at all. It's about them.Bringing happiness to OTHER people.
Know your audience. Know their needs, wants, and desires. Care about them...and give them your absolute best EVERY time. If you want to be an entertainer...ya gotta know that YOU need that audience. They are the most important people in the world to you as an entertainer because they are the ones you are hoping to entertain.
Do your act for them. And give them your very best. Every time. And, if you do...you may hear the sweetest sound an entertainer can possibly hear at the end of your act...the sweet, sweet sound of genuine, heartfelt, real, honest-to-gosh applause.
Taint nuthin' better in all the world. Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail.
Wild Ol' Dan

Howdy Pards,Well I'm smack dab in the middle of readin' Jeff Dunham's new book...
which is NOT titled the Life and Times of Jeff Dunham. Nope, It's titled JEFF DUNHAM ALL BY MY SELVES WALTER, PEANUT, ACHMED, AND ME.
Would I recommend it to Jeff Dunham fans and ventriloquists in general? Yup!
Do I think it's an inspirational story of someone who followed his dreams and made it? Yup! Do I think you will be an even bigger Jeff Dunham fan after you read
this book? Yup! On the back cover of the dust jacket Jeff says...
"Many people would call my life crazy.
I say it's refreshingly unconventional. But whatever you call it, it's all thanks to a trunk full of dummies. I've been pursuring this career since my first performance as a ventriloquist at age eight. Before lunchtime on that particular school day in 1971, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life...."
And inside that dust cover...on the back flap...there is a summary
of Jeff's career so far...
"JEFF DUNHAM is a comedian and ventriloquist whose record breaking specials on Comedy Central launched a global phenomenon of sold-out live concerts, DVD sales, and consumer products. A frequent guest on THE TONIGHT SHOW and LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, he remains the only person to ever win the prestigious ventriloquist of the Year award twice. In 2009 he was named the top grossing live comedy act in the world by POLLSTAR, and TIME magazine called him the most popular comedian in the United States. In 1980, his high school chose him as Most Likely to Succeed, but he's pretty sure that playing with dolls doesn't really count. Dunham regularly plays to arena-sized crowds in North America, Europe, and Australia. He has three beautiful daughters and lives in Los Angeles." Yup...you had oughta get this book...I found mine at Barnes and Noble...Has anyone else out thar read it yet?
Adios for now. Talk to ya on down the trail. Wild Ol' Dan

TODAY IS SPOOKIE EVE

2010-10-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

Anyone who will be celebrating the event of All Hallows share with us here what you did to celebrate thei year. Eric and I went to a fun night at a friends place and then we hit the casinos/arcades. Fun was had by all.

THIS IS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

2010-10-30T18:13:00.001-07:00

I was requested to inform the readers here about the McElroy figures (dummys) fan page, and that there is a fan page on face book. So anyone who wants to know all there is to know about McElroy figures, they have it there for you, at least thats what I am told.

22 SUGGESTIONS PERFORMING FOR KIDS MORE TO FOLLOW

2010-10-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

1. Consider the age: A figure that's appealing, words and action appropriate.

2. PRACTICE, Plan, PRACTICE, prepare, PRACTICE, Review, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

3. Preschoolers: less dialogue, more action. Older: More dialogue, action & jokes

4. A quality presentation

5. Don't talk down to your audience no matter what age

6. Sound effects, magic, songs, story-telling, riddles, knock-knock & nursery
rhymes are all appropriate for kids and they love em

7. Lots of enthusiasm really put yourself into your show, give em 110%

8. Younger children like animals and birds. Older any animals and people

9. Softer appeals to younger & family Harder to older & family

10. Keeping those vent figures alive to holds the aud interest

11. Don't put figures in childrens' faces-they get scared easily, use a soft approach

12. Keep children at a safe distance from you & the figure for control, try to have
adult supervision available

13. Use figure for discipline and maintaining order-not you, the kids respond to
the figure more readily then you

14. Not necessary to answer every question from audience during show, figure responds
Always repeat the question asked from the aud. If you try to answer all of the
questions all you will be doing is Q&A.

15. React to the unexpected such as camera flash, outside noise, ringing of phone but
don't overdo it. Some of your funniest lines can come from these ad libs

16. Be prepared for your stage and sound system, stand in front of aud, kids sit on
floor or theatre seats. If outside, stand down wind of aud for best hearing
results. Avoid the aud standing behind you, this can not always be the case.

17. The vent is the master of his show-YOU are the boss, don't let anyone tell you
how to run YOUR show

18. Be dramatic in your presentation-You are not only a vent but an actor as well,
use your acting ability at all times

19. Don't be a bully to your figure, don't put your hand over the figure's mouth
while he is struggling to breathe or free himself. Don't hit, twist or toss the
figure. Don't forcefully remove or return figure to his case. When returning
figure to case let the figure request to go back as part of your dialogue.

20. Be original and creative. Be yourself in your opening & closing of show, many
new vents have trouble writing their own material, so they borrow, try to twist
it to make it your own...

21. Upon dismissing your aud be sure to replace your vent figure to its case or
preferred location

22. But most of all, leave the aud always wanting more. Better to have your show
too short than too long...

I hope that the above 22 suggestions work wonders for you & your kids performance. If there are any questions or comments feel free to leave them with me and I'll respond to them. Until then, FUN FUN FUN!!!!

Tony Curtis meets the real spartacus

2010-10-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Tony Curtis leaves us a wonderful display of his work in Movies such as the above Mentioned Spartacus as Antoninus, Captain Newman MD as Jake, The Great Race as The Great Leslie, Sweet Smell Of Success with Burt Lancaster and of course his most memorable role in Some Like It Hot with Marilyn and Jack Lemmon and the great Joe E Brown 'Well we can't all be perfect'
Tony is now making those epic films in the sky...has passed away Wednesday Sept 29th Speaking for myself Tony you sure will be missed...
Why is Tony Curtis in a Vent/Magic/Clown/Storytelling Blog, its because of is starring role in The Great Houdini, one of the greatest magicians of all times.

THE PASSING OF ONE OF THE WORLDS GREAT VENTRILOQUIST AND EXERT FROM THE BBC

2010-05-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

The death of British comedian Ray Alan recalls a lost age when ventriloquists were cosy family entertainment favourites. Today, they are more likely to be found at the cutting edge of subversive alternative comedy.

Go on, try it. Try saying something - "bottle of beer," even - without moving your lips.

Now imagine keeping 30 million TV viewers entertained at the same time.

Once ventriloquism was not just a party trick or a kitsch throwback. It was a major branch of showbusiness.

The passing of Ray Alan - a ventriloquist of rare technical accomplishment - is a reminder of how far from public favour this branch of stagecraft has fallen. With his sidekick puppet Lord Charles, Alan became a prime-time favourite in a more innocent era.

It's a sort of licensed Tourette's

Nina Conti
Ventriloquist
In the 1950s and 60s there were thought to be some 400 full-time ventriloquists working in the UK - but by the early 2000s this had dwindled to just 15, according to estimates by Professor Steven Connor of Birkbeck University.

But if the act now calls to mind working men's clubs and end-of-pier shows, or nostalgia clip show staples like Roger de Courcey (and Nookie Bear) and Terry Hall (with Lenny the Lion), its latest incarnation is very different.

Nowadays the biggest names in ventriloquism include Americans like the brash, politically incorrect Jeff Dunham and David Strassman, whose Chuck Wood puppet makes Eric Cartman from South Park sound like Larry the Lamb.

The shift in the craft's centre of gravity is symbolised by America's Got Talent winner Terry Fator, an all-round entertainer and singer whose ventriloquism act nonetheless plays with taboos surrounding race and sex.

All have achieved this by tapping into the latent weirdness of the form - let's face it, those puppets are creepy - and refashioning them with an edgy, punk rock sensibility.

One ventriloquist - or, as those in the know would put it, "vent" - who has been at the forefront of this new wave is Nina Conti, whose sweetly-spoken onstage persona is thrown into darkly comic relief by her puerile, foul-mouthed monkey puppet Monk.

Even Keith Harris has updated his act to keep up with the new ventriloquists
Now an award-winning staple of Britain's comedy clubs, Rada-trained Conti turned to ventriloquism when her acting career initially failed to take off.

Initially she dismissed the craft as a throwback to a bygone era, but quickly discovered its subversive potential - and has been working on a documentary, Her Master's Voice, which explores its subversive roots.

"It's a sort of licensed Tourette's," she says. "I'm shocked by what the puppet can get away with - things I could never say to someone in a million years.

"I started this thinking one day I wanted to give it up eventually. But then I realised that there are really no limits to what you can do with it."

Still, Conti's street credibility is far removed from the previous generation of British vents who suddenly found that their work had become unfashionable.

Usually recruited from the working men's circuit or even, if they were old enough, music hall, they suffered from television's move away from traditional variety formats.

One victim of the shift in attitudes was Keith Harris, whose partnership with Orville the duck and Cuddles the monkey had made him a major star before he was dropped from the airwaves as the 1990s dawned.

"All of a sudden we didn't get the chance to be on TV any more," he complains, still audibly bruised. "Running things you had these new, young guys from universities who thought they knew what people wanted."

Whoever was to blame, it still was a long way from the days when the act was so popular that vents like Edgar Bergen and Peter Brough could, bizarrely, deliver their routines on radio to general acceptance.

But perhaps, all along, it was the unthreatening, mainstream entertainers who were out of step with ventriloquism's traditions.

Ray Alan and Lord Charles were more subversive than their image suggested
Dr Helen Davies, a lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University who has studied the subject, believes there was always a darkness to ventriloquism during its peak years, which ran from the late-19th to mid-20th Century.

"The subversive properties are all there," she says.

"It stems from this idea of mimicry and parody and the idea of the dummy talking back, as well as the inanimate becoming animate - it's all about a transgression of boundaries."

In this respect, she says, the most successful modern vents have cannily tapped into the legacy of dummy-themed horror films like 1964's Devil Doll and 1978's Magic, which starred Anthony Hopkins as a deranged ventriloquist.

And, indeed, even the most popular vents of the television variety era appeared to realise this.

Ray Alan may have presented an unthreatening, cardigan-wearing charm, but Lord Charles's drunken, lecherous persona allowed for comedy based around sex, class and alcoholism.

"I dreamed the other day that I was giving a speech at the House of Lords, and d'y'know, when I woke up, I was," ran a typical Lord Charles routine - predating the anarchic, anti-establishment puppetry of Spitting Image by decades.

And even Keith Harris - whose career apotheosis came with Orville's rendition of the sickly ballad I Wish I Could Fly - has moved with the times, offering an adults-only version of his act in which Cuddles turns the air blue.

"Maybe with the Americans coming over - they're a bit more straight-talking," he adds. "But there's nothing new in ventriloquism. The basic gags they do, like leaving the puppet onstage on its own, are ones I was doing 35 years ago.

"It's just about bringing it up to date."

Perhaps, all along, ventriloquism has been about telling the audience to talk to the hand.

DEALING WITH HECKLERS

2010-05-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

How do I deal with hecklers, particularly if they are unruly children making noise?

Every ventriloquist,storyteller, clown,balloonist and magician eventually has to deal with members of the audience disrupting the show in one way or another. Whether they are drunk, showing off, rude or amateur magicians whispering to their dates how it is done, they can throw the performer off pace.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the rest of the audience may not notice the heckler or attach as much importance to the heckling as you do. Working in night clubs, Mr. Magic has occasionally had to deal with noisy drunks, mainly by ignoring them. The interesting thing is that after the show other members of the audience told Mr. Magic they didn't even hear anyone making noise. So remember that you as a performer are much more sensitive to all this than the rest of the audience.

Let's stop for a moment and consider what a heckler does. Mainly he or she interrupts the show. Now when you're just starting out as a performer, having the show interrupted will definitely throw you off. And thus you'll try to deal with the heckler in an abrupt manner which might not work. Frankly Mr. Magic feels that if you can't ignore the heckler the next best thing is to stop the show and give the heckler some attention. With a smile. Usually these people are jerks and are uncomfortable when everyone is looking at them.

Whatever you do, don't get in a verbal duel with a heckler. If you win the audience may feel that you've somehow put them down. If you loose the audience will feel that you're not as calm and collected as they thought.

Often the audience will be more annoyed by the heckler than you are - after all they paid to get in. And they may eventually turn on the heckler in an attempt to quiet him down, thus saving you the trouble.

When the loud mouth is a child the problem is more delicate. You can't really go around telling kids to shut up since their parents will be likely to take offense. You might consider inviting the trouble maker on the stage to participate in an effect and thus getting them on your side.

However you deal with noisy audience members, keep in mind that the audience will judge you by your actions. They know the heckler is a jerk, but they don't know you and if you react in an unattractive manner they may decide there isn't much difference between you and the heckler.

Enjoy and have a great show!

I BELIEVE AND I HOPE YOU DO TOO

2010-05-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

I believe-
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and, you must forgive them for that.

I believe-
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe-
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe-
That you can keep going long after you can't.

I believe-
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe-
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe-
That regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I believe-
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe-That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe-
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time!

I believe-
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other, And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe-
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe-
That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe-
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe-
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe-That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe-
That the people you care about most in life are the essence of life. Tell them today how much you love them and what they mean to you.

I HAVE NEVER TOLD ANYONE TO DO ANYTHING BUT I AM GOING TO NOW

2010-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who work with children this is a must read:
You have to watch this. I'm not giving you a choice. Watch this and marvel at the world so many of us grew up in thanks to people like Fred Rogers. Do our kids get this today? 'Mr. Rogers Defends PBS to the US Senate'

In 1969, Fred Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications. His goal was to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in response to significant proposed cuts by President Nixon.

If you get a chance, check out the WQED documentary "Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor" from 2003. (they have plenty of copies in most all library systems, if you haven't seen it.) It's hosted by Michael Keaton, who got his start performing on the show, and it highlights what an amazing man he was.This clip is included, as well as his induction into the TV Hall of Fame, which is one of the most touching moments ever filmed.

--I just checked in my own (Ft Lauderdale, FL) library system, and they've got a copy of the DVD. I'll be watching it this weekend. And I'll probably get all teared up.

I work with the children in my neighborhood and thanks to Mr. Rogers he has opened many new windows, windows that would not have been opened had it not been for him. Watch this tape for memories of a time that was taken away from us once Mr. Rogers began sharing his magic world with the angels. Many of Mr. Rogers ideals have been incorporated into what I try to teach the kids in storytime I do with the children.

Also go to youtube and watch what it has to offer...

Please after reading this, go directly to your own library and request a copy The Mr. Rogers Doc.'America's Favorite Neighbor'aired on WQED...Please share with us here what you havegotten from this documentary I know others would want to hear it as well.

LETS DISCUSS YOUR GROUP MEETINGS

2010-05-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

For those friends of mine who aren't vents who might be clowns, story tellers, magicians or a ballonie toon artist and you have a club in your area being part of the club has benefitted you in what way.
Jerry N' Jenny Bell I'm a vent, but I joined a local clown club. I was going along with them to some of their shows already so they asked me to join. It gets me into venues I wouldn't be aware of otherwise, and I am able to try out new stuff on them first and get their critique. Our meetings are held once a month.
you forgot to tell me where and when its held how many members and some information to post if they have a business card or post card to add to the blog i will add it as well
Jerry N' Jenny Bell It's held the second Wednesday of every month at the Wellness House here in Yakima. As far as I know, they have no cards. Everything they do is by word of mouth. There are about 12 total memebers, but not all show up for the meetings or for every event.

THE DIRK GOLDEN STORY

2010-03-28T13:20:00.001-07:00

During a conversation I recently had with Dirk Golden, “The Strolling Ventriloquist”, we talked about how he got involved in a dream of his. Dirk, considered one of the better strolling ventriloquists, hails from California.

Dirk was a fan like most of us old enough to remember Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show ‘Winchell Mahoney Time’. He watched the show with his cousin Larry, who owned a Jerry Mahoney Doll, made by JURO, to help him with his speech impediment. Dirk got his inspiration while working with his cousin. He got the ‘VentBug’ and he wanted to learn more on how to do ventriloquism. He bought his first figure for $11.95 from the Sears catalog. However, due to a Truck Drivers strike at that time, Dirk had to wait for his new friend to arrive.

Dirk was 11 years of age, and in the 5th grade, when he found his love for ventriloquism blooming with his Danny O’Day doll. He tried out for his 5th grade talent show and was surprised that he actually got in. He used to walk around the neighborhood and entertain the people on his block.

At age 12, Dirk saved up some money, and for $21.50 at Toy World, he bought his first hollow body figure, a JURO Danny O’Day that he named Dennis. It had a counter weighted mouth. Dirk remembers how he had to pull the string to close the mouth and not the other way around! He went out in public with his figure just to practice and noticed that people were fascinated by it. Occasionally he would go door-to-door in his neighborhood putting on 5-minute shows just for practice. The neighbors loved it!

As Dirk entered his high school years, he was still practicing his vent work. He even won the High School talent show his jr. year. Dirk liked the attention that he got with his ventriloquism. About this time he realized he wanted to have a pro figure, so he bought a figure from Story Teller Studios. He saw one he really liked, which came without the slotted jaw. This was back in the early 70’s, the price for this figure back then was about $260. It was his first Craig Lovik figure. This was before Lovik was associated with Maher Studios.

Dirk said that back in the early to mid 70’s,The Hollywood Magic Shop, on Hollywood Boulevard, would stock a few of these figures. He informed me of something I was not aware of, that my figure from Maher Studios, who I have finally come to call Chipper, after various changes from JC to CJ to Joey, that he was a converted Howdy Doody, which sort of makes me happy in a way, because when I was the ripe old age of 6 I was a member of the Peanut Gallery (the children’s audience) on the Howdy Doody Show.

For 30 minutes, Dirk and I went off on a tangent talking about Chipper. When we went back to his story, Dirk did not miss a beat, right where we left off. Without a cue, Dirk picked up on his world of ventriloquism.

Dirk bought his first Pro figure back in 1973, and he said he has owned about 4 or 5 Lovik figures altogether over the years. Dirk shared with me that he still has a box in his garage, that’s loaded with his ventriloquist memories of the past 30 years.

In 1979, Dirk upgraded to a basswood, it was a Chester Figure from Lovik Maher catalog. Dirk named that figure Joey and worked with it for 20 years !

Right out of High School he began working at Disneyland, his life-long dream since he was 11 or 12. Some friends at his High School got jobs at Disneyland, and Dirk followed suite, applied, and got accepted in March of 1977 as a ride operator. He used to work the Sky Way Ride, Through the Matterhorn. The reason why he did that first was because he wanted to get his foot in the door and audition to become a Disney Character. In May that same year, he went for the character audition and was surprised he made the cut, he felt he was so blessed that he was going to be a World Famous Disney Character! Well, he got the job and worked for Disney 14 ½ years. When he was hired back in 1977 he made about $2.50/hour. How he made it on that small salary he didn’t know, but he loved the FUN of the job he was doing. During his stay at Disney, he did everything from In Park Characters to Launching & Catching Tinker Bell for the fireworks. When he left in 1991 he was making a little over $12/hour. During his stay at Disney he married his first wife Lorraine, in 1980. Sadly, was divorced about 10 years later.

After working for Disney he changed careers and got into the Health Care Industry, working for Kaiser Permanente, where he is still working today. In May 1999, Dirk married for a second time to his current wife, Rita Marie. They have four adult sons.

About two years after Rita and Dirk got married he was looking for a way to make some extra money. So, he retrained himself back into ventriloquism. However, he needed some better equipment. His figure, Joey, was already old, 20 years, still worked just fine. Dirk bought his figure Joey from the Lovik catalog for a little over $500, and sold him for between $700-$800 on ebay, Ventriloquist Bob Carroll bought it. Dirk wanted a Selberg figure but couldn’t afford it at that time so he bought a Kem Poyner figure, a Virgil, named it George, but for Dirk’s type of Strolling Ventriloquism, the figure was nice, but a little too heavy.

Getting back to Dirk’s days at Disney, he did work as the Ventriloquist with the Dog puppet at the Golden Horseshoe Review, Dirk would fill in for Jim Adams, who was the full time Ventriloquist there.

Anyways, so now Dirk needed a replacement figure, so he and a Sammy figure, from Selberg, he named it “Charlie”. While on his way to Las Vegas, Dirk made a stop at Victorville to see his friend Jim Adams, who told Dirk that he needed to add more characters. So Jim introduced Dirk to Steve Axtell’s Puppet characters. Dirks first two Axtell characters were Reginald the RAT, and the Old Storyteller, Clarence.

So, for the last 5 or 6 years, Dirk has been back into ventriloquism and seriously working it. He feels that if you like your puppet characters, your audience will like them too. If you move your mouth just a little, the crowd will overlook it because they build a relationship with your character. Dirk went from Charlie to Stanley, also a Selberg, because he was doing more kids shows and needed a figure that was a little more kid sized. His latest additions to his family of puppet characters are Rocko the Mafioso Bulldog, and Link the Chimp, both from Axtell. Dirk is having Tim Selberg create a new figure for him, a Rupert, and he’s looking to add the hang on monster from Axtell.

He feels that the Vent Haven convention is a treasure of vital information that one needs to move forward as a ventriloquist. He enjoys doing strolling ventriloquism at carnivals, grand openings, fairs, and churches. If you are ever in California e mail Dirk who you can find on face book for his schedule of appearances he always welcomes his friends and fans.

BURNNIE THE BUNNY SHOW

2010-03-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

Steve and Faith Treague have a love for children. That is why both of them became teachers. Being teachers allowed the Treagues to develop a summer ministry of Reaching the Children or RTC. (See Living Stones News – Sept. 2006). In 1990 BURNNIE the Bunnie® made his debut.
Burnnie’s character was developed and born in 1990. Steve Treague said, “His personality grew as we presented him before live audiences and received feedback from children. They loved him. He’s a friendly kind of guy with a bit of an edge. He just says is like it is; or at least how he thinks it is.”

That is what gives Burnnie a life like and realistic personality. Burnnie teaches others as he learns from his own mistakes.

BURNNIE the Bunnie® has received two media awards. The Treagues were awarded a CINDY (Cinema in Industry) Award for “Burnnie Goes To The Hospital”, a video to help relieve a child’s fear of the hospital. For their radio program of BURNNIE the Bunnie®, they received the Covenant Award in 1997 which is a national award given for excellence in Christian media. Also winning the award that same year were James Dobson and VeggieTales.

Treague said, “After the first TV show in 1990, we went into radio. Many listeners thought the radio show would make a great TV series, but with teaching and live performance opportunities, we never even gave going back into television production another thought.”

When Steve left the teaching profession, the Treagues were left wondering what God had in store for them. It didn’t take long to realize that God had a plan for the Treagues. One that would require the Treagues to let God take the reigns and work out many of the details that seemed overwhelming. This road led Steve Treague into full-time ministry.

Treague said, “We felt God’s leading to produce what is now known as ‘BURNNIE: Tails from the LIGHT Side.’” After a year of discussion and raising financial support, we had the ingredients needed to begin the series. We now have the first program completed and are moving forward to being on the air in September. God is leading the project in a big way!”

You may wonder exactly what it takes to film a show and prepare it for television. The Treagues needed $80,000 to start production on the show. This money was used to purchase HD (high definition) cameras, sound, lighting and other necessary elements for producing a television show.

Each show is 30 minutes in length and is aired on a weekly basis as a series to over 250,000 viewers. It is seen in the United States on Direct and Dish TV. The United Kingdom airs the show on the UCB network which also reaches Australia and the Netherlands. The program is viewed in Jamaica on the FFTV Network.

The Treagues are targeting children ages 5 years to fifth grade with each episode. Treague said that the purpose is to help these children to know the Savior and make Him known to others.
This is where Burnnie steps in and comes to life on the screen. Treague said, “Burnnie tries his best to live his life pleasing to the Lord. But he makes mistakes along the way. Each program focuses on a specific Christian character concept which children are encouraged to develop in their own lives.”

“In addition to each story’s plot, conflict and ultimate conclusion, we have another very unique component to reach children with God’s message,” said Treague. “The character of BURNNIE the Bunnie® works at the TREGGLLUSIONS Shop where interesting puzzles, games, toys and tricks are demonstrated and sold. Each of these colorful and visual object lessons is presented with a gospel message.”

Treague said, “Live actors are used with BURNNIE the Bunnie® being the only puppet character in the entire series. Having only one puppet, along with Burnnie’s mischievous personality, helps to create a presentation at a fifth grade level and beyond, still maintaining the interest of a younger child.”

Each live filming has a need for about 150 extras to fill the auditorium for the TREGGLLUSIONS Show. Treague said, “It is necessary to call ahead (605) 988-4140 to be an extra in the audience for this segment. Individuals, families and groups are welcome. Be prepared to show excitement, clap loud, laugh a lot and share in the purpose to help spread God’s Word to children locally and world wide through this television outreach.”

Treague spent months adapting his 36 radio scripts into a format for television. He has additional titles in development, too. Treague is set up to film two shows each month. “We’ll need actors, extras, boom microphone handlers, assistant directors for various locations, make-up assistants, set-up and take-down helpers, lighting assistants and more,” Treague said. “This is a large production project with four to six set locations.” He also adds that they are always looking for more people to get involved with this exciting project.

Treague said, “Each location involves set-up, filming, and take down. For example, we filmed a segment which will take up six minutes of the program. We began setup at 12:30 and were finished filming by 5:00. It took four and one half hours to film this six minute piece of the 30 minute show.” This doesn’t include the additional time needed to edit and prepare for the final product to be complete.

KEEPING THAT TURTLE NECK SHIRT FROM SLIDING DOWN

2010-03-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

If you have a hard figure that wears a turtle neck shirt......here' s a way to keep the turtle neck part looking good. Men's dress shirts come with a strip of clear plastic to make the collars stand up. Take this strip out and take a box cutter and trim off down one side as needed to fit under your turtle neck collar. Figure out the proper diameter measurement of the collar and trim again leaving an inch or so. Get clear tape and fasten the ends to the diameter of the turtle neck collar and slip under same. You will now have a collar that stands up nice and firm and will probably give you some head turning room to boot.

BEFORE YOU GIVE A PROGRAM ON BULLYING

2010-03-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Before you give a program on bully study what bullying to children is all about,name calling is one great example so instead of discussing what someone might be called you might want to use your figure and call him anyone of these names, watch as his feelings get hurt, and go into a skit as to how someone can turn that name calling around and appologize for his action... TERMITE SNACK, BOBBLE HEAD, FIRE STARTER
RUMMY DUMMY, PILE OF PLYWOOD, WOOD PILE, HOLLOW HEAD, TOOTH PICK FUTURES. NO BRAINER. Verbal abuse is very hurtful not just for children but adults as well. With adults its just a little more difficult to back away, because this has been going on for a much longer time then it has with children. The above names are what a heckler might call on figure or infact being called himself and is using the figure as his escape.
You can use slurs in reverse as well, when the figure is being called by a name he in turn can vent out and say, AIR HEAD, SPACE CADET,WHOSE PULLING YOUR STRINGS, ARE YOU MAKING HIM SAY THAT, LIP FLAPPER.

Know your character, is it an animal, what type how would he respond to this bullying, a goat would say i'll butt in whenever and where ever, A dog might say life being too ruff for you...

Kem Poyner Is Back

2010-03-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

Kem Poyner is back on line with a new website I know that most of the readers would love to go see it as well as his new figures just go to
http://www.ventrilo quistdummy.com/

ANOTHER MOUTH POSITION TO GIVE CONSIDERATION TO

2010-03-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

The Top teeth lightly touching the bottom lip method is based on a nice smile. When you smile you automatically assume this position.
A soft smile will do it. Then you're set for the mouth position. Even if you have
to frown at the figure you can frown with your eyebrows and still
have the slight smile on your face. For a title I have called
this mouth position, This is the smile position it allows good arch positions for the tongue to contact the roof of the mouth and all. Plus it gives you a pleasant rather then a stone face look.

It seems as though this method will stop clinching and might just be easier to to the hard letters.

Learning to adjust from a smile position to a neutral.non-smile and back again without moving your lips adds to the reality of two different personalities on stage. With practice you can achieved this very nicely.

The tongue can be arched back in the mouth and move more freely than the other two positions. All this discussion means one thing elaborate more on mouth positions that writers in the past. They usually dedicated It is important to study mouth and tongue position and work on your labials with this mouth position. With this position one doesn't need to worry if his/her lips are moving 15 to 20 minutes into the act.

I have always been disappointed in most vent books that say, "Open
your mouth approx. 1/4" keep your jaw still when speaking for the
figure. Then, they go on with volumes on the drone sound, etc. etc.
Well, I'd like to offer you my opinions on three more positions so you
can try each according to your teeth and mouth physics and then decide
which(if) one may be better than the one above for you:

1) Top teeth lightly touching bottom lip. I currently use and like
this position. It allows enough air flow and locks both your lips and
jaw in one position. Also allows a pleasant smile.

2) Teeth lightly touching. This is good for close-ups. There is a
lower air flow though. Also, some words sound slurred a bit when
pronouncing.

3) Canine position. This is where your third teeth from dead cent
touch each other on one side of your mouth to lock your jaw. This one
allows lots of air flow, but kinda make your smile a bit skewed to one
side.

Try all three in addition to the "open your mouth 1/4" one. Again, I
use and like number one above.

FINDING THE PERFECT VOICE BY ROSE BAGGERLY

2010-03-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

I must admit due to my love for the yourger person who roams this globe with us I needed to let you read a story by a puppeteer who has put the hammer squarely on the nail...read her story and see for yourself.

Let me introduce to you my first puppet. It will explain some of what you read below as to how I came up with his name, his voice and his personality.

His name is Herman. He is a hot pink furry monster similar to the construction of Cookie Monster. He is a three handed puppet - his mouth and both of his hands can be worked by the puppeteer. If only one person is operating the puppet (which is most of the time), then only his mouth and his right hand are used. The right hand is used so that the puppet can shake hands. If two people are working the puppet then one person works the mouth and the other person works the hands (that makes clapping easier). Herman is now 33 years old and he still can't count past three (he only has three fingers on each hand).

I had never made a puppet or worked with a puppet before, so I had no idea where to begin to determine his voice. I tried several voice types such as a high pitched female voice, a medium voice, a fast talking voice, a soft / shy voice and I finally settled on a male voice. The main reason I selected the male voice is because I wanted a voice that was not at all like my voice. I decided that no one would be able to tell it was me doing the puppet since I would be behind a curtain and it would be a deep male voice totally unlike my own voice. Also, I would feel less nervous when performing if no one could figure out that it was me.

I continued to work on Herman's voice until it became more natural to do a male voice. Sometimes I would even practice doing his voice without him on my hands (mostly when I was alone or with other pupeteers). That helped me to make his voice more natural to me and less like a stranger. How long that process takes depends entirely on how much time you have available and how quickly you determine what voice works best for you. It can vary significantly for each individual. I do not remember how long it took for me to get comfortable with Herman's voice. It just seemed that one day I realized that his voice was as comfortable as my own.

Since I was still a little nervous performing with a puppet I decided to add another feature to his voice. Herman now had a voice of a distinctively less intelligent type. When he introduced himself to others, he usually couldn't even remember his own name without some help. He also said "duh" a lot and had a totally ridiculous laugh. That helped my nerves a lot and made him very popular with kids. I also changed Herman's introduction of himself so that he added that he could count to three. He was so proud that he could count so high. He always laughed after he had introduced himself and after he had counted to three. The kids really liked it because they could usually count higher, so they began to teach him the next few numbers. When that started, my nerves melted away. I knew then that Herman had become real to the kids. And that is the goal of finding the perfect voice.

Since then I have added 14 more voices and personalities. I have a grandma, a little girl, a fast talking male puppet who looks somewhat like a human, but he is blue with long gloves for his hands (his name is Big Blue), a squeaky mouse, an intelligent worm named BW (book worm) and many more. Sometimes I can pull a personality out that I never knew I had and do a show that is a hit with kids and adults.

To me, puppeteering is a gift from God that has helped me and helped many kids get thru some tough times. My puppets have gone to the MD Anderson Cancer Center here in Houston, and brought joy to many kids who were stuggling with some of life's most difficult diseases. The show I did there was a total flop. The reason: most of the kids were from other countries so they didn't speak English, and I didn't speak their language either. But when I let them work the puppets and do their own shows, their faces lit up like Christmas trees. My most popular puppet there was my unfinished (or so I thought he was unfinished) bald human puppet. He was so popular because most of the kids there were bald. That puppet made them feel welcomed and without embarrassement. There were so many kids that wanted to use that puppet that we had to set up a line and limit how much time each kid could use the puppet. That puppet show had nothing to do with my performance, and everything to do with entertainment. And, for a short time those kids were able to forget where they were and why they were there, and just enjoy being a kid.

Nothing is more motivating than that.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share. As you can tell I love talking about puppets.

VENT STROLLING EVERYWHERE AND ANYWHERE

2010-03-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Walking around the town March 20 2010, 5:59 PM

I find that actually walking from place to place works for me...its gives me new ideas and I bring the mountain to the people instead of the people going to the mountain, but either way works great...while at a fair you might find new ideas to talk about while moving about, a booth that draws your interest might be a great topic to discuss with your listeners as well as another new face to talk to, as you are walking about talk to the people just a bout anything that comes to your mind, maybe your talking to children eating a water mellon or a baker baking his loaf, all is good, but you have to learn to be quick witted, if you want your walk around to be funny, but if you have a message to share like how come you've come to the fair today, nothing better to do, did the wife throw you out, itsa a beautiful day today glad you've come out to join us here today, do you come here often...make sure your telling your friends about this fair, we need more bodies...ect.
So if you wish to stay in one place and have the people come to you or move around which I prefer is up to you, as for portable mics all the above work well,with 6 amps I just have one problem with them, my belly is too large for the belt, can anyone out there recommend something, don't be cruel!! I just wanted to add my nickel, but whatever you do as a walk around have fun because walk arounds are just that fun...as is anyone form of Vent.

DISTRIBUTING FLYERS AND BUSINESS CARDS

2010-03-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Another way to get known is in your walk around, if you do walk arounds you can carry business cards and flyers you might want to have a pouch belt that holds your flyers or business cards and if someone approaches you with a nice compliment you could then hand one of those items to them with a smile and a thank you and "I hope to see you again real soon"...

ANOTHER TIDBIT ON MANIPULATING YOUR FIGURE

2010-03-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

In responce to Al Stevens on Manipulation of your figure... I generally don't add my views here at this site I am more of a reader but thought that this would be helpful
The best way to manipulate a figure is to look at the person sitting next to you when your speaking to them how they move do they scratch their head turn their head from side to side, looks up towards the ceiling or any other direction while speaking to them...is the person shy and can't look at you, is he naughty as you speak and becomes rude and turns away or might even laugh as you speak, finding what your saying as funny, if your figures doesn't have blinkers you can put the figures hands to its eyes scratch its jaw or any other place that may have an itch, rub its brow or eyebrow for that matter place its hand through its hair, don't be ashamed put its hand near its nose as to pick it, its all good, there are 1001 other movements when talking to a child a child can not sit still long even when being scolded he /she is jittery, swinging their feet, looking almost everywhere but at you, it could be deep in thought and thats when he is stearing out into space and you can use the phrase earth to figure come back, which will startle the figure and return it to you which could cause it to shake...I could go on and on but remember that there are times when your figure like a human can stare out into space...

Pete Michaels Wants to Invite all of you

2010-02-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

Pete Michaels sent a message to the members of Pete Michaels Fan Club.

--------------------
Subject: Thursday, Feb. 25: LIVE at Uncle Vinnie's!

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be performing Thursday, Feb. 25th at
Uncle Vinnie's Comedy Club at The Lane Theater on New Dorp Lane, Staten Island,
NY.

Yes, my Home Town! I actually used to go to see movies at the Lane back in the
day, so this is a special place for me.

Come on out and see why I was voted one of the BEST Comedian-Ventriloquists in
the country!

I promise you a fantastic show!

Reserve your tickets NOW by calling: 1-877-UNCLE VIN

Or visit the website: http://www.facebook.com/l/069b3;www.unclevinniesstatenisland.com

MATT IS SHOUTING OUT FOR SOME ASSIST

2010-02-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

My name is Matt B. I am 15 years old and recently joined the International Brotherhood of Magicians. I have an idea for a big stage illusion and I need to see whether or not it is my own original idea. imagine this: A lady vanishes with nothing on stage but the sheet that covers her. It doesn't just cover her being held in front of her, rather, it is draped over her. as soon as the magician pulls the cloth down. the lady is GONE!...this illusion is inspired by the workings of some other illusions, however, I want to know if I have combined these illusion principles to mae something new. I know that I am 15, and as such, I do not have exstensive knowledge about stage illusions, so any help I could get in finding out more about this would be highly appreciated. If you wish to help me, please email me at newbievent@gmail.com so I can email you more about it. Thanks again for your time and help!
Matt

CANADA OH CANADA

2010-02-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

Your doing a wonderful job your opening of the olympics was worth staying up late to watch..who has stuff they want to add to this message?

MY NBTV A MUST SEE

2010-02-12T17:14:00.000-08:00

vist there website
What is "NBTV" you ask? Well, "NBTV" is a series of Live-Stage Shows that are available to be performed anywhere in the world. It's also a pending comedy Television series that will soon be on-the-air in the United States and Overseas. "NBTV" also includes a service of using the NB Puppets to help advertise and promote a business' products and services in television or internet commercials.

Take some time and visit our site. If you're interested in booking one of our shows, check out our Live-Stage Shows page. If you're in the market for help in advertising your products and services, check out our TV-Internet Spots page. If you're looking for a brand new comedy show for your audience, or if you just want to laugh, check out our "NBTV" TV series page. And for Press Information, Schedules and how to Contact us, check out those pages as well.

It is our fondest desire to satisfy our clients and the public, and if we can be of any service to you, please do not hesitate to contact us. Also, if you have attended one of our shows and would like to leave a comment, or if you'd just like to say hello to us, please click here for our comments page.

To learn more about the business of Natural Bridges Puppet Production Company, visit our website at: www.thenaturalbridges.com

Steve Axtell Has A Wonderful Guest

2010-02-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Terry Fator's special forum area will be here.. http://www.network54.com/Forum/660058/
AX will be bringing to his forum Terry Fator, for a question and answer delight, Terry has millions of followers all over the world...this blog has many readers around the world and my job is to inform you of anything that is happening within the vent, puppetry, clowning, storytelling world...your job is to send the stories so that you can share then through this blog...
So you can either google axtell expressions.com or go directly there through my link you will find on left margin of page or by typing into the search bar on left margin axtell expressions.com no matter how you do it have your questions ready for Terry and go to axtell this coming tuesday, wednesday and thursday...I am sure you will be in for a great time.

BOB ABDOU BETTER KNOWN AS MR. PUPPET SHARES

2010-02-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

A portion of this piece came from Austin, TX newspaper The Statesman....with additional information entered by yours truly Jungle Jay aka N Jay
Mr. and Mrs. Puppet Keep a shrine to to bygone days in a memorabilia way, such as I, you writer, but must admit his collection has me outdone by a long shot. He has ventriloquist dummies, marionettes, Beatles memorabilia which has been added to the collection by his wife's passion, which Bob has adopted as well. Bobs big hero was the famous Soupy Sales, who took more pies in his face then anyone else ever did.There are magazines with the famous on its cover memories of Happy Days, Sesame Street and the Muppet show, which he keeps out in the open for his guests to see. He has welcome Back Kotter and the 3 Stooges on the second floor. There are three 3 rooms off limits to the memories-the kitchen, not mine, the bedroom, not mine, and the living room again not mine, I keep memories in every room...its just what I like to do, but this is not about me. Mr. Puppet is also a huge Banana Splits collector, I have one item from this memory.

Mr.Puppets is Austin Texas' only full time Ventriloquist, he loves those corny one liners,which comes from the stages of vaudeville, to the radio days and back full cycle to the vaudeville days of television,with stops at the Borscht Belt in the Catskills, guess that's why he loves the art. I keep those same memories.
Mr. Puppet once said ' you want to know why vaudeville died, watch my show...I must state for the records I whole heatedly disagree...Mr. Puppets show is wonderful, make sure if you can to catch it.
Mr. Puppet said the reason for his making people laugh at school programs, lodges, clubs, day care centers and corporate functions is because he never had a childhood. Now on the other hand the reason I do the same is because I have the Peter Pan syndrome "I'll never grow up, I'm a toys are us kid"

A little history about Bob, OK yeah there is also something about me as well... he was born some 50 years ago raised as one of four children,in the area of Fairfield, NJ, which is near Paterson, the birth place of Lou Costello I was born 62 years ago in Brooklyn, NY as one of 4 children, I was able to view all those classic TV shows ( had the pleasure of being part of 2 of them, Howdy Doody Show and Lets Have Fun, Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoneys Show) as a first run live show, not a lets go to the video tape rerun. Another thing in common that we both have is not a pleasant on ..there are few pictures remaining of my childhood, but I guess if i searched hard enough I might be able to find more then I thought. Abdou says few pictures exist of him as a child. His mother was busy working as the secretary to the board chairman of a chemical company, my mom was a sec to senior supervisor for the Welfare Department his father a "professional alcoholic, my dad owned a dry cleaning business". Birthdays came as a once in a while pleasure for me, my friends were few but they were friends, my best friend was the happy children shows I was able to watch on TV, Bob didn't have birthday parties, except the time when he was turning 13 and his mom and his step dad said he could invite anybody, so he invited his whole class from school. And one kid showed up. They spent the whole party putting together the airplane his guest had given him. Its amazing not having many birthday party's but now helping other kids have a happy one themselves. "I was devastated," Abdou says. "And now I'm in the birthday party business."
BUT there was one other birthday of note, when he was about 11, when his aunt and uncle gave him a Danny O'Day dummy. That was the seed of Mr. Puppet, although it wouldn't sprout for some time. My first puppet came from a family who is a mystery, but it was a Jerry Mahoney toy, with a string, of which I played with everyday till the string broke.. As a child growing up I has a passion of collecting whether it was sports/non sports cards-from the 50s and 60s my collection stood taller then me and piled up against the wall, hundreds, maybe thousands...magazines of all types from show biz, sports and comic books. One day after comming home from school I went to go get some cards to flip with a friend, one of the few I had and the cards were missing, when going to mom to find out what happened to them she told me she thought they were getting out of control and tossed them, I didn't get over that insodent for sometime. That maybe why later in years I went into the sports collectible/comic book dealer business. At her home in Fort Myers, Fla., Phoebe Abrams, Abdou's mother, makes it politely clear that she doesn't like to dwell in the past, that things weren't perfect but she loves her children then and now as do all good and imperfect parents. I wasn't into sports like most of the boys in the neighborhood, but i did assist as a coach,or gopher or what ever so i could be involved. I did have a baseball glove and ball myolder brother brought back on his leave from the service on his leave. "Robbie loved baseball and his mother loved to play catch with him," she says. "He didn't have a father figure growing up. He did not have it easy. We had no money. He never grew up hungry or without clothing but he never had some of the things other children had. We never went on vacation."

I need to make people smile or laugh I find that very important in a childs life.
"He IS making up for that," Phoebe Abrams says. "And he's giving everyone that sees him some sort of smile."

When I got to be college age there wasn't money left for me to go due to the fact that my two older siblings were doing that. When it was my turn, not enough money to send three, so I struck out to the work aday world, making money in one job or another, but never staying long enough in one to make a career out of it, and my desires were still in the world of show business of one form or another..I sang since 1st grade in the school choirs till graduation..I was the only one in the graduating class to receive a sheeps skin for 13 years of continued membership in the school choirs, as well as staged programs. After leaving school I joined the local productions of the musical stage. I got married in 1970 had two children and decided not to keep the secret any longer and we agreed it was best for both of us to be open and honest so we devorced.
By 1986 Bob was married, going to Braves games, running a printing business that was "too successful" and, eventually, volunteering weekends at the Center for Puppetry Arts Museum, which is where, as much as any place, he learned the craft — "the art of everything," as he puts it. He ordered a real dummy, not a toy one, of himself and "when I opened the box a beam of light shot out and I heard angels sing," he says. "I became one of those guys who took their dummy everywhere. I took it on sales calls. If you can make them laugh, you can make them buy."

My love for ventriloquism came back to me in a later part of my life, in fact as of this writing I am still considered a newbie and I feel the same, there is so much to learn about vent..I go to the puttery guild as a member as well as attend many vent and puppet functions. I am a grad of the Maher Basic home study, Steve Taylors course, Paul Winchells home study and just so many others.

You know tragedy is comedy turned on its head, most people have their share of the tragic monster, I have been bit a few times through out my life.

Bob abdou had been hit more then he wants to remember...By 1997 he was divorced, bankrupt and about to apply for food stamps. But he hadn't lost his sense of humor. He commemorated his divorce with a Mediterranean feast for friends,and topped it off with the grilling of his ex's wedding dress.

By then he'd also become Mr. Puppet. Chuck Field, a mentor from Chicago whom he'd gotten to know at the annual VentHaven convention for ventriloquists told him that printing was keeping him from doing what he really loved. He pored over joke books, wrote his own material as well as culling jokes from the history books of jokes..remember that jokes may be old but to someone who never heard them before they become new again.
I an proud to say that I am an aquaintence of Bob Abdou's throught the world of vent, meetingf him at VH Con 2009 and hopefully again 2010.

For those of you who know Bob please leave a few thoughts to be posted or those who were at one of his performances and want to share I know he would love to see it......

CONVERSATION WITH CASEY

2010-02-06T10:41:00.001-08:00

Jay,
It was good chatting with you. Sorry my typing was slow I also had someone else
chatting. Not that I would be typing much faster if you were the only one. Im
glad we chatted becasue there arent any vents located in my area. Do you make
gag files to keep your jokes in or just do scripts? Im looking for ideas to help
me organize. I have index cards broken into topics and working on adding them
into my computer but wonder what other vents or even comedians do. Alot of the
kids jokes I get from the tons of joke books I have read. Of course I may find 3
funny jokes per book. My kids are co-workers are my guinia pig. I never let them
know I am telling a joke when I start the story but after it gets ridiculous
they finally figure out I am trying a new gag on them. The book "Complete
Idiots Guide to Comedy Writing" has helped me write alot of funny original gags
but most of them are geared for the teenage or older crowd not kids. Here is one
of my favorites that I sometimes do in mixed crowds. The older kids laugh
becasuse they get it the younger ones laugh too but not sure why. This is for my
figure Tim.
TIM: Man its hot here in Fort Lauderdale.
VENT: Sure is.
TIM: It so hot I saw a squirrel swimming in Mills pond the on the way here. Did
you know they swim on their back?
VENT: Squirrels swim on their back? Why would they do that.
TIM: Because they dont want to get their nuts wet.

Well my 12 year old thinks its hilarious. What do you think? Be honest should I
save it for the 12 year olds who like fart jokes or is it adult worthy too?

Take Care,
Casey

Anyone who can help casey please post your ideas and i will make them visable

BLUEDOLPH PUPPETS

2010-02-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

Ok where to start. I was mainly influenced by Jim Henson. I watched Sesame Street and the Muppets. My favorite was Kermit. I loved the monsters too. I was also influenced by Star Wars, Star Trek, Mr. Rogers, Lambchop , Captain Kangeroo and Sid and Marty Kroft . I started making things since I can remember. My Mom and Grandmother both sewed. I learned from them how to make creatures out of cloth. My first creation was a noseless purple Teddy Bear I called a " Jacob". Then I started making monsters because of the Sci Fi influence of Star Wars and Star Trek. I used coat liners. Coat hangers rags and anything I could get my hands on. I made up stories and I even learned to draw from a dream that was an answer to a prayer. I made costumes etc also. After I got saved I lost interest in scary monsters. I started making puppets once my two daughters where born. I was into Civil War reenacting for a while. I got out of it due to the expense. My oldest daughter was learning Civil War era in school. I made a puppet of a Confederate Soldier to help teach Civil War life. It went over well so I made a Sleestack puppet to use to teach Natural History . That went over real good. Then in church My wife and I did Childrens Church. I made several puppets for that. We started our own church and I did puppets there. It got to hard to maintain a church in "The City of Churches" so we joined a nice big church. Now I am ready again to do puppet ministry with the hopes in one day starting my own Christian Muppet Show. I am still making puppets out of old clothes. I discovered Youtube and started learning various techniques. I found PuppetsnStuff on the web and got advise from there and friends on Facebook. I am learning how to do puppets the right way. Since I have discovered better ways and gotten great advise from awesome puppeteers all around the world I have made 23 puppets and learned how to use foam. Foam really adds to the look and function of the puppets. I went back and remodeled my older puppets. The internet is an awesome resource! I have found that Puppeteers are a wonderful, kind, helpful group of people that I am thrilled to be part of! I have learned alot of tricks of the trade such as making puppets with moving eyebrows etc. all thanks to the wonderful resources of the internet and great puppeteers willing to share the information. So thanks guys!
A returned message from Bludolph:
Thanks I viewed it everything looks good. could you add this to it I just want people to know they can go to www.artwanted.com/spock7 to view more of my artwork and that I have videos on Youtube under BludolphDolph. Thanks.

MANY OF THE READERS HAVE CAST THEIR VOTES

2010-01-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

And now I will reveal who the readers of this blog have chosen as their choice for the 2009 Peoples choce for vent of the year For retired vent....he has made us laugh for many years in many commercials on various variety shows and has graced many stages all around the world, we are honored to present this years retired nomination to Jimmy Nelson...

The active vent chosen by the readers of this blog has performed for many years,he is still performing in his award winning staged show on broadway The Two and Only, he was one of the stars on tv's comedy sitcom SOAP and we are sure to see much more of this talent for many years to come...The people have chose Jay Johnson as their choice for 2009....

We do not want to forget the other ventriloquists who were chosen at the beginning of last year by the readers who have already chosen this years nominees to be posted soon. If you wish to add your favorite vent please send an E mail to me at njay254@aol.com I will glad to ad them...

Thank you to those who have participated...

MIKE BROSE HAS A MESSAGE HE NEEDS TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE

2010-01-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

Mike is no longer going to sell parts from his cast dummy parts heads hands feet body and eyes. The last day that you could have placed an order was yesterday 12/31/2009 read more about it on his website... www.puppets and props.com/cast puppetparts
He wisheds to send his many thanks to those who have supported him and his company
His finished figure business is keeping him very busy with little or no time for anything else, he regrets the decision he had to make but yet it had to be, if he wants to do justice to the finished figures he so much wants to excell with. Mike we thank you for being a very integril part of this business, we all appreciate your service.
Well I must say that it surely will be missed, but look forward to what the future will bring from Mike hurray!! hurray!!! hurray!!!!

A NEW YEAR HAS ARRIVED 2010

2010-01-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

An old one has gone by into the history books, we shed a tear for the one that left us with all the joy and all the pain it brought along with it...some happy memories some not so happy, we hope with anticipation of the coming year with work for those unemployed, with health for those who are ailing and prosperity for those with nothing... A Very Happy New Year may you all have exactly what you deserve plus a little more to share with those less fortunate..

Hi EVERYONE ITS ALMOST NEW YEARS EVE AGAIN

2009-12-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

WOW!!! ANOTHER YEAR HAS COME AND GONE...ITS SO AMAZING HOW FAS IT WENT, BUT TIME STANDS STILL FOR NO ONE...SO LET ME SAY BEFORE IT SLIPS AWAY I HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL 2009 AND THAT 2010 IS JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER...ALWAYS CUT OFF THE BEST PART FOR YOURSELF AND LEAVE THE REST FOR SOMEONE ELSE..HAPPY NEW YEAR

CHOSING A VENT OR TWO

2009-12-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

The peoples choice for the most popular active vent for 2009 is close I have counted the votes over again and its almost time to state who the winner will be
The peoples choice for the retired vent for 2009 is a shoe in but its still got time to change After the new year has arrived the announcement will be made and broadcast to all venues....Good luck to all

THE HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO AN ICON

2009-12-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

Today is Jimmy Nelson's Birthday So We wish Jimmy the happiest and if its Jimmy's Birthday its also Danny O'Day and Farfels as well....N E S T L E S God has made the very best
J i m m y .

If you like clowns juggling storytelling follow Ribbons Below

2009-12-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hi, Just wanted to tell you I have my first DVD for sale, "Gems of Joy" over 1 hour of family fun! For sale at my web site..
http://www.ribbonstheclown.com/home.html
I also have newsletters for reading online or download and a new store. Could you make on your website a place for everyone who has a related DVD, clowning, juggling, ventriloquist etc. for sale. So we can look at your list and invest in others videos.
Thanks Sincerely with JOY,
Ribbons the clown/ventriloquist
Rev. Robin E. Bremer

OK ITS TIME TO REVEAL THE LEADERS

2009-12-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

I have been a busy little beaver calculating all the last minute votes that have been coming to my e mail address to make themselves heard regarding a new leader and here is the leader
SURPRISE SURPRISE The working ventriloquist who leads this year is Jay Johnson with 121 tooth picks (votes) from his fans from all around the world...but its still early get your votes in 2nd is Dan Horn with 84 tooth picks (votes)
The senior retired ventriloquist with the most tooth picks is Jimmy Nelson 88 , that is no surprise he has been leading all year with out a let up. but close behind him is recently retired vent Sammy King with 76 tooth picks But remember there is still time to get those votes in.. anything can happen as it has proven here...
In the mean time Good luck to the others,as well as the leaders... voting ends on the 31st so there is still time to make yourself heard....

TODAY IS THE 59TH ANNIVERSARY

2009-12-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

WE HONOR THOSE MEN WHO GAVE UP THIER LIVE FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE REST OF US LIVING IN THE FREE WORLD..WE GIVE THANKS TODAY

THE HOLIDAYS ARE FAST APPROACHING AND I DIDN'T FORGET THE VENTS OF 2009

2009-12-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

With all the holidays fast approachiong I just wanted to take a few moments to wish each and everyone of you the happiest of the Holiday season...Happy Chanuka, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza and if there is anyone I had forgotten it wasn't intentional...just send me an E mail and I will look into it...

In the mean time the votes are growing and I am about to revail the two winners of this years popular ventriloquist of 2009 hold on to your hats folks you might be in for a big suprise...

THE VOTES AS OF 11/22/2009 FOR OUR SELECTION TO VENTRILOQUIST OF THE YEAR CHOSEN BY THE READERS IS

2009-11-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

C. GREENE 39 DAN HORN 66 TAYLOR MASON 64 J PIZZI 45 T Fator 62 Mark Wade 61
VET VENT J NELSON 73 VET VENT B DEMAR 61 VET VENT S KING 52

There is still time to add your vote everything can change or grow its all up to you....
send it to me at njay254@aol.com and I will update it. I know that most of the readers have not replied to this request for whatever reason...there is still time, hopefully I will get flooded this month in my e mail with your votes ....

DEPUTY BOB HAS JUST RETURNED AFTER A 29 VENT SHOWS IN CHINA

2009-11-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

Inmate Joe was extradicted from communist China to Hong Kong under the capable hands of Master Deputy Bob Walsh from the Norfolk Sheriff's Office. Joe is in full restraints: Leg shackles, waist chain and handcuffs so he doesn't try any monkey business. No more escapes this time around for sure. We will depart Hong Kong at 11:30 AM, Friday, 11-20-09 via Continental Airlines. Jeremiah, the hard headed student will be coming along for the ride as a participant in the sheriff's "Scared Straight" program.

Wrapup for China was 29 vent shows in the Yew Chung International Schools, local schools and Beijing church. Our travels brought us to Hong Kong, Shantou, Beijing, Shanghai and Taiyuan. Few, if any, of these kids had seen a ventriloquist before. In the local schools, none had ever seen a ventriloquist before. They were all excited. We got an invitation to return in a couple of years. We climbed the Great Wall of China where Inmate Joe was tracked down on his escape from jail and the steps of the Summer Palace. Our luggages got lost temporarily from Shanghai to Taiyuan but were delivered two days later unharmed. We had to re-schedule our connecting flights from Taiyuan, China back to Hong Kong due to a snow storm.We got to see a Cave House in the countryside where poor farmers live. I had never seen a Cave House before with someone actually living in it with the temperature about 15-20 degrees. Amazingly, it was lukewarm inside. They say the hills keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Amazing.Fly back to the states tomorrow with the boys, Inmate Joe and Jeremiah.Happy venting,Bob Walsh

Thank you Deputy Bob for sharing with our readers your story about your trip to China I am sure most of the readers from around the world have enjoyed it...keep those cards and letters coming.

A NEW FRIEND FROM THE LAST VH CON AND FACEBOOK IS SHARING HIS STORY

2009-11-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I act before I actually stop and think. I had decided to go to Vent Haven in 2009 when I read about the Open Mic. You apply, if you get in to one of the ten openings, you get six minutes in front of everyone at the convention. You’re also videotaped and critiqued by working pros. It sounded like a great deal. So I sent in my name and waited. When the list came out I was number ten out of ten. Needless to say I was excited. My excitement soon turned to panic when I realized; now I needed an act.
I’ve been performing most of my life. Magic, juggling, balloons, and ventriloquism have all been in my show for decades. But I never really considered myself a real ventriloquist. My technique was very sloppy and the jokes old chestnuts. (Certainly not anything suitable for the premier ventriloquist convention in the world.) This was the stomping ground of Dunham, Johnson, and Nelson just to name a few. I needed to get to work. I knew immediately I would never be able to up my technique in time to impress anyone. Then I remembered Jeff Dunham once mentioned comedy was harder than ventriloquism. This was my loophole. If I were funny enough, maybe they wouldn’t notice how bad I was.
When I perform I always first figure out my character. It’s been said a magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician. Since I wasn’t a good ventriloquist, that would be my starting point. I’m someone who can’t do ventriloquism, but is too dense to know it. Next I need a figure. Well, if my character were really dumb, he would wait and buy a figure at the last minute, not rehearse, and wing it. I then considered what type of figure this loser would buy. Better yet, what type of figure would he get “stuck” with. A good salesman can spot a sucker a mile away and this guy is a sucker. So what is the silliest thing someone could try and pass off as a puppet? The answer, a stick. Ventriloquist figures use a dowel, much like a broom handle, as the control stick for the head. So why not just sell him the stick. From that everything else just fell into place. His name would be “Rod” and Rod is a “stick puppet”. Terry Fator won America’s Got Talent by doing singing impression. I decided I would also do impressions, but without singing or even talking. The first gag would be to put a cowboy hat on the stick and call him “Woody” for Pixar’s A Toy Story. A small blond wig and it’s super model Twiggy. A pair of sunglasses . . . Shaft! I was on a roll and soon had more than enough material to fill the six minutes.
I became worried. This is after all a ventriloquist convention. I needed to at least make an attempt. Rod needed to talk. I also thought this would catch people off guard. They would think this is just a prop joke, the stick talks and while they react to that, I hit them with another joke. Well, I spent a lot of time with hinges, drills, springs, and too many splinters trying to gimmick a dowel to split and return without any real success. Then it hit me. I’m a fake ventriloquist with a fake act and a fake puppet; why not make it a fake stick. I took a section of PCV pipe cut and hinged it. I ran a piece of elastic cord through the inside. I wrapped the whole thing is wood grain shelf paper and rod was born. As the final touch, I took a briefcase and created an old fashioned looking ad (“Hey Kids! Learn Ventriloquism for only $1”) and stuck it on the top. I was now ready.
I arrived at the convention and was a little apprehensive. These are people who love the art of ventriloquism. They make their living doing what I was about to spoof. Sure, I thought it was funny but would they? The Open Mic was early in the convention, so this could be a very long weekend. As I watched the others perform before me, I started to get “flop sweat” before I had gotten a chance to flop. I comforted myself by thinking back to one of the fist acts I saw the night before; A ventriloquist with a headless dummy. Everyone loved it. Well, I thought, no one had ever heard of me before tonight and if it tanks, I can just go back to Alabama change my name and take up herding goats.
When all was said and done, everyone seemed to enjoy the act. Many people wanted to have their picture taken with Rod, not me, just Rod. I even had several offer jokes based on the act’s premise. The next day Dan Horn used part of the act as an example in his lecture about puns. (I hope that was a good thing) The weekend was great. I made a lot of new friend and saw a lot of great real ventriloquist. I’m already planning for next year. If I make it into the Open Mic, I can’t tell you what I’m doing, but I promise you it will be weird.

Darrell (the Doctor) Osborn

Peter Rolston deserves a star on the BC StarWalk Of Fame

2009-11-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

Want to make a point perfectly clear Peter deserves a star on the Starwalk, yes its way over due and a petition needs to be signed for his family to reach that goal. My question is, if a celebrity who deserves a star should die before given one, they have to go through this petition signing before he could get it?? To be given a star on the walk is more of what he did during his lifetime and should he pass, have no bearing on whether he should get one or not...But it is so then lets all sign it and get him is well deserved star. Peter belongs to the masses he has placed smiles on many people who could have gone that day without one had it not been for him... A persons talent is taken from us when they cross over but their memories stay with us for many many years possibly even a lifetime... His body of work needs to be recognized and honored and I for one say yeah!!! GIVE PETER ROLSTON HIS STAR....

THIS LETTER BELOW WAS SENT OUT BY HIS FAMILY TO ALL WHO WISHED PETER TO HAVE HIS STAR ON THE WALK OF FAME....

We think it is about time that Peter Rolston SHOULD GET A STAR AS WELL.

Peter Rolston was born on January 12 1936 in Vancouver BC. For twenty years he entertained hundreds of people through his very popular children's shows on BCTV. The first Pete's Place aired on July 19, 1965. Others were privileged to see or hear his act on cruise ships, exhibitions and festivals all over cities and towns in our western provinces. Others were entertained at children's birthday parties and adult parties. He also gave his time to make children laugh at BC Children's Hospital and the Variety Club Telethon. Those of us who grew up in the Lower Mainland remember fondly witnessing Peters talent as a comedian, magician, and ventriloquist on local television programs In 1960, the year BCTV was born as CHAN TV, Goeff Theobald, engage Peter as a recurring novelty performer in Fun Fair our live Saturday kids' show. As a ventriloquist, he excelled in breathing life into otherwise inanimate objects, but he soon proved versatile enough as a performer to become a featured character on Side Show Planet Pals and finally, Pete Place. Because of Peter Rolston's influence there is a new generation of children's entertainers carrying on his legacy.

MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC

2009-11-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

Alan Watson sent a message to the members of Magic New Zealand's **NEWS FLASH**. --------------------Subject: Broken Wand - John Booth Message from John & Tammy Calvert We just heard from Norm Nielsen that John Booth passed away last Wednesday. In January when we were in California, Bill McIlhany and his wife drove us to see John and his daughter. We met Dr Ragatz there and we all went out for lunch. John ate well and he even had a desert, somebody said he loved deserts. He was in very high spirits that day. John Booth and John Calvert has been friends for many many years. They are both Leos and John Booth is one year younger than John Calvert. Their birthdays are within a few days apart. John Booth was a prolific writer of magic and travelled the world making documentaries on film. He wrote, "John Calvert has reached the mountain tops of existence and has opened windows through which we can peer." John Booth. Thank you John for all you have done for the magic fraternity. Rest in peace. We love you.

Whaley's Who's Who In MagicCopyright by http://www.facebook.com/l/08644;Lybrary.com, reproduced with permission. http://www.facebook.com/l/08644;www.lybrary.com/ Booth, Rev Dr John (William Nicholls), LittD, MIMC (Meadville, Pennsylvania: 7 Aug 1912- ) Inspired at age 10 by a magic set. Learned at age 14 from W.J. Armstrong ("Armah"). Semi-pro at 15 (in 1927). Edited-published Canada's second (after W.G. Edwards's Edwards Monthly) magic magazine, The Canadian Magician's Digest (1929, 3 issues). Organized the first Canadian magic convention (Hamilton, Ontario) 18-19 Apr 1931. Pro 1934-Mar 1940, as a prominent society, nightclub, & hotel magician. In 1938 also worked alternate venues as "Jancini". 1937 Sphinx Award.Then an ordained Unitarian minister (1942 until retired in 1975). Part-time pro celebrity platform lecturer 1943-58, touring world-wide. 1977 AMA Literary Fellowship. 1983 SAM Hall of Fame. 1985 & 1988 H. Adrian Smith Literary Award; 1987 Magic Circle "John Nevil Maskelyne Prize".Invented Pull-Down (late 1920s) & Booth's Baffling Block (1928). Wrote over 400 articles (since 1928) for Linking Ring, Sphinx, Genii, & Magicol. Also (since 1930) 12 books on magic: Super Magical Miracles (1930), Forging Ahead in Magic (1939, 154pp; reprinted 1944), Marvels of Mystery (1941, 146pp; reprinted 1946 & 1963), The John Booth Classics (1975, 252pp, being a reprint of the two previous books plus "A Conjurer's Reminiscences"), Psychic Paradoxes (1984, 243pp), Wonders of Magic (1986, 289pp), Dramatic Magic (1988, 243pp), Creative World of Conjuring (1990, 268pp), Conjurians' Discoveries (1992, 274pp), The Fine Art of Hocus Pocus (1996, 287pp), Extending Magic Beyond Credibility (2001, 272pp), Magical Mentalism. Also wrote books on religion, travel, & genealogy as "John Nicholls Booth": Fantastic Destinations, The Quest for Preaching Power, The Story of the Second Church in Boston. An index of his 1963-88 Linking Ring articles is Ben Robinson & Amy Janello (editor), Memoirs of a Magician's Ghost (1988, 243pp).

U S A COLOR GUARD HAPPY VETERANS DAY

2009-11-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Ina, Myself and the oldest vet............................ Color Guard 2009 vets show

'he served in WW1'

Glee Club 2009 vets show

Thank you to all the guys and gals in all our armed forces from the Hall of Mantazuma to the seas of the world, the blue skys of Europe to the wheat fields of the USA these guys and gals stand for the right of freedom and will help the world fight for their rights where ever it might take them in all the corners of the globe...Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to get the job done.

THE COMEDY AND MAGIC OF THE GREAT BALLENTINE IS NO MORE

2009-11-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Carl Ballentine billed as the Great Ballentine has passed away in his sleep by natural causes. His early fame came from the TV show McHale's Navy. He was also seen on many of the variety shows of the 60s and 70s, where is magic never came out quite right. Carl was 92

2009-11-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Mallory Lewis daughter of the world famous Shari Lewis, who has performed for 4 generations and kept me smiling when I was a child with her Lamb Chops, Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse wishes to say
"Hey All!!
Lamb Chop and I are appearing at COMIX (hot comedy club in NYC) on Sunday Nov 8th! Show starts at 8PM, hope to see you there!"

If your in the area be sure to visit her your will be glad you did if you were a fan of her mom's she will bring back the memories.

'THE DUMMYMAN96' HAROLD MORRIS SHARES HIS FEELS REGARDING TERRY JEFF AND THE WORLD OF VENT

2009-10-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, new to the group here. First let me preface this email by saying I think Jeff Dunham is a fantastic entertainer/ comedian/ ventriloquist. I think he started out as a ventriloquist but now is a comedian using ventriloquism? While its true he has worked hard for decades to achieve this kind of "mega success" and has brought ventriloquism into the mainstream I think there is still room for more! Does ventriloquism stop with Jeff or Terry? What about the other greats that seem to go unmentioned Jay or Ron for example. What about the "undiscovereds" many of which you can see daily on Youtube? Yeah probably more bad Vents on Youtube then good, but Ive seen a few very GOOD ones on Youtube! Some professionals of course and others starting out. Is there room for them at the top? For sure there is. How many singers are there? How many actors is there? Nobody stopped with just one or two! Just to throw this out there, Terry Fator is a better technical ventriloquist then Jeff Dunham! (ssshhh for a second now!)BUT>> Terry only won Americas got Talent because he can sing! Thats what that show is all about! Im afraid to tell you guys if Dunham was an unknown, and was on Americas got talent he would not have made it! He does not sing! Speaking of techincal Venting...Dunham slips quite a bit on the lip control and sometimes flubs his lines or slurs! Ive seen it several times now...not to be too critical of course! I think hes tired or at least he looks it. Im a virtual nobody so why does my opinions matter? They dont! Just my observations. Hands down for a technical ventriloquist I would think Jay Johnson has all of them beat! In the older days we had Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell ect. each had shows or were on TV. Jeffs accomplishments has truly fueled the flames for ventriloquists all over the world but there is room for more! There are other great ventriloquists out there who should be seen. I guess what Im saying is while Jeff is doing wonders for ventriloquism under a "comedians" title, there are many others under the actual "ventriloquist" title doing their small part! Hard to argue...its impossible to argue with Jeffs success but just pointing out my observations. So come on guys is there room for you at the top or are you just gonna let Jeff and Terry take it all...forever! Reading the posts here on worldvents makes it seem Jeff is a ventriloquist "god"...he most certainly is not mayby rockstar status...God would never use adult material lol...just kidding Jeffs material is great. Glad he finally changed some of it after 20 some years of performing. Of course he had to change his material or at least add material because of his new characters. Like they say though you dont change something unless its broke so why would you change. Until the additions of his new characters Jeffs routines remained the same over all those years. He must have picked up some writers! In my mind Jeff has always been a great ventriloquist! Master at manipulation, character voices and sometimes very good lip control. I think the lip control has gone by the wayside nowdays, but who needs it if your actually just a "comedian" or I mean have great characters! I know some of you will silently agree with me and most may disagree with my observations. Thats fine to each their own. God bless the Vent community and all the greats...and the unknowns! Keep on doing your thing guys and gals! Hope to see you all at the top!

LINK TO USA TODAY JEFF DUNHAM COMEDY CENTRAL

2009-10-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-10-21-jeff-dunham_N.htm

and don't forget www.tvbythenumbers.com

ALWAYS WONDERFUL TO HEAR NICE STUFF FROM THIS LADY OF OUR NORTH BORDER

2009-10-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Puppets To Go
From Barb Phoenix
I had a great day doing vent for children in Bronte for Canada Day. It was a great marketing opportunity as well. I did walkabout with my figure Otto... He was an instant hit with the kids.I had also made sock puppet kits, and called them Puppets To Go... Each kit had a Puppets To Go label and a business card. I put double-sided tape on the eyes, nose and hair. and explained to the parents that they could hot glue the add-ons to make them more permanent.The kids had a blast making them, and then talking to my puppet. I even had an opportunity to teach some rudimentary ventriloquism. Also had free colouring sheets that I had laid out out with crayons so the kids could colour. I hope I get the opportunity to do it again.

Keep those kids smiling and happy Barb N Jay

WANTING TO BE A VENTRILOQUIST FROM 6 TO 100

2009-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

At my age just starting out in something I love will not ride me to the top but I do not worry about the top. If I can bring a smile to the face of some seniors or children then I am a success, a smile a day is success all the way. I sing a little, I can tell a joke a little but when I share its not a little. You may not be remembered for world fame but if one person remembers me for the smile I brought to them, then my day is made. Ventriloquism can be a hobby it can be an advocation or it could be a profession at any age is intirely up to you...A SMILE A DAY KEEPS THE MEANIES AWAY.

MARY FRY WAS MURDERED BY DAN FRIDAY IN DELAWARE COUNTY OHIO

2009-10-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that I am reporting to you the death of our good friend Mary Fry. She was murdered yesterday in a domestic dispute with her husband Dan Fry. Although events are sketchy at this point I felt it would be good to let you all know what I have heard. Dan has been charged with murder and is in the Delaware County Jail here in Ohio.Mary was a good friend, a supporter of of the museum and the ConVENTion, and a wonderful and loving person. We will miss her greatly. When more details are known about services or arrangements for Mary I will share them with you. Please keep all concerned in your prayers during this most difficult time.Mark Wade-Executive DirectorVent Haven ConVENTion

I have had the pleasure of meeting these two folks at my first VH Con. They seemed like nice folds, never noticing any difficulty in their relationship... We here at Vent Yours wish to send our sympathy to the folks at the VH Museum as well as the folks at the world Vent group and any other group that was familiar with them. Rest well in the Lords arms Mary.

2009-10-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

This morning as I turned on my tv to watch the news I discovered with a tear in my eye that one of my childhood favorites Soupy Sales has passed away...Soupy there will be plenty of pies to toss around at your new audience. White fang and Black Tooth (hope thats the right way, I always mixed that up) his two hand puppets who Ihaen't seen in a while lost their creator. Each of us should raise a pie in his honor get in the toss position 1...2...3 let it rip, Too many tears in my eyes I think I missed my target... Soupy Sales Born Milton Supman on Jan 8, 1926 in N.C., typically clad in a black sweater and oversized poka-dot bow tie. One afternoon while watching the show I remember he was suspemnded from his show for telling the children to send in all the green pieces of paper in their mothers and fathers pocket with the presidents on them. What can one say that hasn't been said already about this funny man Soupy you will greatly be missed.

SUSAN JOHNSON A CHILDRENS MISSIONARY VENTRILOQUIST WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SHARE WITH YOU HER STORY SHE HAS LOTS TO TEACH YOU READ ON....

2009-10-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

About Me
Hi my name is Sue Johnson I live in Sahuarita, AZ, which is south of Tucson.I have been in ministry for 18 years working with kids mostly junior kids 7-12.I got involved with puppetry at first when a Missionary home on sabbatical from thePhilippines visited my church. It was from that moment that I knew that God had a greater ministry for me.
It wasn’t until a short time later that a ventriloquist came to my church that I got interested in vent in fact I asked him where I could get some resources and of course he gave me none other than Maher Studios phone number.
After I got the Maher catalogue I saw the course for ventriloquism and I took it and 3 months later I surprised our church congregation during a singsperatin. They loved what I did and have been venting ever since.
Most of what I have done has been mostly in Children’s church and on occasion such venues as assisted living and most recently a daycare center.
A year and a half ago I had a vision for doing a website, but not any website a site that would be more than just about me, but one that would inspire or teach about the things of the Bible using the art of ventriloquism, not only featuring me but my characters as well.
On this site you will see printed material, photos and videos. And if you have anything that you would like to share let us know and we will post it for you.
God BlessSue Johnson
Heart of a Ventriloquist – Interview with Susan Johnson, an Arizona VentriloquistBy Angela ScottSaturday, September 22nd, 2007
Introduced to Susan Johnson only over the telephone, I immediately knew we share a similar love for Ventriloquism. My hope is to introduce you to Susan and her gift she shares with others, the gift of Ventriloquism.
1. What is one thing every Ventriloquist must do?
Every ventriloquist must practice. It is better if you can keep a regular rehearsal schedule. Maybe on one day you work with one character, and the next day a different one. Practice is key to success.
2. What is one thing every Ventriloquist must avoid?
Stealing material.
I recommend developing your own style. It is okay to get ideas from other ventriloquists. Also, use material that is appropriate for you. This depends on the type of venue you are working in, i.e. schools.
3. Is this Ventriloquist stuff something that is here to stay?
Ventriloquism is here to stay. It has been around for thousands of years. It dates back to Biblical times.
4. Can someone work successfully as a Ventriloquist if they are in a crowded niche?
Ventriloquists are so spread out world wide that a ventriloquist can find his or her niche; they just have to go out and get it.
5. What has Ventriloquism done for you?
It has opened up doors for going into churches and I have become more creative and passionate about what I want to do.
6. What trends do you currently see in Ventriloquism?
Since I do most of my work in the church, Ventriloquism is a growing ministry for many because it is different and a great way to share God’s love and His message.
7. When did you first become interested in Ventriloquism?
It was about twelve years ago when missionaries were home on sabbatical from the Philippines and they worked with kids like I do.

I ALMOST FOR GOT BUT BETTER LATE THEN NOT AT ALL

2009-10-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

ON OCTOBER 10...World Vents have celebrated their 10th anniversary so we here at Ventriloquially Yours want to wish them all, hey that includes me as well, a happy 10th.

SUSPENCE THE PUPPET CONVENTION TAKING PLACE IN LONDON A 10 DAY EVENT

2009-10-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

SUSPENSE30 October - 8 November 2009SUSPENSE: London Puppetry Festival ‘09 is the first festival of puppetry totake place across London for over 25 years. All the work programmed is for adults. Over 10 days a range of performances, masterclasses and symposia will take place at 7 venues across the capital.
SUSPENSE will explode the myths that currently surround puppetry in that country, proving that puppets aren’t just for kids. It will showcase adverse range of contemporary work from UK and international practitioners, bringing puppetry to new adult audiences. Puppetry is going through a renaissance in the UK with productions such asWar Horse by the National Theatre, Anthony Minghella’s Madam Butterfly forthe ENO, Avenue Q and the RSC’s Venus and Adonis (in association withLittle Angel Theatre) revealing how sophisticated, irrational, grotesque and potent the artform can be. The work programmed for SUSPENSE represents not only the changing landscape of puppetry in the UK but a challenge to the way theatre is made – opening new doors of expressiveness. ..... For our friends across the big pond this is certainly something you won't want to miss.

SOUTH FLORIDA PUPPET GUILD LOST 2 OF ITS FRIENDS THIS WEEL

2009-10-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

This has been a sad week for the puppet guild of Florida two of its friends have been remembered Pady Blackwood, had a fatal heart attack last night in Orlando, where he lived. Known to the guild since 1979, this is a great time to keep Pady in your memories, like the times he performed at the Willow Theatre during one of our evenings of puppetry. Pady, you will be missed. Another that is remembered each year at this time is Wayne Hampton one of S Florida;'s own who passed last year. Its good to be a puppeteer

DID COLUMBUS DISCOVER THE AMERICAN VARIETY STAGE HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY

2009-10-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Just a wish for a Happy Columbus Day to all our adventurous entertainers go out and discover new and exciting venues with your own three ships.

BILL DEMAR HEADLINES AT JACK RUBY'S CAROSEL IN DALLAS 1963

2009-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

An agent sent me down for the job. I was tending bar at the time, something I knew nothing about, but learned as I went along. Can’t stand alcohol . Jack kept me, because the girls liked me and the band liked me and I changed my approach and Jack changed his mind.
I was in and out of there several times, he didn’t like to keep an mc for more than two weeks, this was most places. The last time I was there Jack was fed up with the people he had over the past year and just wanted me and Wally Weston to mc (switch off every two weeks) from then on. It didn’t work out that way.

Bill thank you for the history behind you and the Carosel. A big part of the history surrounding the dreadful week in Dallas.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO FOLKS ON OUR NORTHERN BORDER

2009-10-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian readers and commenters! I hope your day is filled with good food, happy times, and yes, for the holiday only, I suppose, delicious pieces of pie. (Even though cake is still the superior dessert.) Canadian turkey smothered in Maple leaf syrup

Don't forget our canadian ventriloquists, Neale Bacon, Dan Byran, Mark Cricker, Brad Cummings, Norma McKnight, Damian James Patrick and Matilda Happy Thanksgiving they don't forget their american counterparts.

PETE MICHAELS WILL BE DOING IT AGAIN

2009-10-08T04:55:00.001-07:00

Hi all!
Due to large demand, I'll be hosting another All-Day Ventriloquism Clinic in November!
Email me for complete details: pete@petemichaels. com
Pete Michaelswww.petemichaels. com
Note from Me.
I have only heard great things about this clinic if you are in this area in November make sure to spend a day with Pete at his one day clinic I am sure you'll walk away from this day a lot more knowledgeable in the world of ventriloquism.

JOHN PIZZI LETS US KNOW WHAT HE'S BEEN UP TO AND WAITING TO KNOW WHAT HE HAS IN STORE

2009-10-07T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hi N Jay (and the readers of this blog)
I have not been to the blog. But I will check it out. (he has now graced my blog with his presence, thanks for stopping by John), and found a typo in the voting section of this blog his name was entered as Jim Pizzi...sorry Joe... thats not right is it Jack....oooops I mean 'JOHN'....hahaha)

I do not have any plans yet on the VH ConVention. I wish they would hire me so I know I was going,, haha
I just finished headlining a week at the Borgata hotel..went straight to Vegas for a week and 14 shows and ,then went to San Antonio for a Corporate,-- Then Hartford Ct,and just this mourning did a couple of shows for children on the Circle Liner boat in NYC for Sucas. A Jewish Holiday.

Life has been hetic... but I am working on 2 new puppets and looking forward to binging them out to the public..What could they be ??????????????.

If you want to see a very funny man make it a plan to go see John when ever he is in your area, I am sure your gonna love his show. I will try to get some schedule from him as to where and when he will be performing. NJH

HERE'S ANOTHER ENTRY FROM OUR FRIEND BOB

2009-09-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

N Jay, check this out:

Coco, Yoyo y Yiyo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0h0g3nfrB8
Bob

IF ANYONE WANTS TO SEE A FINESTORYTELLER AND YOU IN THIS AREA DROP IN

2009-09-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

This Sunday I will have two shows at the Kendallville Apple Festival inKendallville, IN. This will be my second year. Any in the area drop by andsay Hi. I'll be the one with an African Owl on my shoulder. This is a prettyneat festival. Google it for details.....Bob Shimer"Stories and Magic with Bob and Friends", http://StoriesAndMa gic.comMore than a show, its a fun experience for all ages.Fishers, Indiana USA

A CONVERSATION WITH YOUNG MATT BAILEY

2009-09-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

I believe that stage name is good for a few reasons, one is the ring it has, and two it allows the little kids to still call you Mr. as most parents teach there kids to do, as a respect thing, and its also like addressing a teacher in that sense, so it is really good. I like that!
And I love the blog
I have thrown a question out there to the pro vents to answer and so far they are doing a great job
I have an Idea...after you get all the answers, if you could put them in one big post, I see you have smaller posts individually as you get the answers, but after you get them all, maybe create a "data base" if you will, of all the answers...just a thought.
Well its a good Idea even a better one might be to put all the answers into one box which is simply to highlight and delete
but in the mean time I have readers from all over the world and as the replies come in I down load it to the blog
rather then keep them in limbo some professionals have different methods and if something different comes in while I am entering a reply I also add that and go back to the reply so if you wish to answer with your method by all means it will be read and entered.
I am still learning, and am not a pro, so I don't believe it would be appropriate for me to share my thoughts, because I really have not found anything newer than what has been taught....the only thing I've really found out is that difficulty on the hard letters varies from accent to accent.
Matt YOU are always welcome to add your ideas to my blog whether pro or not. I find you to be a very wise young man and if what you have to add doesn't quite make it, that's OK too. Just add it let me be the judge,
that'd be it though: I find that the difficulty of making the Labials sound like BPMVF varies between the voices I do. with My deep, dodo voice for my bird, the letters are not as hard, but I have a bit more difficulty with the letters in my southern accented boy character

we will discuss accents at another time this is totally about labials and tongue placement as well
I find that breathing from the diaphragm makes the letters easier to pronounce rather than shorter breaths*
Breathing shallow is a bad ventriloquist you must breath from the diaphram or deep breathing.. When you pronounce your M words what do you do to make it sound like an M without moving your lips
where do you position your tongue in your oral cavity, remembering that your tongue replaces your lips in vent speech therefore making it the strongest muscle or your second strongest muscle the diaphragm is the strongest
the tip of my tongue hits my gums "MM' sound and then it bounce back down for the little "uh"
OK what I refer to as the back of your upper teeth and the alveolar ridge works fine for most words but when pronouncing the M words it is the only resonant letter in the labials which means you replace it with the NG sound in your nasal cavity or the N sound in the back or your mouth Remember that the replacement sub for m is N or NG or combination of both
Here are a few replacement sentences My Mind Melds with your Mind could be Ny Nind Nelds with your Nind where in the ng sound would be mommy become ngonny or nonny very simple way to tell if the resonat sound is working pinch your nose slightly say money with the ub of NG in sing or the ay in shayon the ay or on the ng of sing. Have fun Matt

DALE BROWN HAS SHARED WITH US HIS METHOD OF VENT SPEECH

2009-09-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hi, Jay AND THE READERS OF THIS BLOG

I've been doing this for so long that I don't use substitutes for the Liabials anymore. But when I was starting out I used whatever was suggested in the Maher course. Clinton Detweiler's blog often talks about sustitures, so be sure to check that out. I primarily do corporate and banquet work ... a few childerns' shows around the holidays. Best of luck and please keep in touch.

Dale"

Reply from me: I certainly wil Dale and thank you from the readers

RUSSO LEWIS HAS OPTED TO SHARE A FEW IDEAS WITH THE READERS HERE

2009-09-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hi, Mr. JAY AND THE READERS OF THIS BLOG

My preferred method of labial pronunciation lies in coordinating tongue, to forward, mid and soft palette positions. This is secondary to the ventriloquist artist in training the lungs to fill low to high instead of lifting the chest before filling the abdomen. In that way short or long breaths have a good source from which to draw to create the illusion of breathing from two points so as to create the fantasy of a dialogue between two or more characters. I'm not too enthusiastic about earlier methods of substitution since tongue tip to palette can and do produce labials whose sounds are barely indistinguishable from that produced by the lips. That said; how we hold the brush to the canvas, so to 'speak', pardon the pun, will differ slightly artist to artist. Give the jaw a consistent anchor point. you can study this effect in work by Paul Winchell, Shari Lewis, Jimmy Nelson...or today's Jeff Dunham or the artistry of actor Jay Johnson.

PeaceRuss"

THANK YOU WANLU FROM THE PHILIPINES FOR SHARING WITH US

2009-09-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Wanlu

Hi N Jay AND READERS OF THIS BLOG:

I have problems with labials as well. My lip control is not ideal but I try hard (he practices, practices, practices) and I think a ventriloquist must really try hard to have at least a decent lip control. If a ventriloquist is as famous as Edgar Bergen, then maybe lip control wont be an issue. But even famous and wealthy ventriloquists like Jeff Dunham and Terry Fator try hard to showcase a decent lip control.On my part, I have problems with labials(B-F-M-P-V-W) but I use the standard technique which is substitution. For TV, I use a lot of proper camera angles. I tell the show director not to take close up shots and more on left side camera shots. Plus a few tight shots on the figure once in awhile. I have had some TV shows where my lip control was terrible...and I learned from those experiences. Now, every time I am featured in TV, I insist on specific camera shots. I also insist that I am provided with a sound monitor. I will bring my own if I need to...just to make sure I will hear myself well. For live shows, the best way to overcome those hard labials is practice....practice...and more practice. I also managed to learn a few cheats...like wiping the nose once in awhile. Oh yes...I cheat, Im so sorry but there are just words I just cant get away with a decent lip control. I dont want to sacrifice clarity for lip control and realize nobody got the punchline because the word was not understood. :)Thank you very much for the privilege to be a part of your blog. I'm a relatively new ventriloquist, I am not an expert but a student of the art and I continue to learn more.I am proud to say that in the Philippines, because of my TV exposure, a regular citizen has added a new word to his vocabulary, VENTRILOQUIST. :) I bring back ALL THE GLORY TO GOD.Wanluhttp://www.facebook.com/l/4f8e4;www.wanlu.net

SILVIA AND THE MAGIC TRUCK GOOGLE HER SHE PUTS ON A FINE SHOW

2009-09-24T05:10:00.000-07:00

TUPPER?LAKE -Ventriloquism is more than just not moving your lips when you talk, says Sylvia Fletcher, a Ballston Spa ventriloquist.
The hard part is that you have to play two characters at once.
"You're becoming Laurel and Hardy, you're becoming Lucy and Ricky, you're both parts of the comedy team," Fletcher said. "You have got to be able to do a banter back and forth and do it quickly and make it believable."
People don't realize how important acting skills are to ventriloquism, she said.
Fletcher, who performs as Silvia and the Magic Trunk, is playing several shows in the Tri-Lakes area next week, and will finish off with a benefit performance at the Tupper Lake Knights of Columbus on Saturday, May 16.
The show is a family comedy show and features several hilarious characters, including Chito, an hispanic opossum for whom English is a second language, and Smolder, a stega-dragon (a mix between a stegosaurus and a dragon) who billows smoke and sometimes gets in trouble doing so.
Fletcher's husband, Chris Fletcher, is a Tupper Lake native and still has family there. Since their marriage three years ago, he has taken on the role of managing the show, adding lights, music and other production elements.
"It's a wonderful dimension that has been added to the show," Fletcher said.
Ventriloquism is a full-time job for the couple, who have a variety of shows they perform, including educational performances that promote literacy, like they will be putting on at L.P. Quinn on Thursday, and shows that are more geared toward general entertainment, like the Saturday benefit.
Proceeds from the show will be donated to two neurofibromatosis foundations: NF R.A.C.E.R.S. (which stands for Raising Awareness to Cure, Educate, Research and Support) and the Children's Tumor Foundation, a national research fund.
Fletcher's 14-year-old nephew Ganon has NF, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on nerves anywhere in the body. He was diagnosed when he was four months old, and has had two tumors removed from his eyelid.
Ganon's mother, Kim Fletcher, founded NF R.A.C.E.R.S. to support local families dealing with NF by helping pay for hospital bills, travel expenses and other needs. The organization is about a year old and is based in Watertown.
Before May 16, tickets cost $9 for adults, which includes the admittance of two children for free and $4 for each additional child. Tickets for adults without children cost $7, and children 17 and under and senior citizens will be admitted for $4.
On the day of the show, tickets cost $10 for adults, which includes the admittance of two children for free and $5 for each additional child. Tickets for adults without children cost $8, and children 17 and under and senior citizens will be admitted for $5.
Tickets are on sale for the benefit show now, and can be purchased at The Washboard laundromat in Tupper Lake or by calling 518-359-2339 or 518-862-1404.

MAX TERHUNE ON THE LONE RANGER

2009-09-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

OCT.12TH 1950 EPISODE #57
"DANGER AHEAD" A ventriloquist, Sidney Boswell (Max Terhune), is an eye-witness to the murder of Sheriff Roberts in Kingston but is scared and runs off. The Lone Ranger convinces Boswell to do the right thing and return. A cup of hot coffee helps the Lone Ranger & Tonto get crooked Deputy Rock Craig (Don Haggerty) arrested. William E. Green plays the part of Judge Jordan, Hatch is played by Jack Briggs and the part of Al is played by Mike Ragan.

OOPS OR NOT TO OOOPS IS THERE A QUESTION

2009-09-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

Better late then never but better never late... I agree ... The month of August was the 40th anniversary of Maher Studios ownership by the Detweilers...Sorry guys for forgetting. But the celebration should last the whole year and hope it will.

KEEP THOSE POSTS COMING BOB

2009-09-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

VINTAGE VENTRILOQUISM PACKAGEhttp://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zbnhyz2zymw10 Documents -- Ventriloquists/Ventriloquism before 1930

EDGAR BERGEN PACKAGEhttp://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wymmmudmfzt5 Documents & 1 Audio File

PETER BROUGH PACKAGEhttp://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2zkyd3znz52Biography, Photo Album,and 8 Educating Archie Radio Programs

PAUL WINCHELL PACKAGE
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?joqljkobyycBiography, a Photo Scrapbook, 3 Winchell-Mahoney Time Scripts, and more than a dozen audio files.

Another Message from our friend over the pond Bob Albano

2009-09-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

Ventriloquist given blue plaque

Fred Russell introduced the single dummy act
A Victorian-era entertainer known as the father of modern ventriloquism has been honoured with a blue plaque.
Thomas Frederick Parnell, who was born in Poplar, east London, was known by his stage name Fred Russell and began as an amateur ventriloquist in 1879.
He was credited with popularising the use of a single dummy. His most popular dummy was the Cockney 'Coster Joe'.
The plaque was installed at the house in Lower Richmond Road, Putney, where Russell lived for 12 years until 1926.
'Good at everything'
Russell, originally a journalist, turned semi-professional in 1886 and went on to tour the US, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa, and his shows featured on television until 1952.
He is also credited with popularising the fast-paced verbal interplay between the ventriloquist and dummy where it is the dummy who cracks the jokes.
In 1906 Russell helped set up the Variety Artistes Federation trade union, which was behind improving the terms and conditions for performers.
Actor Roy Hudd, who was present at the unveiling of the plaque, said: "He was a great man in so many ways - the Victorian man who was good at everything he did.
"He was a huge top-of-the-bill star and that rare thing, an entertainer who was interested in politics.
"It's very exciting for all of us - we've been trying to get a blue plaque for him for 25 years."
Russell was awarded the OBE in 1948. He died in 1957 at the age of 95 years.

I HAVE JUST BEEN INFORMED OF THE PASSING OF THIS MAGICIAN

2009-09-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Broken Wand - Bobby Baxter (US) passed away in his sleep last night »
(Brooklyn, New York: 14 Jun 1920- ) Stage name of Edwin Jerome Ziegler. Raised in St. Augustine, Florida, where he taught himself magic at age 10. Pro comedy magician. Played such venues as the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver in 1943, the Cotillion Room in New York in 1946, Ed Sullivan Show in 1949, & a regular at Magic Towne House 1970s-80s & Mostly Magic since 1979.

A QUESTION WAS THROWN OUT TO ME AND I THOUGHT THE READER COULD ANSWER IT

2009-09-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

I am in search of the best 3-5 minute opening of an act for a childrens show grades K-5 It could be used to open any childrens show. I have the routine but the opening act leaves much to be desired, can anyone help.
Willy Mobile Ala

TO ALL MY JEWISH FRIENDS

2009-09-18T12:37:00.001-07:00

THE BEST OF THE NEW YEAR MAY YOU ALL BE WRITEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE FOR A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR LA SHANA TOVAR

ANOTHER GREAT DOWNLOAD FROM BOB ALBANO

2009-09-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

Peter Brough Super Package
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2zkyd3znz52
Includes Biography, Photo Album,
and 8 Educating Archie Radio Programs

Bob Albano

Bob Thank you again for your wonderful information for our readers...please inform those you know of the down load to the blog.

WILMA SWARTZ HAS LOTS TO SHARE WITH THE READERS

2009-09-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

3) This seems to be an on going convo a learning experience for the young and older readers... so lets keep it going...Is there a video anywhere of Wilma and her World of Puppets... Does ventriloquism play a part in your act or is it more puppetry?

Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPFh33kwV2I and you'll see me performing at the 2008 Vent Haven Ventriloquist ConVENTion for approximately 8 minutes.
If you want to see the trailer for "Figures Of Speech", go to this address.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEK-v1gG9Z8

3) Now its your turn I am going to let the pipelines open real wide and let you explain your program to the utmost degree leaving no stones unturned... How you practice to prepare for each show
I practice mostly without using the traditional mirror. I will practice sometimes while driving to the store or to a gig which often I get asked at a traffic light, who's in the van with me since they can't see anyone but they know others are there because they say I couldn't be doing all those voices. (Some people can't read signs on your vehicle.) I usually do a couple of complete run throws minus the puppets prior to a show and then I'll do several dress rehearsals where I'm actually using the puppets so I can get the right facial or manipulation poses for the bit.
then How you put your program together, what you do to prepare for each program,
To put a program together, I first find out if the client has a certain theme they're working with so I can tie my show into it. Next I sit down and start writing a storyline and after I'm satisfied with the storyline then I go back in and put the jokes and music in it and assign characters. Prior to a show I like to have between 5 - 10 minutes of quiet time with no disturbances just to get my show and me in sync. The time in Lewisburg, PA. at the prom after party, my show faltered because I didn't have that quiet time because of the emergency I got roped into that occurred thanks to a previous act that flew the coop. I went right from saving a student to appearing on stage. I didn't even get a sip of water prior.
how you get your audiences involved, both young and senior groups
My audience gets involved in oh so many ways from when Sandy Twinkletoes walks thru the audience and does something to guests like fans them with her wings because the person is sweating or stops when she sees a camera and poses for it. When Sandy gets to the stage, she starts off getting the audience to dance with her...dances like "The Ostrich Dance", "The Holy Bible", "The Mr. Six Dance", "Hora", Zorba The Creek's Dance" and "The Mummers' Strut". During each skit the audience either comes up on stage with the characters or answers questions that the characters ask. Explanation of Sandy Twinkletoes' Dances:
1. The Ostrich Dance.....It's the Chicken Dance without the chicken.
2. The Holy Bible.....It's The Hokey Pokey with the words changed.
3. The Mr. Six Dance.....The dance that the bald man with the bus from the Six Flags, Great Adventure Theme Parks
4. Hora.....The Hanukkah Dance
5. Zorba The Greek Dance.....The same dance that was used in the movie with the same name
6. The Mummers' Strut.....A Philadelphia, PA. traditional on News Year Day.
How many programs you perform daily where you perform and how one differs from another.....ect.
Right now I'm just starting to book more shows. Since last October when my neck locked in place during a show which the cracking of the neck was so loud it was heard thru my clip on mic, I've had 3 neck surgeries then the month of April of this year I spent in the hospital and finally found out what was wrong. Diverticulitis which just last month I learned how to pronounce what I had. This actually almost had me quit performing until the doctors were able to regulate my meds so I can still perform without an attack. Prior to getting ill, I was doing quite a few shows a month. This one month during the summer of 2008, I did 7 shows and 1 parade in 1 weekend alone. I loved the money but when Monday came, I loved my bed.
Are there any books or videos you've read anyone you emulate? Lets keep this going and keep it growingBooks I've read are Dummy Days, Mark Wade's book on performing, One Way Street's books on promoting and running your business, plus a book on Clown Ministry. I also have books on the Muppets and Sesame Street.Paul Winchell, Mark Wade, Dan Horn, Terry Fator, Jeff Dunham, Jim Barber and Shari Lewis videos I love watching because you can learn a lot from watching the masters at their craft. I even went as far as to retape "Stop, Look amnd Laugh" with The Three Stooges and Paul Winchell where I can now only see the Paul Winchell segments.

PETE MICHAELS IS RUNNING A WORK SHOP THIS COMMING WEEKEND WISH I COULD BE THERE BUT YOU CAN

2009-09-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Posted 9/15/2009, Just a reminder, Pete Michaels ALL DAY VENT CLINIC will be held on SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2009 This is an up-close and personal, hands-on learning and sharing Ventriloquism Clinic..Topics:
Lip Control (The Good, The Bad & The Ugly)
Enunciation (What did he say??}
Choosing a puppet/figure (Did I just waste my money on this thing?)
Character Development (Who ARE you?)
Manipulation (It's ALIVE!) The Voice (MUST they ALL sound alike?)
Singing (You DON'T have to be Terry Fator!) Distant/Muffled Voice (Can I REALLY do that?)Comedy Writing (Aren't you supposed to be FUNNY?)
Wardrobe (THIS is how you dress for a SHOW?)
Publicity (Do's and Don'ts) And MUCH MORE!!
The Workshop begins at 11am and runs until 5pm with a break for lunch.
The cost is only $100.00 for the 6 hours.
50% deposit and the balance due in CASH the day of. OR you can bring the full amount the day of.
Mail Deposit to:>Pete Michaels>P.O. Box 140351>Staten Island, NY 10314

A message from N Jay regarding this I find this to be the best $100. your ever going to spend for anything you do in the Vent world.. First your going to be taught by one of the finest in the business second the amount of effort that will be put into this workshop will be way beyond whatever you have tried to ever learn before and third the amount of topics out weights the cost without a doubt. If you are able to attend this event make it a priority on your list of getting it done.......

ANOTHER IN THE MANY FILES BOB ALBANO WAS SO GRACIOUS TO SEND TO YOU READERS

2009-09-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

PAUL WINCHELL SUPER PACKAGE --
FREE DOWNLOAD.
Contains a Biography, a Photo Scrapbook, 3 Winchell-Mahoney Time Scripts, and more than a dozen audio files.
All for free!
http://www.mediafir e.com/download. php?joqljkobyyc
Enjoy!Bob Albano

BOB ALBANO SEND MORE FREE HISTORY OF VENT

2009-09-09T05:15:00.001-07:00

FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK

Biography of Paul Winchell
http://ventriloquism.uuuq.com/winchbio.pdf
(courtesy of the former paulwinchell.com site)

from Bob Albano, History of Ventriloquism

WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE ARE BOB ALBANO'S PDF FILE OF THE WEEK ENJOY

2009-09-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

Bob Albano presents
A Video History of Ventriloquism (Full-Length Documentary: 2 and 1/4 Hours) plus A Pictorial History of Ventriloquism (530-page E-Book) Buy It Today! Watch It Today! Download Both for ONLY $14.99 A Video History of Ventriloquism
http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/9116894-a-video-history-of-ventriloquism

TO VIEW THESE FILES YOU MUST HAVE ADOBE INSTALLED

FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK

THE PAUL WINCHELL PHOTO SCRAPBOOK
http://ventriloquism.uuuq.com/pwscrapbook.pdf

from Bob Albano, Video History of Ventriloquism
http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/9116894-a-video-history-of-ventriloquism

A FEW GREAT IDEAS THAT SHOULD HELP JEFF DUNHAMS NEW SHOW BE VERY SUCCESSFUL

2009-09-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

A great idea to adhance Jeff Dubham's new show would be to bring on a new and different ventriloquists from all over the world...and always a venteran of the vent world like Jimmy Nelson, Bill DeMar or Sammy King...there are so many others, too numerous to mention.. as well a current name in the world of vent, such as a Taylor Mason, Steve Axtell or Liz Von Seggen they could sing tell jokes do a skit ala Paul Winchell there are so many great vents to choose from and so many wonderful forms of illusions to work with ...They could work together as a duet or a single...I think I like my idea and hope others do as well.

If you like the idea let Jeff know you do as well by sending him a message to let him know. Tell him you heard it here at---
Ventriloquially Yours.
N Jay

PUPPETRY PUPPETEERS WHERE DID IT BEGIN AND WHERE IS IT NOW

2009-09-04T05:56:00.001-07:00

WHERE DID PUPPETSA BEGIN?
No one knows where puppetry first began, Most scholars feel puppetry as an art form began in China with the introduction of the shadow puppet. It is still, one of the safest ways to act out, act up, entertain, educate, commiserate, wonder out loud, unburden yourself or release your feelings. Its been used to see the good guys win and justice done. armor in a world of frustrations and disappointments, a wonderful place to find peace of mind and spirit.

OK THEN WHAT IS A PUPPET?
A figure whose movements are controlled by someone through, strings, rods, or hand movements… puppets were tribal ritual masks with hinged jaws or jointed skulls used in religious ceremonies. Evolving from these masks to doll like figures. Egyptians made ceremonial masks from terra cotta…puppet theater have been part of man’s history from the days of Plato and Aristotle.

The Cinese have made their puppets from stretched donkey skins, dried sheep skin, water buffaloes, pigs, or fish. These shadow puppets are translucent and painted in to give color, then placed in front of a screen and shine light through it. There are three rods attached, one to the neck and the other two to the hands for manipulation. When countries were over taken bands of traveling entertainers moved about taking their craft of puppetry with then and therefore introducing the craft to other parts of the world.

RELIGION AND PUPPETRY
Middle ages saw churches use puppetry to spread the doctrine, the puppeteers were the monks and priests, of course the story of the birth of Jesus was the favorite story. Many historians believe that the name Marionettes meaning little Mary came from this story, or marotte meaning fools scepter.
In the 15th and 16th century new ideas came about for puppets other then religion, comedy was one of them, puppetry moved out of the churches in into the streets, where they were used in fairs for the common people, soon being enjoyed all over Europe and marionette theaters were common place.
17th century hand puppets were the rage, a head with some cloth that fit over the puppeteers hand, easier to manover and less expensive to make. Because of this the puppets became more portable and easier to move around on the back of a wagon, at this time Punch and Judy characters began popping up here and there, local politics played a big role in the stories that were told. The puppets could comment on subjects the masses couldn’t.
So we see that puppets played a large role all over the world for many centuries, in the New World, in the 20th century with the advent of television Howdy Doody was popular for 13 years, as well as Kukla Fran and Ollie for many many decades…Mr. Rogers neighborhood and oh so many many more TV shows made puppets in America so very popular.

The puppeteer breathes life into the puppet and manipulates it so that as we watch we are caught up in the story and we believe what we see and hear.

More information will be shared as it comes in and we thank you for reading this message..If you have anything you would like to share please send me an e mail to njay254@aol.com and I will be happy to add it with your name as the byline.

hERE ARE A FEW MORE PICTURES OF SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE S FLORIDA PUPPET GUILD

2009-09-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

A VISIT TO THE SOUTH FLORIDA PUPPET GUILD-I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW MATERIAL TO ADD HERE FOR THE READERS

2009-09-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Last night were received as new friends at the Puppet Guild Of South Florida Presided over by David Goboff.. a short social gathering was held prior to the meeting...where we got to meet some of the wonderful members who were present. Dave thank you for excepting us as new friends. When the meeting began we went around the room introducing ourselves to one another, Dave then had a short show and tell plate craft puppets, very interesting. Then we we witnessed a delightfun shadow puppet show. Dave please fill in the names of the 2 girls who performed. Another member then showed the group the 3 puppets she uses to teach her class, on was an eagle, another was a bear and the 3rd was a girl was very nice and she made them herself. We then took a tour of the theater in progress which will show various types of performances, followed soon after by another tour of the warehouse where the guild is in the process of building 3 giant puppets for the Holloween parade in Lake Worth on Oct. 30th...Hey try to make this parade its sure to be an experience.

A BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT JAMES EISENBERG AND HIS COMPANY VENTRILOQUIST SIDESHOW

2009-09-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

After a request my friend send me a short briefing on his company I am sure you are going to enjoy the following
A little more about me and my work:
In my preteen years, I discovered my passion for building and performing with puppets. Originally performing with my brother Bill at birthday parties and special events, my interest has only increased with age. Over the years, I’ve built all styles of puppets. My construction technique and use of materials have also changed with time, with materials ranging from foam, fabric, wood, latex, and my currant choice, Paper Mache.
While studying children’s theater and sculpture at Central Washington State University , I honed my skills, learning more about theater and eventually finding my passion for sculpture and mold making. In 1993, I moved to New York City and built my first hard ventriloquist figure, “Little Nibbles,” a one-of-a-kind Paper Mache puppet with sculpted hair. I found that I enjoyed the process of building more than performing.

Wanting to build more puppets quickly, I used my mold making skills. I cast my heads, hands, and shoes in hard latex. The molded heads were topped with colorful wigs, and the simple bodies were dressed in hand-sewn felt suits. For the next ten years, I built as many puppets as I could while working full time dressing the windows at Bloomingdale’s. I sold everything I could produce to a few Magic stores across the country. When the last piece was sold, I retuned to making each puppet individually. I also recalled the sculpted hair.

For the past three years I’ve quietly built my latest collection of puppets.
Like people, each puppet is different, and has its own particularities. Each head is crafted individually by hand without the use of molds. To create a traditional look, the heads are made out of heavy Paper Mache, and then carved like wood. Each head has a variety of movements totaling five. All mechanical components are made of brass and all joints are soldered. The gaps between the jaw, eyelids, and other moving parts are wide enough to create resistant-free movements. This allows for snappy movements that wear less on the mechanics. The puppets are painted strikingly to read well from a distance. The paint is covered with a satin oil based clear coat.

The completed puppets include the following features:

· Realistic glowing eyes with reflecting red pupils.
· Extra glossy finish in mouth and on eyes.
· Grip coating on controls.
· Hand printed felt clothing.
· Squirting flower.
· Detachable control for left and right arm.
· Each is signed and dated with the working title.

Some of my puppets also include character-building features, such as gold teeth, a black eye, and a doll with a pull string. I believe the love I have for this art is reflected in each finished figure. Being the sole proprietor of the business I can offer outstanding customer service with a personal touch. My position as an artist is foremost in all my creations, second only to reliable mechanical movements. My goal is simply to create one-of-a-kind works of art and pass them on to people who share my passion.

James (Jimmy) Eisenberg

APOST FROM A FRIEND IN INDIA

Hello to my Indian friend Abhijeet
I will post your information on the reply, if you wish next time just click on comment and you may post your own information.
How is everything in India.Hopefully well. Keep in touch and keep a stiff upper lip.
Ventriloquially Yours

N Jay

Remember No Person Is Too Tall

Not To Stoop To Help Any Child

http://www.ventriloquiallyyours.blogspot.com

From: Abhijeet Deshpande 2:57 pmSubject: Ventriloquist sideshow
Dear Sir,
Hi, myself Abhijeet (age 22), from India. I am an amateur
ventriloquist, also now I'm making my first vent figure.
I read about Mr. James Eisenberg on your blog. I read that currently
he is making puppets and vent figures out of paper mache. I'm also
making my first vent figure from paper mache. Will you please give me
email address of Mr. James Eisenberg? I want to ask him some questions
relating to paper mache figure making.
I'm looking forward to receive a reply from you.
Thank you!
Abhijeet

“Ventriloquist Sideshow”

WHETHER A McELROY PERSON OR NOT GET EM BOTH

2009-08-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hi James
It was nice meeting you at the VH Con in July Your ideas are wonderful and I wish you lots of luck with your new company 'Ventriloquist Sideshows'. Please send me some information regarding your techniques and how the idea came about. This will be entered on my Blog along with your byline. E mail me so that I can enter it for you and remember I wholeheartedly agree with you in regards to the books, that unless you are going for the McElroy look and idea 'The magic' would work but if your idea is to enjoy making puppets of any style you need 'The Fun' book is your method. I will be sending this memo to the blog to prepare my readers for your sideshow information...again nice meeting you and look forward to meeting you again in July 2010...

In reply to:

I love "Figure Making can be fun". I own both books They are both very nice. "McElroy Magic" has very good mechanical drawings but I found the information in "figure making can be fun" is more practical and useful.The information in "figure making can be fun"is more easily adapted to any kind of puppet building, Not just ventriloquist figures. It shows Everything you would need and in some cases demonstrates two mechanical choices for the same movement.It is worth every penny. I continue to refer to it often."McElroy Magic" is essential, if you are building a McElroy replica or if you are intrigued buy the mechanical nature of the brothers work. The schematic style drawing are unbeatable. They are both great books but "figure making can be fun" is a better Value. It has a lot more information for your dollar.

VAUDEVILLE COMEDY TEAMS ARE THE GRANDPARENTS OF TODAYS VENTRILOQUISTS

2009-08-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Teams like Abbott and Costello Abbott being the vent and Costello the figure, a good example that many vents use is "Who's On First" or Burns the Str8 man to Gracies silly replys Like Bob and Marty Hamill, picture it, even a Martin and Lewis where Martin could be the singer (str8 man) and Lewis the comic impersonator, How about Terry Fator and a few different vent pieces... How about Laurel and Hardy Dan Horn and Orson picture it...How about Bill Damar with his frog Feldon, doing Pantomime..the list can go on and on Tony I seldom disagree with what you have to offer except at this time I very much agree that the teams of the vaudeville days,radio and early television were the forerunners of what a ventriloquist and his figure are today and if you look at the team of Jay Johnson and Bob that makes for a great example. Can you picture the teams, a vent with many characters can do either a marx Brothers routine, or maybe the three stooges using slap stick (its not dead, dorment maybe)any good vent can do a Weber and Fields or Olsen and Johnson, So very much yes Vaudeville is todays ventriloquism's grand daddy, you can't escape it, but you can make it better...So single handedly ventriloquism can bring back the variety show...work on it, make something from Vaude your very own.

MARK GARRETT JOHN HOPMAN WANTS YOU TO CONTACT HIM VIA HIS E MAIL

2009-08-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

John I will copy this rewrite from you and post it hopefully he will make contact with you directly jhopman4@cogeco.ca good luck

WANLU HAS A NEW ITEM FOR YOU VENTS OUT THERE MAKE CONTACT WITH HIM

2009-08-27T05:06:00.000-07:00

If you aren't familia with my freind Wanlu...he is from the Philipines...click on the link below and find out more about him...

I tried giving away some T-shirts with a picture of me and my figure but the shirts were kinda expensive :)

I found these pens...with animated hands and mouth :) My show helpers love them and they are less than a dollar each...

http://kadoopsypupp%20ets.multiply.%20com/photos/%20album/19#

I'm planning to have my name and website printed on the pen...

Wanlu http://www.wanlu.net/

A REQUEST FOR AN AUTOGRAPH WITHOUT A RETURN ADDRESS

2009-08-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Sir,
Hi, myself Abhijeet (age 22), I'm from India. I am an amateur
Ventriloquism student. I have performed some shows in my town.
I am a regular reader of your blog. I like your blog very much. Your
blog gives me information about Ventriloquism world. It is always fun
to read about Ventriloquism and about Ventriloquist. Will you please
mail me your autographed picture? It will be a souvenir for me.
Thank you! Best Wishes!
Abhijeet Deshpand

Thank you for the request of an autographed picture it would my pleasure but you must supply me with your return address unless you want me to e mail it to you.

TODAY ALSO MARKED THE PASSING OF VENTRILOQUIST NEVILLE KING THIS WAS SUPPLIED BY BOB ALBANO

2009-08-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.thisisno%20ttingham.%20co.uk/homenews/%20Ventriloquist-%20Neville-King-%20dies-aged-%2081/article-%201283701-detail/%20article.html

Ventriloquist Neville King dies, aged 81Wednesday, August 26, 2009, 07:00

POPULAR Notts ventriloquist and Royal Variety Show performer Neville King has died at 81.

He performed on stage and screen at the height of his fame and was a regular on the Black and White Minstrels show in the 1960s.

The Notts-born performer delighted audiences across the country with his act featuring his dummy Old Boy.Brian Hart, who worked as Mr King's showbusiness agent for 20 years, paid tribute to his friend.He said: "I hated artists because they are a horrible lot, apart from Neville King. He was a lovely guy."

If you were a friend of his, you were a friend. He was a very funny man, both on and off-stage."Fellow performer Jimmy Willan, said Mr King, of Cropwell Butler, would be a "sad loss".

He said: "He had this routine with the dummy which was ideal for the television but he could do other things."

He was a true variety performer of a very high standard."

Mr King died on Saturday at City Hospital a month after being admitted after a stroke.

While in hospital he received letters from showbusiness friends Jimmy Tarbuck and Tom O'Connor.

Wife Joanie said: "He had all the staff laughing right up to the very end. He was a very naturally funny man."

He always used to say you should have a laugh every day and he never lost his ability to entertain and be funny."

Mr King is said to have started his career in ventriloquism as a youngster living in Radford after begging his parents for a baby brother.

His father bought him a ventriloquist' s dummy and he applied himself to learning how to throw his voice.

He made his first public appearance at a Methodist church harvest festival where he sang accompanied by a Charlie McCarthy doll.

He and then-wife June got their inspiration for the famed Old Boy dummy from a "boozy old man" they met outside a Sheffield pub.

In 1964 he joined The Black and White Minstrel Show and stayed for 11 years. He also did a season in Malta as well as a record breaking tour of Australia during this period.

In 1965 he appeared before the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Royal Variety Performance. Two years later he was back at the London Palladium in front of Princess Margaret at the Royal Gala.

Mr King entertained the troops for Combined Services Entertainments in Ireland, South America, Cyprus and Germany. He did five world tours and worked in Johannesburg, Canada, Malta and Tasmania as well as at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo.

The-father-of- one was still performing as recently as November 2007, when he appeared in an Equity show for the Salvation Army in Beeston.

In 1993 he collected 120 names for a petition calling for private security patrols to beat crime in Cropwell Butler.mailto:robert.parsons%40nottinghameveningpost.co.uk

LAST OF THE CAMELOT DYNESTY BROTHERS

2009-08-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

EARLY THIS MORNING AT THE HYANISPORT COMPOUND TED KENNEDY THE LAST OF THE KENNEDY BROTHERS HAS PASSED ON TO A PLACE FAR BETTER THEN WHAT WE CALL THE BIG BLUE MARBLE.

A FAMILY PLAGUES WITH ONE HORROR AFTER ANOTHER FROM JOSEPH KENNEDY WHO WAS KILLED DURING WORLD WAR 2 IN A AIRCRAFT FLYING A MISSION...THEN HIS BROTHER JOHN F KENNEDY WHO BECAME PRESIDENT WAS ASSASSINATED IN 1963 FOLLOWED 5 YEARS LATER BY ROBERT F KENNEDY AGAIN ASSASSINATED WHILE CAMPAIGNING IN CALIFORNIA AND THEN HIMSELF IN A PLANE ACCIDENT AND NURSING A BROKEN BACK, AN AUTO ACCIDENT IN CHAPAQUIDIC AND HIS FEMALE COMPANION DROWNING. HIS CAMPAIGNING FOR THE PRESIDENCY HIMSELF IN 1976 AND 1980 BOTH ON THE LOSING END.

JUST TWO WEEKS AGO HIS SISTER EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER THE CREATOR FOR THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS PASSED AWAY.

IN 1963 I WROTE A POEM FOR JFK WHICH IS HOUSED IN THE KENNEDY ARCHIEVES IS FITTING TO REPEAT HER ONCE AGAIN...... HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEDGE AND HONOR OF MEETING THIS MAN ON MORE THEN ONE OCCASION FOR RALLIES AND MARCHES IN WASHINGTON DC AS WELL AS CENTRAL PARK IN NYC...I ALSO MET AND WAS HONORED TO HAVE SHAKENED THE HANDS OF BOTH OF HIS BROTHERS IN MANHATTEN AT THE CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENCY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE HONORED.. I HAVE BEEN A KENNEDY PERSON ALL OF THEIR LIVES....

JFK WAS A MAN TO ME

A MAN OF GREAT INTEGRITY

HE HAD US GOING VERY FAR

HE SAID SOME DAY WE'D REACH THAT STAR

SO TAKE IN MIND THIS MAN IN DEED

AND DON'T FORGET THAT HE DID LEAD

HE LED US FAR HE LED US WIDE

HE SAID THIS COUNTRY HAS SO MUCH PRIDE

IT HAS TO ME BEAUTY AND GRACE

NO MATTER BLACK OR WHITE IN FACE

SO MR. K YOU SAVED THE DAY

BUT WHO SAVED YOU ...NOW WE MUST PRAY

DAVID CRONE AS GONE PUBLIC WITH HIS FIRST DVD

2009-08-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

David Crone - "He's Big In Zanesville"
Director: David Crone
Studio: I'm No Dummy Productions LLC
Producer: I'm No Dummy Productions LLC
Starring: David Crone
Genre: Comedy
Rated: PG
Run time: 41:20
UPC bar code: 845029097033
Disc: dvd
Release date: August 17 2009

Get ready to laugh as comedian-ventriloquist and magican David Crone takes you on a wild ride with his mix of crazy characters.

MONTANA SANTA HAS CHANGED HIS ADDRESS, I DIDN'T KNOW SANTA WAS ALLOWED TO DO THAT

2009-08-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Mediocre Magic & Ventriloquy is now The Montana Magic & Ventriloquy Company. website is changed to www.montana-magic.com and the e-mail address is now john@montana-magic.com. Please note the changes for future reference (if needed). I've been told I made history Friday night by doing a live magic and ventriloquism show on Skype for some folks in Adelaide, Australia...always wanted to be a trailblazer...