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May 31, 2007
Another
McElroy Story
Dan @10:27am
Be sure to check out David
Pendleton’s “My McElroy Story”. He takes you through his
process of wanting and finally finding his McElroy figure.
Click Here To Read The
Story...
Comments always welcomed.
~Dan
Comments
1 Comment > > >
-
Great story! I have the DVD
and enjoy Dave's work. It is truly a great story of how he came to
own Mack. Thanks for sharing this!
Comments by Chris & Buster - May
31, 2007 @7:32pm
May 27, 2007
Contest
Dan @ 8:49am
I am very surprised that
the contest on naming Bob Abdou's vent figures (see May 23rd Blog)
didn't really take off. I only had 2 people write in with some
guessing and both people while they did get some right are way off
from winning. This contest ends tomorrow night at midnight so take a
moment to really study the pictures and send in your guess. Maybe
you will get the tee shirt. I really thought more of you out there
would partake in this little event so come on lets hear from you. I
know you all know who made these so show us your thoughts and NAME
THOSE HEADS!!
~Dan
Comments
1 Comment > > >
-
I see 2 Turners,1 Foy Brown,2
Hartz,1 Layne,4 Loviks,1 Gilmer,1 Maher,2 Finis Robinsons,1 Payes,1
Main,1 Bratton, not sure.
Comments by Christian Morse
- May 27, 2007 @9:10pm
May 25, 2007
Tribute To
Johnny Main
Dan @ 6:57am
Today I’m
happy to announce our big spotlight presentation called “Tribute to
Johnny Main”. This idea has been in the works for quite some time. I
acquired some lecture notes that Johnny Main had written, plus had a
video with one of his performances, all of which have been posted.
I want to thank Pete Michaels for the great article he wrote and
contributed, “Remembering Johnny Main”. If after you read it,
you don’t get goose bumps, check your heart to see if it’s beating.
This article is that good.
Click Here for the
Tribute to Johnny Main.
Comments always welcomed.
~Dan
Comments
3 Comments > > >
-
I forwarded the Johnny Main
tribute to a friend who teaches vent in Japan. She had memories of
him kindly giving her a private lesson on the telephone voice in Las
Vegas. Last week she had coincidentally taught it to her class. They
were totally amazed to hear him and do it without a puppet.
She expressed her sadness in losing him.
Comments by Ruth Means - May 26, 2007
@6:33pm
-
I loved the piece on Johnny
Main. Once Pete Michaels comes through with some amazing material to
share. Thanks Pete and to Dan.
Comments by Larry Harris, ComicVent -
May 26, 2007 @7:57am
-
Pete's piece on Johnny sure
brings back memories of those conventions past, dinners across the
highway at Bob Evans with Johnny, Joan, and other friends, the late
nights at Chaucers and Johnny's reluctance to perform in recent
conventions because he knew people were recording his jokes.
I first met Johnny in 1994 at my first ConVention. The meeting was
set up by a letter from Peter Rich to Johnny that I would be
attending my first conVention. I had purchased Oscar from Peter and
he wanted pictures of Johnny and other friends with him; I went
through two disposable cameras taking pictures for Peter. Johnny was
in many of them.
From then on, whether it was the Fort Mitchell ConVention or the
1997 first Vegas convention, Johnny was always there, welcoming me
and many others to his table.
The most fun came a few years ago when Peter Rich showed up at the
ConVention to suprise Johnny, who did not know he was coming. It was
a great time. The ConVentions are just not the same without him.
Pete, thanks for the memories...
Comments by George Boosey - May
25, 2007 @8:11pm
May 23, 2007
A Contest –
Test Your Skills
Dan @ 7:21am
Let’s have some fun. I’ve
decided to hold a “full fledge” contest. If you can guess all the
dummy makers in Bob Abdou’s picture (see below...May 22nd blog),
you’ll win a Ventriloquist Central Tee Shirt. Start on the top row,
left to right, name all the dummy makers.
Contest closes midnight, Monday, May 28th.
Good Luck!
~Dan
Comments
2 Comments > > >
-
Top row - left to right:
Johnny Main, Brant Gilmer, No clue, Maher, Finis Robinson
2nd row - JC Turner, Foy Brown, Bratton, Lovik, Hartz, Lovik
3rd row - Lovik, Hartz, Bratton, Layne "Jerry Mahoney", Dan Payes
4th row - Lovik, Finis Robinson, Tim Cowles, Finis Robinson,
Conversion figure, JC Turner
Comments by Matt Kimbro - May
23, 2007 @10:26am
-
I see a Hartz, Selberg, Maher
and Marshall. It's amazing how certain makers stand out!
Comments by Troy Moss - May 23,
2007 @10:07am
May 22, 2007
From Bob
Abdou
Dan @ 7:15am
Bob Abdou unfortunately has
got to move from his home in Austin Texas and in his packing to
vacate his premises he took this great shot of his vent figure
collection showing just the heads. It is a great shot and I pose
this to all of you looking at the picture....
Can you identify the makers of his collection?
I will of course post all
the answers that you write in. Give it a shot.
Comments.......
~Dan
Comments
2 Comments > > >
-
My goodness Bob. I thought I
had figures. You have a great collection.
Comments by Larry Harris, ComicVent -
May 22, 2007 @7:55pm
-
Okay, my guess: I can see 2
Marshalls, 2 JC Turners, 1 Hartz, 1 Jerry Layne (Mahoney), 1 CJ
Lovik, 1 Foy E. Brown. I can't identify the others.
Comments by Ony Carcamo - May
22, 2007 @ 10:26am
May 20, 2007
Frank
Marshall Letter to Johnny Main
Dan @ 8:15am
To keep the discussion
alive I went back through some of my original letters that were
written by Frank Marshall and found this one addressed to Johnny
Main. He apologizes to Johnny for his tardiness in shipping but also
states that he is a one man operation. So I guess this dispels the
notion that he had multiple workers in his shop.
Just a little tidbit that I thought you all would enjoy seeing.
Comments please......
~Dan
Comments
3 Comments > > >
-
I must say I don't know where
the information that Frank Marshall apprenticed from 1914 to 1922
comes from. It would make it the longest apprenticeship ever. As far
as I can remember from my conversations with W.S Berger, Bob King
and Stanly Burns. Frank was brought to the Mack's in 1914 was put to
work on dummies in a corner and worked there ever since. Lets not
forget that the Mack's real profession was wood working and carving
along with Charlie Mack running the saloon they owned next door to
the woodworking shop. As far as I know they were not even interested
in dummy making. Lester got them into it and it was a small sideline
that didn't bring in much money. When Frank was brought there I bet
they were glad to have someone who seem to show some talent do the
dummy sideline. Vent's sometime think they were only dummy makers.
When the Mack died Cameron and Marshall as partners bought the
business from Mrs. Mack and continued the business Cameron doing the
woodwork and carving for homes, hotels and such, Marshall doing the
dummy making. No one has ever come across a Cameron figure that I
know of.
Comments by Joe Lopez - May 20, 2007 @
9:25pm
-
But he had a right to brag, a
very fine artist, and I have no doubt that he could make one with a
hatchet. I stayed the night with Marshall. Went up on Greyhound bus,
took a picture for figure he would make for me, and one other, no
picture, just voice for figure. I'll never forget walking in front
door at 5518 South Loomis Blvd, newspaper strewn everywhere used in
packing for shipping probably and a horsehair couch which I slept on
that night after telling him characters I wanted. He took me
downstairs, his workshop, perfectly clean, and on side bench most
beautiful boy Marshall I ever saw. He said, "I made this from a
neighbor boy down the street" which tells me that if not doing
special order he was creating anyway. The picture figure for me was
perfect and one from voice only was exact as well, received about
three months later, but would have given both of mine for that one.
Anyway, he was all by himself and he seemed to like the company.
Comments by Lee Dean - May 20, 2007 @
5:55pm
-
Marshall bragged. I went with
Berger to 1955 Pittsburgh IBV convention, by sleeper train out of
Cincinnati. I was 14, young and strong, helped pack, carry and setup
McElroy's Jacko, JC Turner figure, many others, including couple of
Cecil Gough figures. Great Lester, W.S. Berger, and I were in coffee
shop, and n walked Frank Marshall, and they discussed the figures
brought to the exhibition. I remember Marshall saying, in talking
about Gough, that he, Marshall, "could make a better figure with a
hatchet."
Comments by Lee Dean - May 20,
2007 @ 8:31am
May 19, 2007
Frank
Marshall Production - Part II
Dan @ 12:03am
I have to admit the
responses to this weeks blog about Frank Marshall's figure
production really started a great thread and I hope it continues. I
would like to continue this discussion by making a few response
comments to a couple that were left and directed to me.
Joe Lopez let us know that Frank actually started his career in
1914. I too already knew that but I took his career and dated it
from when he was the full fledged maker and no longer an apprentice.
If we are going to give a career of one person a time line, you
really are not on your own as a maker if you apprentice and also as
an apprentice Frank was making Mack figures and not Marshall
figures. Again this is my opinion and not written in stone.
Collin sent in a great comment about an article written in the
Oracle by Mr. Arvities stating that in one year Frank made 1000
figures. Well, please show me the records to substantiate that
claim. Frank loved to brag and you can say anything you want about
anything you do but if there are no written records how can you take
it as fact. I think even with 10 workers it would be an
impossibility to produce 1000 full figures. Again this is my humble
opinion.
Ony Carcamo wrote into the forum and asked if I, or anyone else,
knew what kind of numbers there would be for Mack figures and I have
given that a lot of thought and I truly think the numbers would be
considerably less for total output as compared to the numbers that
were done by Marshall. There were many less ventriloquists
performing from 1880 through to 1920 as compared to 1920 through to
1960. Or I should say the publicity for them was a lot less
therefore they were not known. Prior to the great Lester do we have
names of the artists who used Mack figures. Please send these names
in. That would be terrific.
Comments please.........
~Dan
Comments
0 Comments > > >
May 16, 2007
Ventriloquist Central Pictures
Dan @ 11:08am
Being a ventriloquist or
ventriloquism enthusiast, it’s sometimes hard to find good
information about the art. Even harder at times, finding pictures. I
know when I started out, I loved hard figures and finding good
pictures and how they work was often difficult.
When creating Ventriloquist Central.com, I wanted to make sure that
there were lots of pictures of my dummies for ventriloquists and
enthusiasts to see.
Now, I’m offering you these
same pictures of my ventriloquist figures.
Click Here For More Information
~Dan
Comments
0 Comments
> > >
May 15, 2007
Frank
Marshall Production
Dan @ 8:48am
Frank Marshall was without
question a prolific builder of ventriloquist figures and there have
been many questions as to the number of figures that he actually
produced. Unfortunately there are no exact records to go and check
so we will never know that answer for sure. I one publication I read
says that he produced around 5000 figures. If that were so why are
they so rare today?
Lets take this a little further in depth to do an analysis. Frank
started producing figures around 1922 and he passed away in 1969. I
believe that his last figure, which I also believe is owned by Kenny
Warren, was made around 1966. Kenny if you read this please correct
me if I am wrong on the date. Also at the end of his career you
would have to go to his home and stay with him while he made you
your figure. There were no more figures in stock. So that means his
career spanned some 47 years but the last 5 or 6 years production
was greatly reduced.
I think that if he was to produce a completed figure in a week,
which for a carved figure is a phenomenal accomplishment that would
put him at 52 figures for a full year. Now remember we are talking
completed figure. Carved, animated, painted, wigged, body, hands and
clothed. Now take 47 years and multiply that times 52 figures and
you get a total of 2444 for his output. This output would mean that
in this entire time he never had a break, no time off, no vacation,
just work at his bench non stop 52 weeks a year for 47 years.
Now granted he produced more than one figure at a time and even if
he did how many do you think he could work on at the same time?
Maybe 5 and that I think is being very generous. I do think my
guestimation is very valid and if there is someone else that has a
better way of estimating Frank's output I would love to have you
write us and let us all know.
I myself still believe that even with my guestimations I think that
number I have given , 2444 figures, is way too many in number. I
myself think that his actual output is more than likely less than
1500 in total. Now I have in my collection 33 Marshalls and the Vent
Haven has 47 , I believe, and our 2 respective collections are among
the largest. Yes there are others out there that have 2 and 3 and 4
figures but even if Frank had produced 1500 figures where are they?
The Marshall figures are rare, and have been ever since he has
passed away. I did cover in a past blog about Marshall pricing and
the ups and downs that it has gone through and if they were not as
rare as they are the prices would not be were they are today. So
unless someone can give proof contrary to what I believe I think I
am close on my estimation for Frank Marshall's lifetime output.
Comments please......
~Dan
Comments
6 Comments
> > >
-
The following
is from a magazine "The Oracle," dated Sept/Oct 1979, and written by
John Michael Arvites. I will quote word for word from the magazine.
"Theodore Mac died in 1923, Charles in 1924. Alex Cameron took over
the shop and moved it to 67 W. Ohio St. In 1927, Marshall took over
the shop, then at 53 W. Erie, and still retained five other
craftsmen. Over 1000 figures came out of Marshall's shop in 1927. It
was a peak year for the puppet business. At the time, a stock 40
inch boy figure cost $38. In 1929, the depression hit. The economy,
vaudeville, and Marshall's business were shattered. ( End of quote).
He then goes on to say, how Bergen revived ventriloquism and
Marshall was back in demand. Quote: in 1937 Marshall was turning out
12-17 puppets a week from his new shop location at 837 N. State
St.(End of quote). So there's another slant on the interesting life
of Frank Marshall. I was always led to believe that with the
duplication process, he was basically only involved in the final
carving and the painting, and that he had trained others to do the
mechanics. I might be wrong Dan, as this is only what I have heard
over the years. Why I tended to believe this was because he had a
shop in Clarke St, Chicago, which would have certainly required more
rent than one doll per week could provide. Of course there are also
the marionettes that he made over the years as well. Anyway Dan, I
hope you find this interesting. I certainly do agree with you that
there are not many Marshalls around today.
So, it all does become a bit of a mystery.
Comments by Colin - Comic Quest
- May 18, 2007 @ 6:42am
-
In addition to
making vent figures, Frank also made marionettes and Punch & Judy
puppets. I wonder how that would effect the math?
Comments by Robert Anthony - May
17, 2007 @ 9:42am
-
Hey Dan, Just
read your article on Frank Marshall's production. Very interesting!
Always fascinating to hear different opinions. Didn't know he
basically quit carving a few years before his passing... was under
the impression that there were a few figures on his bench when he
passed.
Never knew Marshall, but here's some things to think about. Jack
Coats at the height of his carving carved 40 figures a year... that
was part time in addition to repairs, repaints, etc. Basically, it
was 16 to 20 hours a week with weeks off for family vacations, etc.
And he didn't use a duplicarver! So for Marshall doing carving as a
full time living, especially in his earlier years, could have carved
how many a year? Maybe 60 - 80? Just a thought. Also, I've heard
from vents who did know Marshall that he bragged he could build a
dummy in a day! Maybe yes, maybe no, but we've both seen some
figures he built that looked like he did. I remember seeing one at
Vent Haven in 1974 that actually had a card which looked like it was
typed by W.S. Berger that said (to the best of my recollection),
"Made (poorly) by Frank Marshall to represent Charlie McCarthy." I
know he seemed to carve sporadically in the last 10 years of so of
his life, but wonder about his output during the 30's thru 50's.
Just an observation. Really enjoyed the blog and your probably
closer to the correct number than the 5000 or so I've heard
mentioned from time to time.
Read an interesting article on Stradivarius once about his
production. They accounted for between 700 - 800 instruments known
to be made by him and the years they were made. Some years had as
many as 20 something and some years none known to be made. He kept
apprentices so you assume that some had to have been made during
those missing years. The article mentioned an early lute maker who
was known to have made 1000's of instruments and at the time of his
death had an unsold inventory number close to 1000. The point of the
article was that there were only 2 examples of lutes made by this
man known to still be in existence. They claimed that due to this
reasoning Stradivarius probably made 1000's of instruments as well.
Any "duds" probably weren't kept or repaired as they went bad and
only the cream of the crop were still in existence. Don't know if we
can use the same logic with Marshall's production or not... I know
Jack used to receive regularly early Marshall figures and parts in
the mail that someone had found in an attic and he'd restore them.
Marshall's always been an interesting subject!
Anyway, really enjoy the blog and videos and the site in general.
Keep up the good work!
Comments by Gary Koepke - May 15
@ 12:59pm
-
It takes about
two hundred hours or five 40-hour weeks, to produce one carved
figure and that is if all goes smoothly.. That’s ten per year at 47
years that would only be 489 figures. But Marshall may have dupli-carved
his stock figures and then modified them as needed but one at a time
would make that five weeks each figure So if he really did he did
five figures at a time that too equals 2444 figure made as the
total. Guess your real close to the number of figures made.
Comments by John Dean - May 15,
2007 @ 12:55pm
-
It is not
accurate that Frank Marshall started making figures in 1922. My
personal research based on people that knew Frank and Great Lester
and were interested in Vent History including the audio tape I gave
you has Frank being brought to the Mack's in 1914 when he was
started as an apprentice there.
Comments by Joe Lopez - May 15,
2007 @ 12:27pm
-
Dan I agree
with you that 5000 over Marshall's lifetime seems to be a real
stretch. I do know that he did have several stock heads sent out to
a duplicarver that cuts down some of the work but not that much. I
think you are in the ball park with your figures.
Comments by Les Lamborn - May
15, 2007 @ 9:48am
May 14, 2007
Delta Farce
Dan @ 2:05pm
If you haven't gone to see
the movie " Delta Farce " with Larry the cable guy it is a must
especially if you are into ventriloquism. This movie gets its roots
from the movie " The Three Amigo's from the 1970's and as the movie
progresses you will certainly see the influence but most important
is the fact that Jeff Dunham appears in this movie with Jose
Jalapeño on a stick. He is in the movie for a few minutes and then
is featured in the outtakes at the end of the film. So kids another
Kudos for Jeff Dunham and Ventriloquism.
Comments welcomed....
~Dan
Comments
0 Comments
> > >
May 11, 2007
Guest Blog
Reflection
By Steve Hurst (the
webmaster)
Hi all, I thought I
would step in and write today’s blog. Don't worry, I'm not
going to get "techie" on you.
I’ve been going over some of the past few blogs and the one about
Christian Morse made me think how lucky he is to be involved in
ventriloquism during the “Internet Age”. It made me think of when I
first got involved in vent, back in the late 60’s in Oklahoma.
The only exposure I had to ventriloquism was an occasional
ventriloquist on television which was rare (for those of you that
are not old enough to remember…. television only had 3 maybe 4
channels, not like cable today). So, at 14 years old, it felt like I
was the only ventriloquist in Oklahoma.
Fast forward to 1995, I recall typing “ventriloquism or
ventriloquist” into a search page in the early days of the Internet
(Alta Vista was the Google of that time) and getting nothing. In
fact, the search page thought I had misspelled the word.
Today, type ventriloquism
into Google, you get almost a half a million searches, type
ventriloquist and you get 1.7 million. To quote an old TV
commercial, “we’ve come a long way, Baby”.
Personally, I think it’s wonderful how the Internet and technology
has brought the ventriloquist community together. And even better is
the fact that it’s a great “encourager” to the young (and old) vents
out there that you are not alone.
One fact that I’ve learned over the years, is that ventriloquists
are one of the friendliest bunch of people I've ever met. Ask for
help and they jump at the chance to offer assistance.
It's a great
time to be a ventriloquist.
Have a great day.
Steve Hurst
Webmaster
Comments
2 Comments > > >
-
It would be nice to think that
we vents are all helpful because we want to see the art perpetuated
into the next generation and keep our art form alive for years to
come. Sadly I suspect that the reason we all jump in when a question
is asked is because to be a vent you have the think your good enough
that a audience wants to see you perform and so we all also think
that our opinion is the correct way of doing it. LOL!
Comments by Mean John Dean - May 11,
2007 @ 3:07pm
-
You are so right, web sites
such as this has opened a whole new world of entertainment for our
younger generation of a great and lasting art all I can say is THANK
YOU.
Comments by John Conte - May 11,
2007 @ 12:31pm
May 9, 2007
Catching Up
Dan @ 9:58am
As you’ve noticed the past
few days, I’ve posted “Guest Blogs” to my blog page. Since getting
back from Vegas, I’ve had to catch up on my work from my “day job”
and it’s been hectic. So the Guest Blogs have been a big help.
First off, I want to thank Matt & Bob for their contributions.
Second, if you’d like to contribute information about the great art
of ventriloquism, please do so.
By now you should know about the video clip that was donated to us
featuring Ray Guyll. If you haven’t seen it, check it out:
Click Here for Ray Guyll Video
Just a reminder, early
registration for the Vent Haven ConVENTion is May 15th, so send in
your registration.
Comments welcomed as always.
~Dan
Comments
3 Comments > > >
-
That was a great video Ray is
an amazing builder and repairer.
Comments by Christian Morse - May 11,
2007 @ 6:51pm
-
The latest video is fantastic.
Did you notice the "Mort" figure? Ray Guyll is an amazing artist. In
fact one of his figures with a huge lip was a little like a figure
that I own that Dan Payes made for me years ago. Cheers.
Comments by Larry Harris-ComicVent -
May 9, 2007 @7:34pm
-
Dan. that latest clip was
great. Keep it up.
Comment by John Hopman - May 9,
2007 @ 2:19mp
May 8, 2007
How Big Is
Big?
Dan @ 7:14am
I received this email the
other day from Val Hilliker. She writes,
“Hi Dan I have really enjoyed your web site and all that it has
to offer.
Your constant emails intrigue me into spending more time looking at
all that your web site has to offer.”
Thanks Val for the nice comments. It brought to mind just how much
Ventriloquist Central has grown in a relative short time. I started
this site back in October and it’s been growing each and every day
since. Steve (the webmaster) has informed me of the following
facts to date:
- Over 4000 files make up
the Ventriloquist Central website
- Over 3000 pictures are
on the website
- Over 700 of those
pictures are of my dummy collection
- PLUS, we are getting
thousands and thousands of visits each month
So what does all this mean?
Bottom line….there is a LOT of information on the website (and at
times we are adding items on a daily basis). Be sure to come back
often and take your time to enjoy the site. There is so much
information, it may take awhile to check it all out.
Thanks so much for your support.
Comments welcomed as always.
~Dan
Comments
1 Comment > > >
-
No doubt, Ventriloquist
Central has become my "hangout place" on the web for everything vent
since I discovered the site in early February. You guys are doing a
great job, keep up the good work!
Comments by Smith & Jones - May
8, 2007 @ 7:48pm
May 7, 2007
Guest Blog
Perceived
Value
By Bob Abdou
A man wants to go into the
shoe business, so he buys shoes for a $1.00 and sells them for 50
cents. He can not keep the shoes in his store long because
everybody wants them, he is constantly buying more shoes for $1.00
and keeps selling them for 50 cents. One day, an accountant walks in
and says to the man "how can you stay in business when you buy shoes
for $1.00 and sell them for 50 cents?". His reply was "VOLUME"!!
This story can be applied to performing full time or even on a daily
basis if you have another job besides entertaining. Many
ventriloquists ( I am using ventriloquist since this is a vent
website story) think that lowering their cost will get them more
work. That is true, folks do book by cost but not many. In my years
of doing vent I have found that the quality of the show and getting
to the gig early is what customers really want. There are a few
vents that boast about how busy they are only because they are
charging way below standards. Yes, they are busy, Yes, they are
making money (some money) Yes, they are getting the art of
ventriloquism out there for all to see. BUT, yes there is a downfall
to this and the wording is Perceived Value.
If you are the cheapest in town then you are not known for being a
great vent, you are known as being "the cheap performer".
Cutting costs and lowering your price just to get work will
eventually drain your pocketbook/wallet, It will drain you
physically but it will also drain you emotionally. Once a vent runs
out of gas emotionally, well.........you will always be tired and
have terrible lip control. Now you are known as "the cheapest
performer with terrible lip control"
Here is a thought on Perceived Value...if you charge a client $150
for a show, you will carry your own bags into the building. If you
charge the client $500, the client will carry your bags in for you.
No it does not make sense but this is what happens in the real
world. Respect for the art of vent is not just doing every show that
is out there.
Vent does not fit into
EVERY situation. A real pro will know what works and what doesn't.
If you have to ask yourself will vent work for this situation, it
usually means it doesn't and you are trying to fit a square peg into
a round hole. Trying to force ventriloquism into every situation
will only "disrespect" the art and make it a mockery. Now you are
known as "the cheapest performer with terrible lip control and a
doofus"
How does a person like this stay in business??? VOLUME!!
Bob Abdou
www.mrpuppet.com
Comments
1 Comment > > >
-
I agree 100%, Bob. And I think
what you're saying applies to figure making as well.
Comments by Robert Anthony - May
8, 2007 @ 8:13am
May 6, 2007
Guest Blog
Jeff
Dunham's - SPARK OF INSANITY
By Matt Kimbro @ 8:04am
My wife and I went on a fun
expedition last night to the Warner Theatre to watch Jeff Dunham's
Comedy Central Taping entitled "Spark of Insanity". My wife
purchased tickets over a month ago as a surprise for me, and
fortunately some of the negative events that have happened in the
last month prevented us from attending. In other words, it was truly
time for a "night out" and what better way than to go to Jeff
Dunham's comedy central special taping? We started the night by
eating across the street from Warner Theatre at "Chef Geoffs", a
posh little restaurant with wonderful food. I had the Crab and Corn
Chowder with an ice cold Sam Adams. Delicious!
From our seats in the restaurant we could see the front of the
Warner Theatre. Our tickets were for the 9:30 show, but around 8:00
lines were beginning to form at both doors. We noticed the lines
growing as we would occasionally glance over from our restaurant
window. By the time we finished our food, paid the check, and exited
Chef Geoffs, the two lines were going around the building on both
sides. We joined one of the lines at 9:00. At 9:15 people started to
exit the establishment. The first show ran a bit late. At 9:30 our
line moved, and moved quick.
Warner Theater is incredibly nice. We had seats on the lowest level,
about 10 rows back (you might see us on the DVD) on the left side
and let me tell you, the place was packed! Since this was a comedy
central special the director (or one of the directors) had us stand
and applaud a few times to get on tape. Next a funny young comedian
did about 10 minutes of material to warm us up. Then there was a bit
of instruction from the director again, and Jeff came on.
Now, I'm not going into great detail about the show, characters, etc
- because it is going to be on the DVD. I have the first DVD, which
is great. But, Jeff out did himself with this one. The set was
fantastic. He has kind of a new "look", staying current with the
times (of course Walter tortured him about it). The material was
hilarious and very fresh. There were ad-libs galore. He would get
off track on an ad-lib....have the crowd rolling, and then kind of
direct himself back into the act, giving a few verbal commands for
the editors later on. Oh, and characters?? Yep, some new ones. Wanna
seem them? Check out the DVD.
I was very fortunate to go to the late show, because Jeff had a
surprise for us at the end. We filmed some extras for the DVD with
audience participation, and Jeff made a really big announcement.
You'll have to stay tuned to his website for more details. I'm not
going to ruin it. Also, Jeff's wife and three daughters were there
for the taping and sat right in front of us. While we were waiting
for some set-up stuff to be done before filming some extras, Jeff
brought his three daughter's on stage and told the crowd just how
much he loved them and thanked them all (plus his wife) for being so
supportive of him during his long hours/days/etc away from home. It
was nice to see.
All together, my wife and I had a blast! I will definitely watch the
special on comedy central in SEPTEMBER (I don't think this is a
secret) and I'll be first in line to buy the DVD a few days later.
Jeff told us about the extras that are going to be on there, and it
sounds like it will be PACKED with a lot of fun stuff (sorry, I'm
not letting out any surprises). This will be a "must-have" DVD, and
I suspect it will go triple platinum, versus the double-platinum
success of the first DVD. I must say, Jeff Dunham is truly keeping
ventriloquism in the mainstream view with all of his comedic
success. Hopefully this will lead to more success for ALL working
vents!
In closing I also have to mention that as we were in the theater
walking to our seats, the people in the crowd were impersonating
Walter - including his sayings - and commenting on what they liked
about Jeff's act....laughing heartily as they did. Lets face it,
Jeff is FUNNY. What else is funny, is that out of the hundreds of
people I walked past (probably more like two thousand that sat in
the theater) no one commented that they hoped Jeff's lip control was
good. They didn't seem concerned. Just my two cents.
Cheers!
Matt Kimbro
Comments
1 Comment > > >
-
Sounds like a good review
Matt. I am glad you had a good time. I think it is time that Jeff
brought out Walter's wife one of these days. I think it would be a
hoot. My Wife said that I should have gone. Maybe next time. I saw
Jeff a couple of times in the past. I Love "Bubba J" The original
"Bubba" was a Verna Finley soft figure. That was a great one. I can
see a lot of "Mort" in "Bubba J." Cheers.
Comments by Larry Harris -
ComicVent - May 6, 2007 @ 5:01pm
May 5, 2007
An Aspiring
Young Ventriloquist
Dan @ 7:16am
Once in a
great while you come across a person with a passion that is as great
as your own and this has happened to me. Twelve year old Christian
Morse found my web site and since finding the site has become an
active participant in the forum, has sent in his picture to the
Ventspace gallery and has contacted me by email many times with
great questions about antique figures.
I have not met his parents at this time but I do know they are
behind this fellow 100%. He currently owns a Jerry Layne Jerry
Mahoney, an original J.C. Turner and just purchase a very rare Len
Insull Mickey Mouse. He certainly has good taste. He has been
scouring the Internet and eBay looking for figures and has even been
keeping me informed on figures he has found that are for sale. I
think I really will have to be careful as he progresses in his quest
for the holy grails of figure makers. He has one up on me though
because he is practicing the art of throwing your voice. That is one
thing I never did try to accomplish. At his young age he should be
able to make ventriloquism one of his ways of making money either
full or part time.
I always love to hear and see youngsters that have a passion and
they follow it to the end. My own son, who at age nine began doing
magic, is today a pro magician and works currently in 3 different
restaurants in the Boston area doing table magic, he does private
parties and corporate functions too. He is now 26 and when I saw his
passion I stood behind him 100% in his quest. I am sure that
Christian will end up as one of those children we see and watch
mature into both a performer and collector. He may be the next Jeff
Dunham. I just hope he enters the junior contest at the Vent Haven
convention this year as I already know he will be attending the
convention.
Christian has made me feel very special because he, on his own, drew
2 wonderful renditions of McElroy figures which he sent to me as a
surprise. I was actually overwhelmed and immediately asked him if I
could share these great drawings with my readers of the blog. He
agreed so here are the 2 drawing of McElroy figures that I received
from Christian today. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Make
sure you go to the Ventspace Gallery and scroll down to see this
talented kid with his figures.
(Click Pictures For
Larger View)
Comments always welcomed......
~Dan
Comments
8 Comments > > >
-
Looks like we might have a new
performer and figuremaker. Great artwork! Practice makes perfect,
and don't let anything stop you Christian. Good blog.
Comments by Matt Kimbro - May 6, 2007 @
10:08am
-
Thank you all really.
Comment by Christian Morse - May 5,
2007 @ 9:09pm
-
Christian, it's great to hear
your story! It warms the heart of an old timer like me. Good luck in
the future!
Comments by Smith & Jones - May 5, 2007
@7:25pm
-
Christian the knowledge that
you have about what you love is worth a million. Follow your dreams
and they will come true. Your family being behind you is very
special. DREAM BIG.
Comments by Helen W. - May 5, 2007 @
4:07pm
-
Christian, welcome to the
world of venting! Practice makes perfect. Perfect your skills. Don't
let anyone discourage you. Live your dreams! Many Blessings!
Comments by Troy Moss - May 5, 2005 @
2:22pm
-
Hi, I'm Christian's
grandmother and I am very proud of him.
Comments by Brenda Otis - May 5, 2007 @
10:51am
-
I have to agree with Larry,
it's great that Christian has such a passion for ventriloquism.
Christian, don't let anyone discourage you...keep your dreams alive.
Comments by Steve Hurst
(Webmaster) - May 5, 2007 @ 10:21am
-
Dan, Starting this early and
with this passion, this kid is going to go places for sure. I love
his enthusiasm. Cheers.
Comments by Larry Harris -
ComicVent - May 5, 2007 @10:15am
May 4, 2007
How Much Is
It Worth???
Dan @ 10:47am
Finally the weather here in
the Boston area has broken and we have some sunshine. They say that
by mid week of next week we will be in the upper 80's . We will be
passing spring and going right into summer. I guess the very hot
week I spent in Las Vegas will be following me here. Just means that
the flea markets and yard sales will be happening. One of my
Favorite flea markets is Brimfield , one of the largest in the world
, and will be taking place very soon. It is held 3 times a year in
May, July, and September. I have only found one ventriloquist figure
at this flea market but I always go hoping!!
I have been getting emails asking me about pricing on various makers
of figures and I am more than happy to share my knowledge with
anyone who asks but you must remember pricing is subjective and just
because I may feel a figure is worth x number of dollars the person
selling might take a very different approach to the value. I have
had to deal with families adding on dollars because of
sentimentality. This can usually be overcome when you explain that
sentimentality only has a value to the one person who is selling. It
does not add value to the dummy. Then there is the figure that has a
provenance. This is many cases will add some value because you can
then give the history of the figure from the purchaser on down. I
love when a dummy has this provenance. I list this information with
the figures when I list them in my figure collection. Not only does
it make the figure a bit more valuable but the history is always an
interesting read.
Also one has to take into consideration the functions that a figure
has. If the dummy has only mouth movement it certainly isn't going
to be worth the same as a figure that has a multitude of functions.
That just makes sense. A lot more work goes into producing a dummy
with those extra functions. The extra functions don't mean the
ventriloquist will make the dummy perform better because learning to
use all the controls is a large task, but that is another subject.
Just remember that in pricing the more functions the higher the
price.
So Steve (the webmaster) has been laughing at me because he says he
is winning the bet with me on photos for the Ventspace Gallery.
PLEASE don't let him win this bet with me! I told him I
thought we would have at least 50 entries before a month is out. I
am losing. Lets make him wrong. Send in those pictures.
Comments always welcome.......
~Dan
Comments
1 Comment > > >
-
Dan you've got like the
greatest site of ventriloquism ever and some of the finest
ventriloquial figures my favorite is the Marshall/McElroy figure and
I would say he's one of the greatest people I know of thanks, Dan.
Comments by Christian Morse -
May 4, 2007 @ 6:38pm
May 2, 2007
Back From
Vegas
Dan @ 8:14am
Time just seems to slip
right by because I left for Vegas on Apr. 23rd and a week has
flipped right by and I am back home. Vegas is just an amazing place
with something going on every minute of every day. If you don't
enjoy yourself in that town you are dead.
Ronn Lucas is great and I am so happy he is there promoting this
great art of ours. At the present time I believe he is the only
ventriloquist that is regularly appearing. I check all the hotels
from large to small and could not find any others that had a show
going. Not even a lounge act. So that means call your agents and get
them to book you. With a venue the size of Vegas there certainly
could be more than just one ventriloquist performing. I was told
John Pizzi was there but he might have ended his stay before I
arrived because I could not find him.
Reality of the time of the year sets back in because the entire week
in Vegas it was from the mid 80's to mid 90's and the swimming pools
were terrific. Lots of beautiful bodies, some not so beautiful too,
were all out. I have returned to Boston where it is 51 degrees and
grey. Terrible outside. But maybe tomorrow it will be better. New
England just wait a day and the weather changes.
I was hoping to see a lot more pictures in the Ventspace Gallery.
Where is everyone. Come on send in those pictures of you with your
favorite buddy. We want to share you with everyone else.
Comments please......
~Dan
Comments
1 Comment > > >
-
Next time you
want to get away, come on out to Missouri! There are some great
vents working the theaters down in Branson.
Comment by Smith & Jones - May
2, 2007 @ 9:30pm
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