Ventriloquist Central - A Tribute To Ventriloquism

A member of the New England Magic Collectors Association know as Robert Olson has captured the essence of this early 19th Century magician and ventriloquist Richard Potter. Bob is a magic historian and avid collector dealer of magic, magic tokens, and ephemera concerning this art. He is known by us in the ventriloquist world for having been chosen by Sylvia Burns, wife of the late Stanley Burns, to liquidate Stanley’s vast collection of ventriloquial paper. He has been listing items for sale on eBay for Sylvia for the past 4 years.
 
Bob has done a great show performing as Richard Potter and has done this in the exact style of this early American performer. I had the privilege of seeing his Potter show some years back at the Old Sturbridge Village Museum in Sturbridge Ma. Although he was great and presented the magic of Richard Potter, Bob did not do a ventriloquism part. I know he can do ventriloquism and I know he used to use a Len Insull Figure. I am not sure if he still does own that figure.
 
In keeping with this story about Bob Olsen we have decided to put up a great story about Richard Potter in the Articles of Interest covering this early American ventriloquist. It is a great article and I am sure you will enjoy reading about this famous American.

Click Here for The Celebrate Ventriloquist - Richard Potter

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Frank Marshall not only produced great faces for his figures but he was a great craftsman on his bodies. I have been fortunate now to inspect and own nearly 40 different bodies that were constructed by this genius and he did do some different things to them. I will try to cover some points.
 
First it is rumored that he would use orange crates for scrap wood to build his bodies. I think that is a misnomer because none of the bodies that I won were made from so called orange crates. In fact I have found that for the most part the perfectly shaped shoulder boards are made of Maple which is a hard wood. There are 3 pieces of maple laminated together and cut on a band saw to make the shape of the shoulder. I can certainly let you know that was not scrape wood which was used.
 
The base board as well as the side boards were made with poplar or pine. After this the entire front is crisscrossed with reed which is then tied and then the front is covered with a quilted material. This made for a very sturdy body and a very comfortable fit for the hand. The reed is bent into place forming the front of the body and was attached by small brads and glue.
 
The hole for the headpost is a 2″ in diameter hole and if the body was used for a flat bottom neck the hole remained just like that a plain circle but if the neck was ball and socket, the hole had a carved by hand route around the hole about 3/8″ wide and about 3/8″ deep. Perfect size. Marshall did it perfect.

If you check back on the Marshall article by Bob Isaacson (click here to see article) there are some great photos of Marshall in his shop creating one of his bodies as well as some great shots of him working on his heads.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

P.S.  A regular contributor to Ventriloquist Central, Val Hilliker, sent us a link to some of her YouTube videos….check them out:
Val Hilliker on YouTube
***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I can’t believe it but Chief Meteorologist Mike Randall has done it again and sent in this great clip of Johnny Main. I can’t impress enough on the ventriloquist community how big a loss it is to no longer have Johnny’s pure sense of wit, timing, and ventriloquial prowess among us any longer. Johnny we all will miss you forever.
 
Mike, thanks again for making this small video available for our community to see.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

**************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I received this email from Steve Barry yesterday about my blog post showing of the ventriloquist figure he made for me.  With his permission, I’m sharing it with you:
 

Hi Dan,
 
 I have been making full size pro figures (I call them stage figures) for many years. Since I have started my blog I have made four of them on it.

When I sold my first figure on eBay in Sept. of 2005, I received 350 dollars for something I put a lot of effort and work into. I decided from then on, I wouldn’t sell stage figures on eBay. I want the price that I decide, not what other people decide. I think Al Stevens said it best. Take all the tools, supplies, material and time that go in to making a figure and then you can make a decision on a figures worth.

The reason I sell conversion figures is not for the almighty dollar.  It is to catch those people on the edge of getting involved in ventriloquism.  They won’t spend 5 to 12 hundred dollars on a stage figure. They don’t want a converted Charlie or Mortimer that they sell on several web sites for 299 dollars. They want something individual to them. I give them that alternative for the same price with much more work put into it.

I have had many people who bought my conversions come back and request stage figures afterwards. That’s how you get them involved  I don’t want it this to be an exclusive club. I want everyone involved. I am constantly emailed by people who ask questions about how to do something when it comes to figure making. They tell me they were ignored by other figure makers or answered vaguely. If they are concerned about competition, they shouldn’t be. The more who get involved, the more demand there will be for their products. Some people will make one for themselves, others will start to make them professionally. They in turn will get other people involved.

 I did not make this figure to prove to you I could. I have never felt the need to prove anything. The only thing I asked is that you restore me to the Makers page. I appreciate that you did this.  I made this figure for you because, I found out that ventriloquism is a passion for you as well as me and I was very impressed with the amount of work you put in to your web site. As I said in my blog, it is my tribute to your work. We could argue about definitions and what your feelings are and my feelings are forever. That is not my or your goal in this field. If I am correct, and I think I am, our goal is to get people involved by our actions.I will continue to do exactly what I do. That is what I decided to do for the reasons I gave you in this letter. I am not, nor have I ever been in the business of deceiving people as I was accused of doing. Anyone whoever felt that way was given ALL of their money back including shipping and handling. I am in the business of giving people an alternative to the run of the mill Juro doll, unpainted, with fleece on its head in a cardboard body sold for the same price I charge for mine. And I offer free mechanical repairs for life.

So we are both in the business of promoting ventriloquism. I get them started, you give them history and background as well as a place to meet and discuss. Thank you for returning me to the Makers page. Feel free to post this letter.  Have a great weekend Dan. Keep up the good work. I’m an avid reader.Steve Barry

Steve and I have had our differences in the past but through many emails, we’ve found a middle ground to agree upon.  Plus, he’s very correct about my passion for ventriloquism and wanting to share as much information as possible with all of you out there.

Thanks, Steve.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If you don’t know who Steve Barry is in our world of ventriloquism, then you have been living under a rock. He is a prolific builder of one of a kind custom conversion ventriloquist figures and goes under the name of Gepettosworkshop on eBay.

He starts with a Juro figure for the most part, uses magic sculpt to create a new look, adds moving eyes, eyebrows, slot jaw, head stick and new body and there you have a custom pro style figure.
 
Steve and I went back and forth and he decided he would show me he could make a figure totally from scratch and in doing so he decided it should be in my own likeness. Well he is a man of his word and after about 6 months his Dan Willinger figure is done and now residing in the Dan Willinger collection.

Steve you did in fact capture many of my characteristic (especially the space between my front teeth ) and my wife thinks it is a very good characterization. So I can now take off my hat to you (so to speak because I don’t wear hats) because you have proved that you can in fact make a complete pro ventriloquist figure from scratch.

I think this is the way you should go from now on and forget about the conversions. You certainly have the ability and I know people would love to get custom figures that are full size pro figures from you!!

Click Here For Steve Barry’s Blog

Again congrats on a job well done.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

It isn’t often that I would promote the sale of an item but in this case I must. I just received my copy of the Great Lester 10 page letter to W.S. Berger from Johnny Watts and I have to tell you all this is a must read and worth every penny of the price he is asking.
 
Lester talks about W.S.’s 50th celebration, he talks about the A.B.C. book on learning ventriloquism, Edgar Bergen’s upcoming book on ventriloquism, his own course, Madame Pinxy’s course, W.S,’s starting a museum etc, etc.
 
This is 10 pages of hand written material and will enthrall you with his points of criticism and kindness. Make sure you go to the marketplace and contact Johnny to get your copy. You will be happy you did!!

Click Here For the Great Lester Letter

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

As you all know I am the proud owner of Johnny Main’s collection of great ventriloquist figures made by both Frank Marshall and Johnny himself and is a great focal point of my collection. I was very happy when Mr. Mike Randall the Chief Meteorologist from WKBW-TV contacted me and gave me some great footage of Johnny Main with his collection.

It is a great glimpse at a truly wonderful performer who was taken from our midst far to early. Thanks Johnny Main for giving to us all those fine years of stupendous ventriloquism and great characters. Johnny was one of the few who could put his hand into any figure and breath life into that character. Many will attest to his prowess with the figures in the lobby of the hotel late night at the vent convention.
 
I never did meet Johnny myself but he can rest knowing that all of his characters are well taken care of and can be seen anytime here on Ventriloquist Central.

Mike Randall Feature-Johnny Main Ventriloquist

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

There has been a lot of discussion about this subject and I thought I would throw in my opinion on the subject. I myself certainly think that if you can do something easily why complicate it ? It was made clear to me in the study of my guitar playing. I love playing chord melody on my guitar and one of the masters of this style of guitar was a fellow named Barry Galbraith who was a studio musician back in the 1950’s. He was a most talented player but always said that the simpler you make the playing the more you will get out of it. His interpretations of many Standard tunes shows this off.
 
I think ventriloquism can follow the same route. You should make it as simple as you possibly can and it will reflect a good job with some practice. If you write your script  you should try, if possible, to avoid all the sounds that are so hard to do without moving your lips. If the sound is unavoidable then you have no choice but there is always other words to use.
 
When it comes to manipulating your ventriloquist figure, again simple can be the best. If you have your figure constantly moving for no apparent reason this is no good. If he never moves that too is no good. You have to find that happy medium but again keep it simple. Functions of a figure can be the biggest thing. Most everyone who is new and gets into ventriloquism sees the figures loaded with functions and wants one that does everything. That is totally understandable but is it necessary to use all the functions? I think not. In fact most of them are not needed and might never be used. It takes many years of constant practice to find the right dialogue or script where all the different functions are used. You would maybe use wiggling ears once in a routine but how many more times would they be needed? The same for other functions like flip wig or wiggle nose.
 
Edgar Bergen, who many will say was the best at manipulation of a ventriloquist figure in the twentieth century, used mouth movement only on all of his characters, Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker. His manipulation was smooth and precise and simple. Moveing his figures only when needed. Many say his lip control was not so good but it didn’t matter because when his figures were talking they were who you looked at not Mr Bergen. He was a master of manipulation. If you are new to ventriloquism I suggest you click on the Tribute To Ventriloquism section and go to the video section and look at the master at work.
 
Today Jeff Dunham is carrying on this tradition. When He brings out Walter that old man just brings the house down. He has only mouth movement and moving eyebrows but Jeff has mastered the manipulation of Walter and he comes to life.
 
So to sum up in my opinion simple is for sure the way to go when doing ventriloquism. Do it simple but do it right.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I am proud to be able to offer the ventriloquist public Lee Dunn’s #2 McElroy style Johnny figure. This masterpiece is for sale right now on the Ventriloquist Marketplace.
 
This is a phenomenal ventriloquist figure created by Lee Dunn with over 280 hours of labor and a compilation of handmade brass parts which numbers over 200. Can you even imagine doing this type of work? There are so few today that are able to accomplish this feat. If the McElroy brothers were alive today they would take their hats off to Lee.
 
This Johnny style figure has the following functions: Slot jaw, opening slot jaw with automatic stick out tongue, hand painted floating weighted side to side eyes, floating weighted eyebrows, lowering eyelid with automatic pull down of the eyebrow, over ride lever for raising both eyebrows, fright flip up wig, spitter with mouth in both open or closed position, light up nose, wiggling ears and locking cradle for the head stick.
 
He has been totally painted by hand and is as nice as any out there. The body and hands are perfect reproductions of the McElroys’ with the wood knees and formed feet.
 
The  opportunity to purchase a figure like this will not come around again soon so take advantage of this super deal and say yes today to purchasing this incredible ventriloquist figure. Don’t let someone else purchase him.

Also, if the buyer wishes I can offer a perfect reproduction of the wooden McElroy case complete with the cradle to hold the head.

Check out both at the Ventriloquist Marketplace.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Well a full week has passed and we had many votes on this subject and the result really shocked me because it came out so close. The cord control won out with a 52% to 48% advantage. A most interesting result don’t you think.
 
I would like to thank all of you who voted and participated and of course all of you who wrote in comments. This was a fun poll.

Keep checking back….another poll will be started in a few days.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

***************************************************

All writings here are copyrighted by Dan Willinger and Ventriloquist Central. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!