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I, for the most part, collect wood carved
ventriloquist figures but when I saw this figure made by Rene
Zendejas I knew I had to have him for the Ventriloquist Central
Collection.
This figure has a very nice history. It was made in the 1970's and
was used by a performer at the time named S. Earl Statler, and he
used this figure which he named Phillip Buster the Senator in a
political routine in which this dummy was running for president. See
the enclosed poster showing this.
This figure is rather large and heavy. He stands 43" tall and came
to me still dressed in his original attire. He is made of wood,
plastic wood and neoprene. He has solid cast lower legs and simply
wonderful hands. His head is a combination of plastic wood and
neoprene with wood head stick. He has side to side moving eyes, non
self centering, and slot jaw. When I received him his eyes were
frozen in place but after some use of penetrating oil I finally
freed them up so that they again move. Rene made his mechanics with
brass and welding rods. The welding rods rust and eventually stop
working. You can still see the rust on the pictures of the head
stick controls.
I have determined that this head had to come from the mold of
Brooklyn Birch and then was modified to make the Senator. I also
learned that this particular head was reproduced once to make a
marionette which is in the collection of Jay Johnson. No other
renditions were made.
So as I said this is an extremely rare Rene figure and I am very
excited he is in the collection.
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