Puppet Records: Records for Dummies (Episode 88)

In the early 20th century, a puppet fervor slowly crept across the
America, like rust on a Chevy Nova, as travelling shows made
puppeteers into full fledge celebrities, particularly the
self-proclaimed “America’s Puppet Master” Tony Sarg who was
instrumental in creating visually appealing versions of classic
children’s tales and bringing to life puppets in live action and
animated films. Concurrently, ventriloquism acts were breaking from
music halls and vaudeville shows to find superstardom led by duos
of Arthur Prince and Sailor Jimmy, the Great Lester and Frank Byron
Jr., and, of course, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. America got
wood for talking wood.  The rise of radio, television, and
film provided even broader platforms for puppeteers and
ventriloquists to spread their infectious amusements. In a world
before special effects, making inanimate objects come alive felt
magical and more real than still nascent animation. It was
children’s television that really embraced puppets as Howdy Doody
and Burr Tillstrom's Kukla and Ollie were beamed directly into the
impressionable minds of the baby boomers. Lambchop lovin’ Shari
Lewis, sweater-clad Fred Rogers, and googly eyed Jim Henson all
followed suit shortly after making themselves and their creations
into international superstars. At about the same nuclear age time
frame, you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting a socially
awkward (and probably sexually frustrated) kid unsuccessfully
practicing throwing his voice with a shiny new Emmett Kelly or
Mortimer Snerd dummy emulating their heroes like Jimmy Nelson, Bil
Baird, and Paul Winchell. They would spend hours listening to
instructional records on letter substitutions and tongue
positioning. The craze permeated far and wide as even Miss America
contestants chose ventriloquism for the talent portion of the show.
We even got so lazy that we decided to let robots run our puppets
as animatronics started popping up all over place like Disneyland,
Showbiz Pizza, and Chuck E Cheese. In this episode, we are going to
stare into the cold dead eyes of the dummies. We are going to
explore why and how adults mimicking mannerisms into lifeless
masses became the preeminent evangelical apparatus. And how things
went so far off the rails. So, dim the lights and focus the
spotlight. Put on your duck tail tuxedo. Tip your top hat jauntily
askew. Straighten your bowtie. Stick your hand up the bottom of
your favorite inanimate object and throw your voice as far it goes.
Join as we walk through the uncanny valley of the dolls. Just don’t
let us see your lips move. Today, the wacky world of puppet
records, you dummies. Highway Hi-Fi is a proud member of the
Pantheon Music Podcast Network - Home of the Finest Music Podcasts
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