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October 2012 Newsletter |
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Comments from Dan |
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What’s the old saying….”time flies
when you’re having fun”, well that is exactly what’s happened here
at Ventriloquist Central. Hard to believe it’s been 6 years since my
partner Steve and I started the website.
This past year is especially memorable with the receiving of the W.S.
Berger Awards for both of us. Very high praise indeed and we are
very honored.
Lots has happened over the past 6 years and we have more in store.
In fact, in the next week or so we'll have a BIG
ANNOUNCEMENT....so keep watching the blog.
Thanks to all of you for your support!
Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.
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Ventriloquist Central Presents...
A Frank Marshall Tribute DVD
“The DVD arrived today
and its better than even I had expected. Great job!”
Chuck Lyons
Channahon, IL
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Blogs You May Have
Missed On Ventriloquist Central |
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Frank Marshall Used Figure Dealer
I am not a huge buyer of paper
concerning ventriloquism but every once in a while I am able to pick
up some interesting paper item and I like to share it with everyone.
Such is the case today. I was able to purchase a few items that were
from Frank Marshall and among this lot was a very nice type written
list of ventriloquist figures, punch and Judy puppets and
marionettes that were all used and refurbished by Frank. |
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Ventriloquism Toy Figures
I am asked quite often why I don’t
show more of the toy ventriloquist figures on Ventriloquist Central.
Well the answer is really quite easy. I no longer purchase the toy
figures for the collection. When I first started to collect figures
I purchased every style of toy figure there was that I could find
and the reason for that was they were not too expensive.
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Collecting Len Insull Ventriloquist Figures
I have to tell you that one of the
figure builders that to me made some of the best faces in the
ventriloquist trade was Len Insull. His Cheeky Boy figure has stood
the test of time and is just as nice today as it was back in the
early 1950′s when he started selling his figures. He did produce
other styles but the Cheeky Boy figure outsold all his others by a
mile.
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Walt Botley English Ventriloquist Figure Maker
One of the unsung ventriloquist figure
makers from England was Walt Botley. He produced Ventriloquist
Figures, Punch and Judy puppets and novelty items too. His
ventriloquist figures were done in paper mache much like the Len
Insull figures and had the leather mouth. Botley figures are
extremely hard to find today and his figures seem to go unnoticed by
the ventriloquist community.
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Ron and Merle Blaskett Ventriloquists From Down Under
Back in the heyday of ventriloquism
one of the most famous from Australia was Ron Blaskett. He became
very famous for his use of his Frank Marshall ventriloquist figure
named Gerry Gee. Before Gerry Gee came into existence Ron and his
wife Merle used Len Insull figures.
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| Of course we had many
other blogs last month, so be sure to check them
all out, just in case you might have missed one.
September Archives
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Missed one of the monthly Ventriloquist Central
Newsletters?
Here
are the Archives!
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“The ULTIMATE Guide To
Building Your Own
Ventriloquist Figure, Volume 1”
"Steve's course is very
good too! You can actually see projects being worked on
and see how he handles them instead of just reading
about it (not that the books aren't worth having too!)."
Gary Koepke
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“The ULTIMATE
Guide To Building Your Own Ventriloquist Figure, Volume 1” is a
step-by-step system from start to finish, so you can create your
very own ventriloquist figure. Now you can become a
ventriloquist figure builder. This guide will answers all your
questions, show you all the short-cuts, and give you a quick and
easy paint-by-the-numbers way to making your own ventriloquist
figure-- even if you don’t think you can do it.
"Hi Steve,
I purchased the “The ULTIMATE Guide To Building Your Own
Ventriloquist Figure, Volume 1”, from you last year and
have finished my dummy now.
It has not taken that long to do but I have only been
able to do little bits to it here and there so thats
where the months have gone.
I would love to take this opportunity to thank you for
putting this course together. Building a dummy has been
a long term ambition of mine right from child hood when
I used to make cardboard dummies.
Now all I need to finish the one I have made from your
course is to clothe him. As soon as I have clothes for
him I will send some photos for you to see.
Any way thanks again and look forward to hearing from
you in the future."
Regards
Shane West
www.unclezoobee.co.uk |
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"The DVD course is
everything your advertisement claims it to be! It is
truly worth much more than the amount asked! Thank you
very much."
Theo Roos
South Africa
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"Steve, I purchased
your Ultimate Guide To Building Your Own
Ventriloquist Figure Vol.1 DVD's just over five
months ago. Let me first say, these are a MUST HAVE! I
have always wanted to build my own figure and your DVD's
gave me the confidence to get started as well as
valuable information with the whole process! I took your
advice on using the Fast Mache' method and it works!
That advice in itself saved me a lot of frustration
since this was my first time at figure making. I now
know I can begin my second figure and it will be even
more exciting than the first one. The information in the
Ultimate Guide DVD's are invaluable! I enjoy watching
them over and over again to gain more insight on figure
building. I can't wait to get into the mold making
process and duplicate one of my own figure heads! The
Ultimate Guide DVD's were exactly what I was looking for
and needed! Thanks so much for creating them. You truly
are an inspiration to me with all the nuts and bolts of
information you share in order to produce a
ventriloquist figure."
Thanks Again!
Ron Cataldo
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“The ULTIMATE Guide To Building Your Own Ventriloquist Figure, Volume 1”
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Just For Fun |
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Some Clips from Murder For
Dummies
Click here to see these clips
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Ventriloquist
Marketplace |
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The Ventriloquist Marketplace |
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bit of activity on the
Ventriloquist Marketplace. In fact, one figure I listed
sold within a couple of hours of listing it, so be sure you keep
checking it out.
"Our Ventriloquist Marketplace works
and works consistently when items are priced right."
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Here are a
few of the items that are listed on the Ventriloquist
Marketplace:
Max Dummy by Selberg, loaded animations
Custom Pavlov Pro Ventriloquist Puppet "MAX"
The smart alick cat from Mary Ann Taylor at Mat Puppets
Santa Clause from Mary Ann Taylor at Mat Puppets
Benjamin Franklin from Mary Ann Taylor at Mat Puppets
Rodney Rabbit from Axtell Expressions
Professional Figure by Kenny Croes
Kem Poyner Homer Figure
Be sure to check these and other
items on the.... |
Ventriloquist Marketplace |
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Learn Ventriloquism
Discover the "Secrets of Ventriloquism with the Most Comprehensive
Online Ventriloquism Course Ever Created!!!
“This is a great
course… You have done a fantastic job of capturing what
is difficult to describe. Well thought out. Well
presented.”
David Crone, I’mNoDummy Productions
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Get Five FREE Lessons
REPLAY – Ventriloquist Central Telephone Talk Interview with Tom
Crowl
“GREAT! This is going
to help new vents sooooo much. Well done!”
Margaret Davis, TalkingHand LLC
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"The incremental
lessons are brilliant because they get
impatient students like myself to focus on the
foundations.
Tom really knows his subject and more importantly, knows
how to teach it.”
David Pitts, MrPitts.com
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“I loved Tom’s course!
There is nothing like this out there.
Beginners will learn the art of ventriloquism properly
from the ground up, and experienced vents will be able
to refresh their basics. With the extras and bonuses,
Tom is offering a real valuable resource to the vent
community and beyond!”
Neale Bacon, Neale Bacon and His Crazy Critters
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NOW –
THERE IS A BETTER WAY TO LEARN VENTRILOQUISM
SecretsofVentriloquism.com/learnventriloquism
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Pictures of Figures Added to the Website |
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Old Man Len Insull Ventriloquist Figure
One of the rarities from the shop of ventriloquist figure builder
Len Insull is his old man figure. I have had many of Insull’s cheeky
boy figures but the old man has always eluded me until now. So I am
pleased to share him with you.
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Unknown Maker Ventriloquist Frog Figure
I love the unique and unusual and this
particular figure fills the bill for sure. It is a soft cloth body
with a cast paper mache head covered in the same green fabric as the
body with a wooden head stick with lever to control the mouth
movement. The eyes are wood spheres which are painted.
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Super Rare Len Insull Ventriloquist Figure
When it comes to Len Insull figures
the female ventriloquist figure is the rarest one which he created
for sale. It seems they were not sold in any great numbers as this
is the only example I have seen in person that is a complete figure.
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Len Insull Cheeky Boy Ventriloquist Figure
I am showing you a very fine Insull
Cheeky Boy figure which he produced back in the 1950′s. This is a
fully Loaded figure which stands 42″ tall. He was used and does show
some wear, but to me he is still a wonderful original figure. He has
a very small tear on the upper lip and some paint rubs but in the
over all he is a terrific example of Len Insull’s work on his most
popular figure. |
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Ventriloquist Central Videos
Here you can view videos of ventriloquists of all kinds
from the amateur, the semi pro and the pros. Just about
anything to do with ventriloquists and ventriloquism,
you’ll find here at Ventriloquist Central Videos. |
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VentriloquistCentralVideos.com
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Videos From
Ventriloquist Central |
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Ventriloquist
Central Video Collecting Series – A Walking Frank Marshall Figure
Here is a video of a Hamilton figure
which one of his very first McElroy style figures and was made in
the late 1970′s more than likely around 1978. This was when he was
working directly under the direct influence of the McElroy brothers.
This figure was built for William “Pretty Bop” Franklin who was a
Chicago ventriloquist.
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Ventriloquist
Central Video Collecting Series – Fully Loaded Frank Marshall Figure
Here’s a video of one of the most
loaded with movements in one figure that Frank ever created. It has
the following functions, slot jaw, side to side self centering eyes,
crossing eyes, winkers, individual blinkers, raising eyebrows,
wiggling ears, upper lip smile and stick out tongue.
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Ventriloquist Central Video Collecting Series – K and S Confucius
Talks Toy
This toy ventriloquist figure is all
original except for a couple tiny touch ups of paint to one eye and
one corner of the lip. This figure is that of an Oriental man and is
dressed in his original Chinese silk clothing. He stands 30″ tall
and has moving mouth only. He was called Confucius Talks. His silk
clothing is still in pretty nice shape for being from the 1930′s.
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Ventriloquist Central Video Collecting Series – A Frank Byron Jr
Look-a-Like
This Frank Marshall figure is a great
and extremely rare version of the Great Lester’s figure Frank Byron
Jr. He is pictured in the 1931 Marshall catalogue and he was
available only by special request. This figure was not a stock
figure although the head was done from a duplicarver head which is
in the Vent Haven Museum.
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Ventriloquist Central Video Collecting Series –
Hamilton Black Figure Headstick
Here is a video showing the headstick
of this Brian Hamilton black ventriloquist figure.
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Ventriloquist Central Video Collecting Series –
Frank Marshall Nosey, Little Eddie
This is a most wonderful Marshall
Nosey which was owned and used by ventriloquist Jimmy Jedry. He is
100% original everything from his paint to the clothing just as he
was delivered by Frank Marshall to Mr. Jedry.
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Ventriloquist Central Video Collecting Series –
Early 1920′s Mack Ventriloquist Figure
Here’s a video of a very early Mack
figure circa 1922 which is virtually identical to the Mack figure
that greets you as you enter the first building of the Vent Haven
Museum.
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"What Would You Do If
Your
Ventriloquist Figure Were
Stolen Or Destroyed?"
Here's The
Best Way To Protect Your Investment
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For Those Interested In
The Art Of Ventriloquism
“The
Ventriloquism Historical Information Collection, Volume 1.”
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One of the things that
ventriloquists say they have a hard time doing is
writing
scripts and being funny.....
Well
now YOU can!!!
Learn the SECRETS to writing comedy with the
Comedy Writing System!
ComedyWritingSystem.com
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Final Thoughts |
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It seems that one of the hardest items to find for vent figures are
good wigs. Well here Are a few tips to help you solve that problem.
This time of the year you can check your “Walmart”, “Osco Drug”,
“Walgreen’s”, and “I Party” for their left over and greatly
discounted Halloween wigs. The Mullet can be cut down for a great
wig.
I have found that both Salvation Army stores and Morgan Memorial
stores both have used wigs at times (or any other thrift store in
your region). They are, for the most part too large for a vent
figure but with a little patience you can cut them down to fit.
There is also a great place called Paula Young Wigs. There you can
find wigs of every size color and length to complete your figure.
Petite size works very well and they offer the petite size in many
of their wig selections. So take a look.
www.paulayoung.com
Be on the look out for all the
ghosts and goblins........Happy Halloween!
Till next time,
Dan
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©2012 VentriloquistCentral.com |
