Recently I was able to purchase
a couple figures used by Roy Catell " International Singing
Ventriloquist" this is what his card says and he was a performer in
the 1940's. Unfortunately I have no information on him other than
his card which says the above but no address or phone number.
The figure which you are looking at is also a curiosity to me
because I have no idea as to the maker. He stands 42" tall and his
body is made of wood with muslin filled arms and legs and his hands
are carved basswood. His head is also carved basswood. He has slot
jaw, raising eyebrows, and his eyes are again a curiosity to me. The
move side to side and self center but I can see that they can also
do all around movement. It is a very unusual spring set up. The eyes
are made from ping pong balls similar to the McElroy's eyes. He also
has a smoker and a spitter but the are not currently working.
His carving is really very sharp and on stage really looks great.
His paint is original too as well as the wig. I will remove the wig,
wash and style it and then replace it when done and it will look
much better. Also you will notice that under the chin is a cloth
that is tacked in to hide the gap. I do believe it originally had
leather.
The controls are a combination of lever and ring pull. The controls
still work rather well. This guy is a great addition to the
Ventriloquist Central Collection and I hope you enjoy seeing a
figure that is truly unique. |
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