THE CRAZY DUMMY 'YOU GOT TO OWN ONE'

Coming to a phone near you...
The dummy in your pocket known as "Crazy dummy". It only costs $1.99 and you get a 3D dummy that moves it's mouth, eye and raises eyebrows all at your control. Then if you shake the phone he says something funny. I am very much thinking of adding this to my collection, hopefully if I am a good boy my friend will buy it for me. Check it out for yourself: Crazy DummyThe feature is promoted in this manner: Uses for Crazy Dummy:- you'll always have a friend when you need one- freak out your friends- liven up a boring meeting- win your next gadget battle: "Can your phone do this?"- a great addition to your magic act- great conversation starter .Features of Crazy Dummy:- just as freaky as a real ventriloquist dummy!- touch anywhere and slide your finger to move his mouth, eyes and eyebrows- shake him for a random saying (this can also be turned off during a performance)- slide his eyelids shut to put him to sleep- shake or tap him to wake him up- fun for kids- no more lugging around heavy dummies.Important Health Warning:

Uses for Crazy Dummy:- you'll always have a friend when you need one- freak out your friends- liven up a boring meeting- win your next gadget battle: "Can your phone do this?"- a great addition to your magic act- great conversation starter .

Should you be speaking more to crazy dummy then any live human being...hurrah for you, your on the path to loneliness.

MR MUPPET JIM HENSON

He was born on Sept. 24th 1936 in a small town in Mississippi. Around 1955-61, Jim was involved in his first tv show called Sam and Friends out of Wash DC, and you bet they were already recognizable Muppets. The show was finacially successful. With his success cam talk shows and variety shows and because of this exposure cam e 100s of commercials throughout the 60s. In 1963 Jim moves his family to NY where he meets and hires Frank OZ. One of the Henson Muppets makes it to prime time Network tv on the Jimmy Dean Show, it was Roulf the Dog. 1969 Chilrens Television Workshop and Jim Henson came up with Sesame Street, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Mr Snuffalufagus, Cookie Monster, Oscar the grouch, Guy Smiley, and litterally hundreds of Muppets as well as live adults and children. Many children's records came from this show, hey guys most of our executives today got their first taste of the ABC's and their numbers from this show, just think Jim Henson single handedly shaped the next generation of the people who would run this country. Another venue was Tales from Muppetland hosted by Kermit the Frog. Between 1975-6 SNL presented the Muppets on their first year...Soon came the Muppet Show filmed in England and Aired over CBS Starring Kirmet and Miss Piggy with a host of other Muppets such as Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Mah Na Mah Na, and like Sesame Street, The country went Muppet crazy There was Muppets on everything that wasn't nailed down, Muppets on parade, Muppets on Ice, Muppets on B'way, Every child either wanted the Muppets or Sesame Street, could't get enough, lunch boxes, toys, games and anything else you can think about. Was the World being overtaken by the Muppets, man I hoped so, Celebrities were intermingled with the muppets in the comedy skits... 3 years after the Muppet Show took off the Muppet Movie series began and was as successful as the TV show. Many famous billboard songs came from the movies such as Rainbow Connection Its Not Easy Being Green and many many others... Jim also lent his Talented Frank Oz to 'Star Wars 'Empire Strikes Back' to create and voice Yoda, which he did for all the following Star Wars movies. Fraggle Rock another creation of Jim's and Muppet Babies soon followed... Henson lives on through his foundation and his work, I still wonder what the foundation has for us in the future..

THE COMEDIC VENTRILOQUIST FRANKLIN TAYLOR MASON

Born in Hinsdale, Illinois , Feb. 22, 1956. His early conection to the business of show was due to his fathers work on a local radio station and went along with him as he went to conferences for farming. When Mason was 10 years old his parents gave him a dummy, learned a little ventriloquism and didn't persue it till after injuring his leg during a college football game which sided lined him, so he did disc jockeying and comedy, and during this time an old friend was brought back to life again. He combined comedy, music and ventriloquism. He soon found himself at Morton's in Chicago as a comedic ventriloquist, playing piano. The following year found him at Second City as a musician. Zanies comedy club followed soon after that, in 1984 he became the house MC and was bouncing back and forth between Zanies and Morton's, getting comedy legs. Soon Zanies Nashville opened with the help of Taylor. 1985 he and his wife Marsha moved to NYC, His working at Catch a Rising Star as the MC from 1986-9 got him more exposure and positive critique. Between 1989-200 Mason ore then 1500 campus shows. During this time he earned himself 2 Family Entertainer of the year awards, as well as performing on the top comedy shows on television. In 1990 Taylor auditioned and won a spot on Ed McMahons star search, and like Terry Fator 17 years later won the grand prize of $100,000. Along with that win came more fame as well as a spot of his own on Show Time as star of the comedy club network'

He soon did a church gig will Bill Gaither which lasted another year, on 'The Homecoming Concert Tour' during this time Mason made a puppet that resembled Bill which was excepted with great joy, this followed by another 3 years of super large football arenas with Gaither. 2003 found Mason doing Bananas Comedy TV in a studio in columbus ohio... During this time Mason Made 4 DVDs for Gaither. 2005 and 2007 he made a childrens show called 'Taylor's Attic' where he feathered 12 of his friends... 3 more DVD"s Soom Followed for Hunter Lowery and Jonathan Bock namely' Thou Shall Laugh, Thou Shall laugh: The Deuce, and Thou Shall Laugh 3, how remarkly similar in name but totally different in material. He now works for the Disney Cruise Line, the ocassional college campus, corporate conferences as well as the comedy clubs across america..BRAVO Franklin Taylor Mason you've done well.

JEFF DUNHAM 2 TIME VENT OF THE YEAR

BORN IN DALLAS TEXAS 1960..BEFORE I FORGET TO INFORM YOU HE IS THE ONLY VENT TO WIN THAT PRESTIGIOUS AWARD TWICE. HE TAUGHT HIMSELF VENT WITH A TOY MORTIMER SNERD DOLL HE ENTERED SHOW BIZ AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF SEVEN, TO PREVENT HIS SHYNESS FROM TAKING CONTROL OF HIM HE INVENTED A GROUP OF FRIENDS. HE PERFORMED FOR HIS THIRD GRADE CLASS AND WAS REDICULED BY HIS CLASS MATES..HE HONED HIS CRAFT FROM BOOKS AND RECORDS (ROUND VINYL DISCS WITH RECORDINGS ON THEM, PREDESSCESSOR TO THE CD), NEVER SEEING EDGAR BERGEN IN MOVIES OF ANY OTHER WAY, HE PRACTICED HIS ART DAILY, IN 1975 HE MET HIS FIRST FOR REAL HONEST TO GOODNESS VENT. IN 1977-81 HE ALSO WATCHED SOAP AND LEARNED THE TECHNIQUES FROM JAY JOHNSON BY VIEWING THE SHOW..HIS PERFORMANCES FOR THE LOCAL BOY SCOUTS LED TO CORP GIGS BY THE TIME HE TURNED 12. HE GRADUATED COLLEGE MOVED TO CALIFORNIA WORKED HIS CRAFT AT THE COMEDY CLUBS. HE SOON FOUND HIMSELF OF THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH J CARSON, TOLD A FEW JOKES AND PUT THE AUD ON THE FLOOR CRYING FROM LAUGHTER AND WON A SEAT ON THE COUCH...A REMEMBERED REMARK CAME FROM WALTER THAT WILL NEVER BEFORGOTTEN "IT'LL BE A COLD DAY IN HELL BEFORE I COME BACK TO THIS SHOW", AND YES IT WAS STATED BY NONE OTHER THEN WALTER... BUT SINCE THEN HE HAS PERFORMED ON THIS SHOW MANY MORE TIMES, SINCE THEN HE HAS MOVED FORWARD FROM THE COMEDY CLUBS TO SOLD OUT CONCERTS. WE ARE AWARE HOW FUNNY DUNHAM IS IN HIS OWN RIGHT BUT HIS PALS ARE MUCH FUNNIER THEN HIM. THEY ARE PEANUT, WALTER, JOSE JALAPANO ON A STICK, BUBBA...ACHMED 'I KILLYOU' AND WE ARE THERE WHERE EVER THERE IS...MORE TO FOLLOW...

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

WE FINALLY MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST MONTH...AND WERE GLAD WERE HERE FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT...HOPE YOU HAVE BEEN ENJOYING THE POSTS THAT WE HAVE ENJOYED PLACING...HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME...AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

ANOTHER TEXAN LOOKING FOR A BOOK

Terry Fator while in 5th grade he was searching for a book, made a discovery of his life when he found a book on Ventriloquism, studied the book, went to Sears bought a Willie Talk Dummy enter a contest and won $25. In 6th grade he appeared on Peppermint Place starring Jerry Haynes. Fast forward a few years Terry turns 18 he found out that he could impersonate singers without moving his lips..fast forward a few more years and we find Terry as lead singer for the singing group Freedom Jam, then he moved over to another singing group Texas the Band. At the age of 20 he wanted to include his puppet Walter T Airedale into the show, a record label offered him a deal if he would sing in his own voice and get rid of the puppet, of course he refused. He leaves band and goes out on a solo combining comedy and ventriloquism. As a solo act he wasn't doing too well, he would do fairs and get the worst part of the shows...Well its now getting near time for AGT, but he almost quits, before the event.. he is doing a 1000 seat theater and only one person shows up what a downer for Terry...His success came when he combined his singing talent with his vent talent impersonating singers like Etta James, Dean Martin, Garth Brooks, Reba McIntire who he was the opening act for. When Terry first came on stage Hasselhoff was heard to say"...Oh no another Ventriloquist...."and the rest isn't even history yet.... We're lucky to be part of it...there is so much this talent has yet to share with us and you will be there...

LIP CONTROL WITH LABIALS

As I have stated before there is an illusion of the eyes and an illusion of the ears. The illusion of the eyes is magic, which I will discuss seperately at a future date... the illusion of the ears, this is what we are about to discuss here...'Ventriloquism' and just like in magic mis direction or taking one's attention away from the ventriloquist by using a dummy, that is one way in how it works along with tongue and lip control, which comes with practice..practice practice...... I will try to tell you as much as I can here in this installment.. More will be added as we advance. Let us begin.. Well whether you know it or not you already have about 70% of lip control... hold your lips still as you can and say these letters...A C D E G H I J K L N O R S T U X Y Z.. easy wasn't it? Righteo!! But the difficult letters those, all ventriloquists have trouble with, but know how to control their tongue and lip.. and this is where we will be going... Those letters and their substitutions are as follows


B=D OR GEH (BRIGHT IS DRIGHT OR GEH RIGHT (further back in the throat)


V: THE SUN IS BRIGHT TODAY


D: TOO DRIGHT FOR MY EYES (the word is highlighted due to another labial)


The aud is thinking it hears the B but in reality you substituded it with the D, you think


the B but say the D


make a list of words that begin with B but substitute it with a D or a GEH and say these


words about 15 min each time twice a day for a week until your confortable with it before you move on


with the next letter.. We will pause here 1Week later.... ok everyone you all did wonderful,


lets go on to the next labial are you ready? Here goes...


F=th (as in the) fright is th-right now if your gonna use gutteral or deeper sound you might want


to substitute with huh so it might look like huh-right


V why are you Frightened substitute the F for th why are you th-rightened


D I Fear thunder I th-ear thunder





M=Nah or Mister=nah ster or it could be Missouri= neh = neh isouri

V: I went to see my friend in the south

D: Oh your talking about Nahster young in Neh souri

Don't forget to practice those labials 15 min day twice a day

maqke your list and say the words that feel confortable to you, tape record yourself and

listen to your sound if you like it move on if not correct it.


P=K such as in planet would be klanet

V: did the people stay long?

D: No the keople left early double labial the d and the p a little more difficult make your list as easy as possible you just want to substitute letter at this point

make your list of words, I must tell you here, sometimes what works for one as in KL forP

doesn't work for all there are other substitutions.


Q=Koo as in kooiet

V: the library has a sign that says quiet please

D: Don't you nehean kooiet klease

keep on practicing how are you doing I know your having fun keep going.


V= th (sound again) vulnerable would be th ulnerable do you see 2 labials again...this happens
often, and is a little more difficult for the newbie

V= Did you hear the one about the Very nice doctor who loved his patience
D= no but I heard about the thery old katient that never saw a doctor....
The above dialogue is there for your practice not to make sense out of so don't worry...

W=ooh like in when should be oohen did you go to the show?

V The stage show was wonderful I had a great time..
D oohy didn't you take me with you do you see another word with a labial becareful.


REMEMBER PRACTICE 15 MIN TWICE A DAY EACH LABIAL FOR 1 WEEK BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ONE. THERE IS NO HURRY WHEN YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING CORRECT IT TAKES JUST A LITTLE LONG...ENJOY HAVE FUN..


W

CANADA'S OWN VENT VAL HILLIKER

At the Age of 17 in a neighborhood library Val sat and absorbed a book on ventriloquism and was bitten by the bug, over and over... She went to Sears bought her first dummy a Danny O'Day did her first show just after graduating from High School and was hooked from then on. But soon family took hold and she put vent on the back burners until about 7 years ago when out came the Puppets and now she travels across Canada performing at schools, street festivals, fairs and walk arounds...Val has done several comedy and acting workshops and classes. A Certified World Laughter Leade, as well as the Virtues Project. Val is one of the hardest working Ventriloquists in the business...I know many of you have wonderful stories about here you want to share, this is the place to do it... leave your comments..

JAY JOHNSON THE SCHIZOPHRENIC VENTRILOQUIST FROM SOAP

Jay Johnson (born in Lubbock Texas July 11, 1949. He got in fame from the TV show SOAP as the character who thought Chuck was alive, and wouldn't go anywhere without him. His appearances on many tv shows helped make him a house hold name. He won a Tony Award for his special 'THE TWO AND ONLY" As a shy, dyslexic kid he had trouble fitting in. He wasn't sports oriented, so that made it even tougher to fit in. He found a broken Jerry Mahoney doll in a relative's closet and proved to everyone that he could make it work. He calls his characters 'Wooden Americans' He's a gifted storyteller capable of carrying a broadway show to the Tony awards and win...Great going Jay you got those Wooden Americans eating out of your hand...

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK...

HI Gang

I want so much to be recognized when we get there next year. I have posted a BLOG and have my pictures on them.. But I have not had that many people come and visit me. Thank you to those who have and left a memo. But I want so much to be recognized. I have been a member of this group for a while now and have stayed pretty much in the back groud unless I found it important, then I would chime in. Besides The Vent BLOG I am also studying Vent with some difficulty, but Not going to giveup. Please keeep in touch with me so that when I do finally get the chance to meet many of you guys and gals, I will feel welcomed. If you haven't visited my BLOG please go to VENTRILOQUIALLYYOURS.BLOGSPOT.COMIf you have difficulty go to google and enter the blog...Please keep it in your fav places due to constant updating...We are strictly Ventriloquism, Puppetry and Magic...PLease add any advice due to the fact that this BLOG is yours as well as mine and the more information that is supplied the more informed everyone is...from newbies to the seasoned professional... Thank you for being a friend... N Jay

SOAR THROATS

No one should ever have a sore throat. Singer/vent/ speaker. 1000mg of'Ester'C' daily. Gargle with very warm water and salt. Warm up honeyand vinegar in a pan of water, mix half and half, let it trickle down yourthroat.Zink throat lozenges. Slippery Elm tablets. Gargle with Listerine. Doall this several times a day. You won't have a sore throat tomorrow. DONOT PRACTICE. Hot tea. Take some zinc and 'D'.It would be a good idea for everyone to print this out. So I don't have tosend it out six or seven times every year.

COME BACK OFTEN

HI GangI want so much to be recognized when we get there next year. I have posted a BLOG and have my pictures on them.. But I have not had that many people come and visit me. Thank you to those who have and left a memo. But I want so much to be recognized. I have been a member of this group for a while now and have stayed pretty much in the back groud unless I found it important, then I would chime in. Besides The Vent BLOG I am also studying Vent with some difficulty, but Not going to giveup. Please keeep in touch with me so that when I do finally get the chance to meet many of you guys and gals, I will feel welcomed. If you haven't visited my BLOG please go to VENTRILOQUIALLYYOURS.BLOGSPOT.COMIf you have difficulty go to google and enter the blog...Please keep it in your fav places due to constant updating...We are strictly Ventriloquism, Puppetry and Magic...PLease add any advice due to the fact that this BLOG is yours as well as mine and the more information that is supplied the more informed everyone is...from newbies to the seasoned professional... Thank you for being a friend... N Jay

RONN LUCAS

His career has taken him to four continents, where he has been adored by audiences and critically excepted around the world. He can make a basketball yodel while he blows up a balloon. He can trade jokes with anything from a microphone to a pencil , he can turn any member of an audience into a life-size singing dummy who delivers funny one-liners and even does some dance steps. Most interesting entertainer, and probably the first to ever mix vocal manipulation, stand-up comedy, improvisation and audience interaction into one performance.It all began when he was seven and saw an old TV program in which ventriloquist Edgar Bergen made a baby talk, then came onstage with his companion Charlie McCarthy, and gave the audience a thoroughly enjoyable show. He learned the art with "Instant Ventriloquism" by Jimmy Nelson, Ronn spent nearly three years working to master the art of talking without moving his mouth. "They were either going to laugh at me or laugh with me, but I sure wasn't going to be ignored. I learned early that an act using vocal manipulation could be accepted as more than a gimmick if done well. I also learned to think fast or duck. One night a drunk heckled me, so I had one of my dummies heckle him back. The audience loved it, and when he kept it up, so did I. The crowd was roaring. The guy cursed the dummy and came up on stage ready for a fight. A couple of his buddies restrained him, but I wasn't in any danger because the guy was actually trying to punch out the dummy. It was a compliment, in a way, his believing the prop was talking, not me." This was and is Ronn Lucas.... Got some stories to share please send them here and we will post the best ones... njay254@aol.com

MICHAEL HARRISON

The latest disappointment comming from AGT, The show that doesn't give great talent its due...Thought Michael did a wonderful job. Read some of the blurbs that were stated by the 3 judges from that show and then wonder why he hasn't moved on to the finals.
Michael Harrison
Comedy Ventriloquist, 2008 America's Got Talent Semi Finalist
Michael Harrison is an extraordinarily talented ventriloquist, puppeteer and comedian. He has worked along side numerous acts from The Muppets to Boyz to Men. His many talents allow him to create performances for all type of audiences; adults, kids and family

VENTHAVEN HISTORY AND CONVENTION PHOTO

Hello! The ConVENTion Group Photo taken by David Crone is now available online at the Convention website. Go to http://www.venthaven.com/. Click on the first NewsFlash. Webmaster Bryan Sweasy has included three different resolutions, one for web viewing, one for printing and a higher resolution for better printing. Instructions are included. Enjoy!Annie Roberts
I have copied it to post here for all to see..Annie and gang your all doing a great job there....keep up the great work.

William Shakespeare 'WS' Berger creator of Venthaven Museum and Library...On October 1963, the schoolroom, the Josephine Berger Memorial Building, today known as Building 3, was dedicated and 10 years later was open to the public. Building 1, the WS Berger Memorial Building, completed in 1973, and on hand to dedicate the opening were Edgar Bergen and Jimmy Nelson, amongst others, to entertain on a flat bed truck in front of the building. After the dedication, the museum was open to the public so that the attendees can view his extensive collection. Susan DeFalise, the first curator of the museum, led the guests on the tour. Building 1 houses amongst their collection some of the more recognized ventriloquist figures such as Wayland Flowers' Madame, Jimmy Nelson's Danny O'Day and Farfel, Paul Winchell's Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, as well as Edgar Bergen's Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd.

Edgar Bergen, known as the father of modern ventriloquism, was taught by the great Lester, a vaudevillian ventriloquist, who became known as the grandfather of modern-day ventriloquism who went on to teach ventriloquism after his performing years, and this is where Edgar Bergen first meets the great Lester. The collection housed in Venthaven began becaus of the inspiration WS got from the great Lester.

Other interests at the museum are Frank Marshall, who I'll go on to talk about more in detail, Jules Vernon, the McElroys, and other makers of vent figures (Dummymakers, puppetmakers, etc.)

WS Berger was born in 1878 in Cincinnati and at the age of 69 he retired from Cambridge Tile Company, a company where he began as a mail-room clerk and worked his way up to president.

He was president of the International Brotherhood of Ventriloquists for 20 years between 1940 and 1960, bringing the membership up from 300 at the time of his inception as president to over 1000 when he retired in that office. He also published the Oracle, a newsletter that informed the vent community of the events throughout the year. Due to the fact that he outlived his wife and children, he feared that his extensive collection would be broken up and dispersed, he sought assistance as to how he could keep his extensive collection together, voila Venthaven. It is the only museum in the world of its kind, housing over 700 figures, 1000s of pictures, playbills, books, etc., with over 1000 guests each year. From the museum sprang the Venthaven conVENTion. To read more about the Venthaven conVENTion please go to their website, and to read more on the museum itself, go to their website.

AMAZING WHAT CAN COME OFF THE TOP OF A SODA CAN

True or not, all cans should be washed first.This incident happened recently inNorth Texas . A woman went boating oneSunday taking with her some cans of coke which she put into the refrigeratorof the boat. On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in ICU. Shedied on Wednesday. The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis. This was traced to the canof coke she drank from without using a glass. Tests showed that the can wasinfected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis. Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances. It is highly recommended tothoroughly wash the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them. Thecans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to theshops without being cleaned. A study at NYCU showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated thanpublic toilets (i.e).. full of germs and bacteria. So wash them with waterbefore putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident. Please forward this message to all the people you care about. (I JUST DID)

HEY YOU LITTLE REBEL

A kindergarten teacher handed out a coloring page to her class. On it was a picture of a duck holding an umbrella. The teacher asked her class to color the duck in yellow and the umbrella green, however, Bobby, the class rebel, colored the duck in a bright fire truck red. After seeing this, the teacher asked him: "Bobby, how many times have you see a red duck?" Young Bobby replied "The same number of times I've seen a duck holding an umbrella."
Always looking for nice clean joke this email glfl.net

WILLIE TYLER AND LESTER

Willie was born September 8th 1940, inAlabama, he has appeared in various commercials and tv shows. His big break came on the Rowan and Martin Laugh In Show in 1972. You see him here replacing Paul Lynde on Hollywood Squares. Recently David Letterman had him as the first guest on Ventriloquist week. They have done comedy in every state in the country. He has appeared on Hollywood Palace. Do you remember those commercials, or were you in any of his audiences, then you have some memories of this great vent. Please share them with us.by sending an e mail to njay254@aol.com

8/10/08

Thank you Allen Fuller for the correction. Where I stated Hollywood Squares in actuality it should have read Match Game. He never replaced anyone, lapse of memory is what happens when you reach 25, but total absence happens when you reach his age (Thanks Jellybean). Thank you again Allen

VALENTINE VOX.

Valentine Vox became a professional Ventriloquist in his late teens, after Practicing for more then 8 years. Edgar Bergen referred to Valentine as "...A dishonest ventriloquist" ...., "he doesn't move his lips,...." For over 40 year valentine has been seen by millions of people around the world on TV, in cabaret and night clubs. He hails from Britian. He has written "I Can See Your Lips Moving" The Magic and Movie Hall of Fame was designed by him as well as he was Director of the of The International Ventriloquist Association. He has written and produced many childrens workshops. He has given numerous lectures touching on many topics. Least we forget to include his partner Jorge, you can see him here in this picture. Now many of you have fond memories of Valentine, if ya wanna share those memories we would be glad to have them here in our BLOG. njay254@aol.com

Who Are You John Pizzi

The comedy market has left some room and John Pizzi took it, A new rising star in the Vent world. he has brought his unique brand of comedy to audiences around the country! What do you know of this comedy sensation.. He moves his lips but he keeps the audience comming back for more.

SWINGER FINALLY ARRIVED FROM MAHER STUDIOS

I have waited a long time for swinger to get here and when he did I was more then pleased even though mama said no playing ball in the house, I just couldn't wait to take the first swing. As I unpacked swinger, he was rearing to go saying who's on first I said no one, so he said then who's on 2nd and I said not sure
well then is anyone on third and I said yes.. So swinger replied bases loaded..I said what do you mean..its easy no on first, no sure on 2nd and yes on third bases loaded my turn to hit a grand slam. .

THE GRANDFATHER OF MODERN DAY VENTRILOQUISM

The Title of 'Father of modern day Vent' was passed on to Edgar Bergen, who had learned his craft from Harry Lester Known as The Great Lester 'The Grandfather of Modern Vent' 1878-1956 he was one of the first to drink water and have his character Frank Byron Jr. speak at the same time. He walked amongst the audience and had Frank whistle . "The Tongue is quicker then the ear" We would have to say that The Great Lester was the Golden Boy of Vaudeville. Charlie Mack and Sons was the figure maker of Harry's idea who would on to make Charlie McCarthy. But before that Mack and Sons began making wooden puppets for the other Vents, because it became the rage, papier mache was becoming a thing of the past. When the telephone was becomming the rage in America Harry developed the distant voice known as the telephone voice.Before Lester, the style in vaudeville was to create distraction from the lips by elaborately outfitting the stage with many different characters, fancy scenery, sets and props. ‘The Great’ Lester would change all that. In comparison Lester's satge was empty except for a small table a bottle a wine glass a telephone. By doing this he standardized what was to come in the world of ventriloquism. You may never have had a chance to see him for his act was strickly stage , not tv or radio, but every ventriloquist you see today brings you some of the Great Lester. Does anyone have any recollection of anything regarding him.. njay254@aol.com

Hi N Jay

At Ventriloquist Central we have a complete page dedicated to "The Great Lester". You can find it here: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com/tribute/lester/lester.htm

BTW love your blog and the information you provide.Steve Hurst 'Webmaster' http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

WAYLAND FLOWERS AND MADAME

Madame was created by Flowers in the mid-1960s Waylands first big break came on the Andy Williams variety show. Madame is an outragious old broad. Her witty come back would keep the audience roaring for more, especially with her double entendres. She wore these fabulous gowns and bedecked in jewels (one of her lines about her jewels was she called them summer diamonds, some are diamonds some aren't) She held a seat on many game shows (replacing Paul Lynde, who could of thought that Paul would be replaced by a dummy, hahaha), appeared on Laugh-In, until she starred on her pwn show Madame's Place.
Flowers did not just have Madame, he also had Crazy Mary (an escapee from a mental hospital)
Jiffy ( A Harlem Harlot with a heart of brass) Machelheny ( a former Vaudeville comic).. He also created figures for other people, One was TV star Marlo Thomas for Free To Be You and Me.

Many of us still have fond memories of Flowers and Madame so please share them for all to see, those who never saw them ( a tear is shead) and for those who feel it seems like only yesterday, lets bring back a memory or two. njay254@aol.com

TS'ALL RIGHT...ALL RIGHT SENOR WENCES

A prominent 20th century, his popularity grew with his frequent visits on the Ed Sullivan Show. He was born April 17, 1896 and died 3 days after his 103 birthday. He was known for his speed, skill, and grace as a ventriloquist. His characters included "Johnny," a boy drawn on his hand, who lived on top of a headless doll, Wences would converse with Johnnie at a very fast pace, another character was Pedro a head in a box, Pedro was created because his regular puppet was distroyed in a fire, so he needed a quick replacement. Wences also appeared on other variety shows in the USA. He lived near the Sullivan Theatre and the small strip of street was named for him Wences way. Good night senor, Johnnie remains a good boy in the hearts and minds of those who can remember him...like me... Got some memories to share leave them here for those to read and learn of the yesterdays of ventriloquism njay254@aol.com

Hi Ts'all right by me...thanks for the memories Eric

PLACE YOUR JOKES HERE

Place your jokes here whether they are in dialogue form, skit form or simply jokes everyone likes a nice clean joke. try this on for size:

A man walks into shul with a dog. The shammas comes up to him and says, "Pardon me, this is a House of Worship, you can't bring your dog in here." "What do you mean," says the man, "this is a Jewish dog. Look." And the shammas looks carefully and sees, that in the same way that a St. Bernard carries a brandy barrel round its neck, this dog has a tallis bag round its neck. "Rover," says the man, "kipa!". "Woof!" says the dog, stands on his hind legs, opens the tallis bag, takes out a kipa and puts it on his head. "Rover," says the man, "tallis!". "Woof!" says the dog, stands on his hind legs, opens the tallis bag, takes out a tallis and puts it round his neck. "Rover," says the man, "daven!" "Woof!" says the dog, stands on his hind legs, opens the tallis bag, takes out a siddur and starts to daven. "That's fantastic," says the shammas, "absolutely amazing, incredible! You should take him to Hollywood, get him on television, get him in the movies, he could make millions of dollars!! "You speak to him," says the man,"he wants to be a doctor."

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO THE FATHER OF AXTELL EXPRESSIONS

Thanks! 50 today. Mixed emotions for sure. Lots of reflection.. ..lots of joy....lots of appreciation. ...lots of wrinkles. Ax In celebration Steve has made a talking birthday cake and each of you will be receiving a small piece of material in the mail Happy Birthday Steve Axtell!!! From N Jay and Jellybean Joey. I know many of you have fond memories ofAxtell Expressions.. Posted day after his Birthday so sorry Steve..

Steve Axtell said...
Much appreciated Jay! Best to VY! Ax

BILL DeMAR'S BOOK

In Bills own words: My book has been around for about 10 years or so. Tom Ladshaw just re did it and made it better. I don’t have The means or know how to add pictures to this email. It’s just a quick story of how I got started and some lessons on how to Do vent, plus some pictures of long ago and some pics of different vents who have passed on, plus a vent routine anyone can do plus a 20 minute DVD of me performing. 25.00 + 5.00 S&H if anyone has a pic that they could send to me regarding bo;; or his book or Tom with Bill please send it to me.
njay254@aol.com

I saw none of these things of which is being spoken of, nor do I see any access to them. From: On Behalf Of John Wayne PeelSent: Monday, August 04, 2008 9:16 AM

Hi NJ; Do you have my DVD “UPSIDE DOWN AND BACKWARDS ON VENTRILOQUISM”? It is by no means the
Total answer to doing vent, but neither is anything else. Each is a different aspect or approach to vent. Even if
It’s the same thing over again, one needs all there is out there, so as to get most of the picture. Lots of money I know, but it all contributes to you. One can’t learn to much/have to much knowledge on the subject.

I FEST IF YOU MISSED IT MAYBE NEXT YEAR....

The 13th annual International Festival of Christian Puppetry and Ventriloquism took place a few weeks ago. Did you missed it? then how about a taste of what it was. If you were there, you'll beable to share with us some of your memories. In any event hope you had a great time or will have a great time at an up and comming one next year or the following...There will be more to come so stay tuned to this entry...as we get more information....

SAY KIDS 'WHAT TIME IS IT?'

Its Howdy Doody time Its Howdy Doody time.... Its time to start the show so kids lets go....was the first network kids show to run 5 days a week, the first network show of the day (in the beginning it was preceded by the daily test pattern), the first television show ever broadcast in color, and the the first show ever to air more than 1000 shows.

I am proud to say I was a member of the Peanut Gallery, due to the fact that my uncle who was prominent in the garment business knew someone that had some pull, believe me at that time I didn't care if he knew G-d himself , I was going to meet Howdy Doody and Buffalo Bob, as well as Heidi Doody, the sister puppet to Howdy who wore a cowboy outfit as well as his sister did. Clarabell (a clown who communicated by blowing his horn, he also had the last word on the show at the end of its run, he used a seltzer bottle to squirt his enemies like the chief), Princess Summerfall Winterspring, Chief Thunderthud(Kowabunga!!), Dilly Dally, Flubadub, Phineas T Bluster. The origional Howdy is now resting in the Detroit Institute of Art. There were look alike Howdys like Double Doody who was used as a stand in for Howdy, who now resides in the Smithsonian in Washinton DC Photo Doody who was almost a stringless used for photo shoots, parades, and the now famous NBC test Pattern. Leland's sold this one for over $110,000 to a private collector. I know you must have fond memories of Howdy so leave them so others can share them. njay254@aol.com

am so glad to say that I not only met Buffalo Bob Smith, but I attended a Howdy Doody Revival at Harvard University's Sanders Theater and HAD his autograph, and saw one of the original Howdy's at The Smithsonian Institute Museum.Love those shows from my childhood.John Wayne Peel

KUKLA FRAN AND OLLIE

Burr Tillstrom was the creator and only puppeteer on the show, when this show premiered in 1947, the same year I was born. The show was called Junior Jamboree from Chicago. Fran was brought into the picture and the show was changed to KFO. Kukla was the leader of the gang, who looked like a clown, but he wasn't, then Ollie who was a one tooth dragon whose full name was Oliver J Dragon, there was Buelah Witch who was way ahead of her time, very liberated, Madame Ooglepuss an opera diva, Fletcher Rabbit the groups mailman and resident pain in the butt, as well as other characters like Colonel Crackie a southern gentlemen, This was a show that many kids like myself became very attached to because of the funny stuff that happened on that tiny stage. I add this show because it brought such fine memories to me as a pre anything age-it ran till 1957 when i reached the ripe old age of 10 and I found myself still watching, must have been contagious, yes but lots of fun in kuklapolitan. What memories do you have? Maybe memories of the adult members, what ever your memories are they are bound to exite those who enjoyed this show. njay254@aol.com

Leslie said...
Jay

My memories of Kukla, Fran and Ollie are mostly from the CBS Children's Film Festival in the late '60s and early '70s, but I also got the book, "Ollie Bakes a Cake," when I was a little girl. I forgot about them until I rediscovered them online at the Unofficial Kuklapolitan Site: http://kukla.tv/ Needless to say, I fell in love all over again! I did a MySpace page devoted to KFO: http://www.myspace.com/kuklafranollie I'm always glad to see when someone remembers the great talent of Tillstrom and Allison!

SHOPPING FOR A NEW TOY

THE OTHER DAY TOOK A TRIP TO WALGREENS AND SAW THESE MECHANICAL PUPPETS ON THE SHELF, AND HAD TO HAVE THEM. JUST LIKE CAROL BURNETT IN HER TV COMEDY VARIETY SHOW WHEN SHE PLAYED SCARLETT IN A SPOOF OF GONE WITH THE WIND, "I SAW IT IN THE WINDOW AND JUST SIMPLY HAD TO HAVE IT" AS SHE WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS WEARING THE CURTAINS AS A GOWN. WELL MY NEW FROG AND SHARK FRIENDS WERE THE SAME , I JUST HAD TO HAVE THEM 'WATER PISTOLS' SHHHHH DON'T LET THEM KNOW. SO BEFORE ITS TOO LATE GO TO YOUR NEAREST WALGREENS AND GO TO THE TOY DEPARTMENT AND GET YOURS. IF YOU DO A CHILDRENS PARTY AND YOU HAVE A JUNIOR HECKLER INVITE HIM OR HER UP TO ASSIST YOU AND HAVE EATHER CHARACTER WARN YOUR VOL. NOT TO GET TOO CLOSE FOR FEAR OF SPITTING. MAKE SURE YOUR FRIENDS ARE FILLED WITH WATER AND MAKE SURE THAT THE PARENTS AREN'T THERE, WELL KINDA GET THE IDEA. i KNOW YOU'LL HAVE FUN SO GO GET YOURSELF ONE. njay254@aol.com

MAX TERHUNE THE COWBOY VENT

1891 - BORN IN A LOG CABIN, 1895 STARTED DOING BIRD CALLS. 1907 STARTED VENTRILOQUISM AS A WHISTLER AND BIRD CALLER. 1924 MET MAGICIAN THE GREAT LESTER. FIRST 'ELMER' CALLED SKULLY. JOINED THE HICKSVILLE FOLLIES AND WENT TO HOLLYWOOD. 1926 VAUDEVILLE.ATTENDED INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF MAGICIANS CONVENTIONS. 1930 JOINED INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF MAGICIANS. 1932 NATIONAL BARN DANCE (WLS) [HERE HE MEETS GENE AUTRY]. 'ELMER' STOLEN. iN 1936 HE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, MAKES A FEW MOVIES WITH AUTRY AND JOHN WAYNE AND THE REST AS THEY SAY IS HOLLYWOOD HISTORY. HE ALSO MAKES TV APPEARANCES ON I LOVE LUCY, ANNIE OAKLEY, AS WELL AS VARIOUS VARIETY SHOWS. IF YOU REMEMBER MAX FOR HIS ACCOMPLISHMENT. PLEASE SEND A POST SO THAT I MIGHT ADD IT HERE. njay254@aol.com

THIS HAS BEEN ADDED BY BILL DEMAR:
Can you believe this? I’m in shock! I finally found your blog and got in. AMAZING.
I met Max Terhune at a theatre in Evansville, In, my home town, back in the late ‘50s(I think)(to long ago for me to remember for sure) He did a one-man show in front of the screen after the western he was in. Then I saw him again at a IBM convention in Columbus, Oh. In 1969(I think) He did a great routine about Elmer traveling on the train. I would sure love to have that routine.
NJ, you have a very nice and interesting BLOG here. Glad I FINALLY made it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TODAY AUGUST 1ST IS A LARGE DAY IN VENT HISTORY. ITS THE DAY 39 YEARS AGO THAT CLINTON DEITWEILER PURCHASED MAHER STUDIOS. HAPPY B'DAY TO THE STUDIO. SOMEONE ELSE HAVE SOMETHING TO ANNOUNCE PLEASE LET US KNOW WE WILL POST IT.