February 24, 2012
Television, according to Paul Winchell, or his sidekick Jerry Mahoney, defeated it.
Staring intently at how they do it rendered the remarkable art of throwing your voice, somewhat mute.
Pity.
In around the sixth century BC, Ventriloquism got off to a rollicking start when it was used to supposedly communicate with the dead.
The noises produced by the stomach were thought to be the voices of the deceased, who took up residence in the stomach of the ventriloquist, who had to interpret said sounds.
Hence the name "ventriloquist" which means, "belly speaker" in Latin.
Fortunately "voices from the belly" had a limited capacity to entertain and many centuries later comedian Fred Russell came up with an act with his pal, Coster Joe, in the 1880s and sent ventriloquism into the modern age.
The Great Lester and his partner, Frank Byron Jr. were the next great act, which led to his pupil Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, who became an international celebrity, with his feud with WC Fields.
W.C. Fields: "Tell me, Charles, is it true that your father was a gate-leg table?"
Charlie: "If it is, your father was under it."
Bergen wasn't that technically proficient but he had something good going for him:
Radio.
Soon there was Buffalo Bob Smith and Howdy Doody, Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop and Senor Wences, who lived to 103, and Pedro:
"It's all right?" and the box voice would answer "S'awriiight!"
Yes, sometimes it takes a dangerous turn.
As demonstrated by Michael Redgrave and his alter ego Hugo, in the classic anthology film, "Dead of Night" and the "Ventriloquist’s Dummy Sequence."
The most disturbing case of Autonomatonophobia I have seen.
Speaking of which, I hope you don’t have it towards today’s topic.
"Scotty wotty do do do"..I believe that was how Paul Wincell's show started, with a nascent starl...
Feb. 24, 2012 12:55 AM
The only things creepier than clowns are ventriloquist dummies. Put sinister clowns and evil dummies in the same movie and it'll put me off my feed for a month....
"Scotty wotty do do do"..I believe that was how Paul Wincell's show started, with a nascent starlet, Miss Carole Burnett sliding down a 'chute' int the club house. And, I believe it was Paul winchell that provided the voice,and dog puppet for 'The Show of Shows",with Sid Ceaser,the Nestle` sponser (and that was the dog Farfel, after which my own dog is named)N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestleeees makes the verrrrrry best . choclate!(mouth of dog clacking shut).... Years later, it was the voice-over of Paul Winchel that was/were the 'scrubbin' bubbles for a bathroom cleaning product (which my wife showed me also removes food stains from carpet)... . I grew up with Paul Winchell, and another character,besides Buffalo Bob and Clarabell the Clown (whom,it turns out,was Capt Kangaroo)..there was the Buster Brown Show, with Midnight the Cat, and "Pluck your magic twanger Froggy- - - Hiya Kids, Hiya hiya... ...and then there was White Fang, and Black Tooth, SOOOPYSALES... I think puppets and ventriloquists were what gave us kids a sense of wonder,and parables,outside of religion....but still inside the villlage.. after all, there were only 3 channels, and they started with,and ended with, The Star Spangled Banner, at a decent hour....after your homework,and chores! (Except Saturday mornings....Ray Raynor...)
more on the honor rollOh, and Paul Winchell made an artificial heart,and a blood storage system,when he left show business for medicine...cool dude!
ROADYACHT: Farfel's Ventriloquist was Danny O'Day ... and Froggy's Foil was Billy Gilbert .......
Clarabelle/Capt. Kangaroo was, Bob Keshan ... who was a Decorated Marine in Korea ... Soupy Sales was, Milton Supman , whose Birthday was just about a month ago ...
Winchell made so much money with Medical Appliances, that he open'd a string of Doughnut Shops ... His Apple Fritters are near about as Big as a Football, and are Absolutely Delicious ... and the awful truth is, that they are so Good, that one insanely craves another as he is finishing the first .......
For Years I thought Ted Koppell was a Puppet, because his upper Lip never moves when he talks ... then I figured that either his Shoes or his Shorts were too tight ....... Good Fellow ... just a little stiff .......
Good morning PL, RY, & IVAN............................PL.................you pretty much said what I feel......................creepy..........................
One of the best movies about a ventriloquist is Magic w/ Anthony Hopkins & Anne Margaret.................it is absolutely excellent!
I never considered Shari Lewis or Lambchop creepy, I loved them......................Have a wonderful day gentlemen............
My friend Dave the Clown - our dog disgraced us by killing and eating his rabbit to be pulled out of the hat and we had to hastily substitute Martha, the little black chicken - Dave had a string puppet made in his own image, was adept at ventriloquism and would get this creature out and hold conversations with it. Creepy. Then, when my son was small, Lamb Chop arrived on our tele screen. Who can be scared of a talking sock? I made a sock glove puppet for my son and found it useful for difficult discussions, as it was easier for the puppet to talk about childhood anxieties. I have an old glove puppet that I have a chat with now and then.
Jeff Dunham and Walter, when Carson called him over after Dunham did his act. Classic. Walter insulted Carson and his co-host to perfection. I can't link to youtube on my cell, but its there. Worth the watch.
Autonomatonophobia - No phobia of mine ! Like others, I always enjoyed the antics and mouth-holding of the speaker and his/her puppet! That's entertainment! I never had any fears, as I knew they were dummies, just as one tells himself in a particularly gory part of a horror movie: "It's all make-believe." Like Hazel, I had hand puppets for my own kids, and sometimes, the sock face could get the kids to laugh or ever eat their veggies!
bebe - I agree that "Magic" is one of the spookiest of the puppet movies, and that in large part to the acting skill of Anthony Hopkins, plus "movie magic." And then there is the eerie presence of the killer clown in King's "It."
Yes, Senor Wences, indeed! "S'awright!" has been a joke in our family for years, thanks to his appearances on the Carson show! Those were the days when we could be happily entertained without the F word or dirty jokes! Too many "comedians" today are all about being rude, not funny.
Back to the topic, I can see that some people might dislike a ventriloquist's strange attitude or relationship to the dummy, as it becomes a kind of schizophrenia on view. As the above definition of "the fear of automatons" explains, irrational fears are merely a disturbance of the root energy in a person, so one needs only have a little talk with himself to stop the fear.
Personally, as I enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, and good imaginative writing (see Stephen King's 11/22/63), I can deal with a bit of imaginary puppet speak.
"Even eat those veggies," not ever....typos jump up, brain skips a beat!
Bellylaughing at Senor Wences on Ed Sullivan on Sunday nights is a happy memory. Our family also incorporated "S'awright? s'awright!" into our lexicon.
Many of the residents up here would qualify as ventriloquists because of the wealthy lockjaw accent. Rarely do you see their lips move!!
A friend of mine grew up in Brentwood CA next door to the Bergens. Charlie McCarthy was a full fledged member of the family with his own room and all the rights and privileges (and affection) of his "sister" Candice. I am happy to report that in spite of her Mondo Bizarro childhood, Miss Bergen remains as pleasant, funny and gracious as well as beauitful as her public persona implies.
I am going to have my 2nd cup of coffee (!!) and go look at the SNOW (yes Bebe we finallly got some although I have to move quickly before it gets rained away. It looks beautiful now).
I saw Dead of Night as a teenager. It is a very creepy movie. I've never watched it again. I found it on video, purchased it, but am afraid to watch it. I'll just have to do it someday to see if it is as I remember.
I loved Lambchop and Charley Horse when I was growing up. I also ate lamb chops--never had a problem with it either.
Park4--I suppose you're still shoveling? My husband has almost finished shoveling us out. We got less than 5 inches, but it's that heavy sticky stuff...
Ivan, you got a laugh out of my with your Ted Koppell comment! Good thing I didn't have a mouthfull of coffee.
A laugh out of me is what I meant to say...
Only because it is too scary to speak of excuses Peter Lake for skipping over it.
No matter, ever since a successful defense was mounted against a charge of attempted motor vehicle mime-ocide -- "But Your Honor, There he was, a chalk-faced, gay French seaman, trapped in a glass container on a Main Street sidewalk, clearly running short of air and everyone stood by laughing in mockery. What was I to do? I gunned the old Dodge Ram and busted him out of there."-- they don't come around here anymore.
I can hit SEND without moving my lips.
We have only your word…
Bur, that's good enough for me.
I can too, on a good day. Sometimes I bite my tongue
ChefD - Speaking of moving the lips, I guess it was the study of French in which the instructor vehemently reminded us to "show the lips!" but whatever the cause, I do have the enunciation that moves lips, and in some cases that has been a good thing, such as in teaching lip-reading deaf students. I once had a darling girl (deaf from birth) who requested to be in my classes for both 11th and 12th grades, as well as on my yearbook staff, because she told the counselor that she "could read my speech better than anyone she ever met." I do wonder where that lady (girl in the 80') is today. The last I heard of her, she had gone to Gallaudet Univ., become a teacher of the deaf, married a fellow she met there, and moved to the south Fla. area. I do hope she is well.
That said, I doubt that I could ever be a lip-frozen ventriloquist!
Hazel - How did Martha the chicken work out in Dave's magic act, replacing the rabbit? Somehow, pulling a chicken out of the hat sounds funnier!!
The sun came out and I have been working in the garden, trying to recite the alphabet without moving my lips. Duddleyew ex why zed.
And let us not forget Senor Wences on the Ed Sullivan Show -- had us watching his lipsticked hand.
RY, Ivan--Thanks for the background...I never knew that Bob Keeshan (Capt. Kangaroo) was also Clarabelle the Clown!!! I learn so much in the Village! Wonder what happened to Mr. GreenJeans. Looked him up ("Lumpy")...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Green_Jeans
I do know that my kids watched those faithfully, as well as Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood with Daniel Striped Tiger. If you add the antics and lessons of Kipper (UK), those were fine models!! Unlike the frenzied cartoons of today's childhood entertainment. Where did we go wrong? How did we get away from wholesome and innocent?
Moose~ Martha the chicken was a star!! People expected a white rabbit, so when a black chicken appeared, it was a good joke.
I can also hit SEND
without engaging the brain. Y'all have more than my word on that.
I only bite my tongue when chewing
gum and walking at the same time.
Miss Hazel, duddleyew is a most interesting construction. Is it past
tense?
Hazel, I just re-read your 7:11. You certainly have a lot of carnage at your little slice of heaven. First your cat and the pigeon, and now your dog and the rabbit. I've always heard that Wales is a little wild. (snicker)
l marjorie~ the worst is putting my foot into my gardening boots and there is something sqidgy and squelchy in there - usually a mouse or a vole.
paolos~ You try saying W without moving your lips. It will drive you crazy all day. Anyway, after my exertions in the garden, I'm going to have a nice cold gottle of geer.
Duddleyew, of the Right family, is a member of the RCMP.
Miss Hazel ~ I am holding up three
fingers.
At the ball park, that would get me
a cold Wiedemann or three hot dogs, depending on which Vendor saw it first.
Do not click on this link, it is not
what you expect,
and the goofy music will stay with
you most of the day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k
I triple-dog dare you not to click on the link!
Even Village people can be neighborly.
O brilliant! I cannot imagine having the skill to have my hand up the bum of a marrionette and sing YMCA without moving my lips.
My Ex#1 is attending lip reading classes and has shaved off his moustache.
My belly speaker is telling me that it is time for my midday repast.
"Duddleyew" ... and y'all were giving me the business over, Ibbergerblibbernis ???
IM: Glad You got a Laugh !!! Ted is not quite funny material .......
MOOSE: What you can learn from me, in this Village, will make you an Expert at Crossword Puzzles and Useless Trivia Contests ....... but it is great fun, experiencing it all .......
The only ventriloquist/dummy that makes me laugh....from the series Soap... what a cast of characters......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKRFmpWLTwg&feature=youtube_gdata_player
When our English adviser cringed a little at the name we had given the ventriloquist in our radio play: "The Man of a Thousand Voices," we quietly withdrew the script and dummied down the laugh riots to funny, some of the funny stuff to amusing and, it is embarrassing to admit, some amusing things to cute.
She would have stood up for us but we loved The Major and didn't want to put her in an awkward position.
We did stick with Chubby Pfister though.
We'd got the teacher best known for saying: "Anyhoo," the girl famous for saying: "Cheese and crackers," and the rest of us played ourselves and said so.
Yet dozens of kids said things like: "Wow, he did you so well!"
It made us appreciate a little what our teachers were up against.
bad ventrikalizms abound....he he he . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD2Vy8rFYAE
The first ventriloquist as documented
in Exodus 3. The Maker of all Things used a burning bush as the dummy. (I know someone out there wants to say Just like Cheney used Bush as his dummy).
And when the LORD saw
that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the
bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And
he said, Here am I. And Moses said Come out, come out wherever you are. And
the Lord said, Olly olly oxen free. And
Moses said, I don’t have any oxen, those
are sheep I am tending. And the Lord said, I know the difference between sheep and oxen, you dummy. And Moses said, I
thought the bush was your dummy. And the bush said, Oy Vay!
Amen paolos!
http://www.petermanseye.com/photos/579371
Last evening, at Arby's, the very excellent chocolate turnover came to one dollar and five cents tax included… forget about their coffee.
I handed the girl a dollar, groped around for some change and came up with a Kennedy half dollar.
"Oo-oh, no," she said and pushing the fifty-cent piece back to me got a nickel of her own from her pocket.
What a nice kid.
Jalopkin - All this trivia can actually pay off if one attends and wins the local trivia night contests around here. There is a different one every night of the week at some local grill or pub! I have not won, but did come in second once.
It is lots of fun. How many countries border the Black Sea? What country has more poisonous snakes than nonpoisonous ones? What costume did Scout wear to the school play in"TKAMockingbird"? .....and so forth....They pay in cash, free meals, and some in free drinks. There are several folks on this train that could clean up!
IVAN -- Good Shabbos & Many Blessings
BEBE -- Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paolos - Your burning bush reference was funny....reminds me of a Mel Brooks skit! Did you see it? The Voice is without even a bush to his Moses....!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk
"History of the World" is one of my all time favorites for witty laughs!
The time has come for me to Wish Everybody in This Village a GREAT & Enjoyable Weekend !!! I Hope Y'all Have an Abundance of the Weather You Like, and Family, Good Friends, Good Food, Good Wine, Good Fun, and Every Thing That Makes You Happy ... With NO Black Clouds or Problems !!! Leave Monday Wait until Monday ... and Just Unlax !!!!!!!
To Those of You Who Do: GOOD SHABBOS !!!!!!!
I Wish Y'all a Sabbath of Peace, Joy, and Rest .......
On the Glorious Splendour of Your Majesty, O' Lord
and On Your Magnificent Works ... We Shall Meditate,
and Give You Thanks ....... Most Blessed is Your Name ...
Blessings Upon You All .......
IVAN
Thanks, Ivan. x
Now I can begin my weekend. thank you.
Peter Lake, YES! You are so right. Clowns are creepy. Hehehe.
Big Red, White and Blue Day. Our son-in-law after waiting with his wife and son outside in the rain for an hour, became a citizen of the United States.
Wonder how much more those recent test passers know about the constitution than a lot of us who were born here.
I MARJORIE: We didn't shovel. We probably should have. Okay, we absolutely should have. But we stood looking at it, and at the same time, we said (lips never moved): "It'll melt." And so for the first time I can remember, we just let it go. Let it snow, it'll melt...I love not doing something that we've always done. It's so free-ing. Kind of bad-ass, not doing the expected (the bad-ass bar is set really low)...Now we don't have a driveway as long as yours, not by half I don't think. So getting out if necessary is just a matter of putting the car in reverse, getting it sort of angled right, and then gunning it. Your drive is a whole nother matter, though - hope your husband is okay.
Agree, this dummy stuff is way creepy, just like PL said way up top, clowns and dummies, they are on my list of My Ten Scariest Things. AGAIN, proving that PeterLake and I share the same brain or live in parallel mental states or something, the dummy with Bert on SOAP was hysterical. Rolling on the floor laughing hysterically funny. In fact, that show (a spin off of "Benson" I think) was so damn funny - I'd forgotten all about it since it must be hidden away with all the excellent shows from that "era" that were funny in a sophisticated way. SOAP! I remember how Bert used to make himself invisible...OH funny. PeterLake, can you make our brain remember some other funny things like that.
RY: When I saw the topic, first thought was "I bet RY can talk without moving his lips." It's something you'd be likely to do. Do you?
Candice Bergen ("Murphy Brown") wrote a humorous early biography called "Knock Wood." It told of her childhood and growing up with her "brother," Charlie McCarthy - who was, in reality, Candice's father, Edgar Bergen's first and most beloved (by her father) dummy. Charlie had his own room in the house, next to Candice, he ate dinner with them, he was treated as a human being, or better - and as the sibling that only-child Candice never had. As I remember she would have loved to be an only child, but her brother Charlie McCarthy was very much a part of the Berger household......No wonder Bergen's got such a good sense of humor, to keep your sanity in that kind of environment, you'd need a really need it.........................And that's really creepy, that's why dummies are creepy - I don't need to be reminded that they're not real (most of the time), but it seems their "owners" aren't always so sure. C.r.e.e.p.y.
Congratulations to your son-in-law Stoney. That's a good story to hear. We need more of your family relative types of people as citizens of this country... Remember taking those tests in 5th grade, what were they?, just questions about this country, the flag, laws, civics - and you had to pass it in order to pass 5th grade....and then we had another one in high school that you had to pass in order to get your h.s. diploma.... I don't suppose they still give these tests, do they?
I have found this topic to be hiliariously funny. I have laughed tonight. Thank you.
PA4, remember the episode when he took the dummy to the bar with him and they both passed out, face first, on the table. Invisible Bert was an exceptional character portrayed by an exceptional actor. Benson began on this show and the spun off to his own show... I think... they all just seemed to have such a good time being so outlandish. It was sure a nice snow this time. Heavy to shovel, but very picturesque (spl) later gators
STONEY....................congrats to your son-in-law & I would throw money down & say, "A lot more!" I bet I'd get my money back.......................also, funny that you mention Arby's, we have none down my way & so when I make the longish journey home to visit my mother & brother I always stop at an Arby's after I have been driving forever & it tastes SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good................
IVAN.....................late blessings back to you......................
CHEFD...................ah, yesssssssssssssss....................