Ventriloquist Central – A Tribute To Ventriloquism

To those who believe that the Charlie McCarthy in the Smithsonian Institute… is the original… and that Bergen took the original Charlie head… and had it modified by installing moving eyes:
Please take note of the following very early photo.
Clearly these two figures existed in the same time frame.
This is further proven by watching the Vitaphone Shorts…and You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man. Both figures are used in these film projects.

Doug Preis

Thanks, Doug for sending this to me.

We have some Vitaphone Shorts here: Edgar Bergen Vitaphone Shorts

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 100 figures of which there are over 50 Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to:
webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

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I don’t know why this came through my mind but I thought I would throw it out there and ask. Today the art of tattooing is so prevalent that they say one in every four of us has a tattoo. Now this is today but for many years tattooing fell by the wayside. But back before and after the second world war it also flourished.

Looking at my collection of ventriloquist figures and thinking about the fact that many of them date from that period I was wondering if anyone ever heard or had seen any figure used that may have had any tattoos. I told you this was a strange thought but I just had to ask.

Please feel free to make any comments you like on this strange thought.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 100 figures of which there are over 50 Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to:
webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

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

Once again our friend from Canada, Val Hilliker, sent in this nice article:

Ventriloquist Val Hilliker talks to teachers during a teachers convention conference held at St. Gabriel School on Tuesday

Thanks, Val for sharing with everyone.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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

Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 100 figures of which there are over 50 Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to:
webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

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

Interestingly some questions were asked about the Charlie McCarthy figures that were sold back in the 1930’s and asking how to tell the difference.

First of all there was only one officially licensed company which sold Charlie Mccarthy toy figures and that was Effanbee. The likeness was exact to that of Charlie McCarthy and they sold these figures in two sizes which were 15″ tall and 20″ tall. Both sizes came in a multitude of outfits ranging from Charlie’ detective outfit to his full tuxedo. Even his tuxedos came in different styles some with black satin lapels, some with purple satin lapels, some with white dinner jacket. Both sizes had the monocle which was metal and attached in a tiny hole drilled into the head.

The back of the neck has the marking Edgar Bergen’s Charlie McCarthy an Effanbee product. If this is not on the back of the neck it is NOT an Efanbee doll.

K&S produced a complete line of composition ventriloquist dolls during the same period and dressed them in tuxedos and even had monocles to jump on the band wagon of the popularity of Charlie McCarthy .The K&S figures came in 4 different sizes ranging from 15″ to 30″ and they even produced one that had a cardboard head stick within a hollow body but these were not Charlie Mccarthy. Today you see them advertised for sale by antique dealers as being unmarked Effanbee Charlies but that is not true. K & S marked that on the back of their dolls neck.

I hope this helps you in your quest to find Charlie McCarthy dolls.

Also if you missed seeing the video I did on these Efanbee dolls please click here.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 100 figures of which there are over 50 Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to:
webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

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

When it comes to collecting you must remember to set limits to where you want your collection to go. This is why I decided that for the most part I wanted just wood carved figures. You see there is such an array of different styles and types of materials that were used to make figures that I had to choose for myself what direction I wanted to go.

Now I have purchased many figures made of other materials besides wood and usually those figures I have bought and sold. There are a couple exceptions to my rule for myself , the McElroy figures are one and also the Insull figures. They are great figures which were made from wood dough and paper mache.

I decided to limit myself on my direction because the variety was so vast that I would have had to purchase everything and I just could not do that. Just because a figure is an antique it does not mean I am going to buy it. There have been many that I have said to myself “Boy that is a good buy for that figure” but passed because it would just not fit my collection.

I have also stayed away from the toy figures because I decided I wanted my collection to be made up of professional ventriloquist figures. Although some of the older toys are great, I again saw that if I started purchasing the toys to collect it would get out of hand. Room for me is also now at a premium. I made an exception for toy figures with the original 1930’s Effanbee Charlie McCarthy figures. They were produced with Charlies exact likeness and with working slot jaw and I just love those so I do have a number of them in different size and attire.

Just make sure your direction is in a straight line and you will make a fine collection. Also remember it takes a lot of time and patience for a great collection to happen.

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. His collection of ventriloquist figures now numbers over 100 figures of which there are over 50 Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to:
webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

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