Ventriloquist Central | Walter Walters Frank Marshall Figures

Ventriloquist Central - A Tribute To Ventriloquism - Promoting Ventriloquist and the Art of Ventriloquism

Walter Walters Jr. Frank Marshall
Ventriloquist Figures

Back in the vaudeville days one of the more famous ventriloquists was Walter Walters. He was married to Emily Carlin and they had a son named Walter Walter Jr his real name was Walter Olsen Jr. He too became a ventriloquist and worked the vaudeville circuit with his two Frank Marshall figures named Mary Lou and Woody.

The figures have had a few owners over the past few decades and I can trace them back to Captain Dick of the Dummy Depot in Seattle Washington which is no longer. At that time the figures were repainted by Ray Guyll. Captain Dick did in fact sell them but the name of that buyer I have not been able to find out. Somewhere after that around 1995 Woody was redone again and remained unfortunately not like a Marshall job. Mary Lou still has the paint from Ray Guyll.

I took it upon myself to re do Woody so that he again was the way Frank Marshall would have painted him and I also fixed his chop stick levers. I have posted pictures so you could see the before, during and after restoration of Woody. I also had to find a new wig for him. The previous restorer actually put the wig on backwards and tried to make it fit but it was just wrong and was also black and Woody had red hair.

The other thing that is nice is that the original stand used by Walter is still with the pair of figures.

Woody has the following movements, slot jaw, side to side self centering eyes, winkers / blinkers. Mary Lou has mouth movement only. They both have an eye from a hook and eye lock on their right hands. I have no idea what that was for but if a thread was attached then they could move their right hands by pulling the thread.

I hope you enjoy seeing these terrific Frank Marshall figures.