Frank Marshall's Mickey Ventriloquist Figure

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Webmaster

mickey-002S

In my quest for finding Frank Marshall figures I was very fortunate to be able to acquire this great full size Marshall which jumped right off the page of his Marshall Catalogue.

This figure is called Mickey in the catalogue and is a wonderful example of a simple yet superb work by the Master builder Frank Marshall.

Mickey stands a full 42′ tall and has slot jaw mouth movement only. His wig and the leather under his chin have been replaced but outside of that he is very original.

Check out that superb wool double breasted suit in blue with a maroon windowpane pattern. Frank sure knew how to dress these figures.

This figure was originally owned by a ventriloquist from California by the name of Earl Handley but other than his name I have no further info on him. He worked in the early 1930’s from what was able to be garnered from his family.

If you happen to have any information on this fellow please let me know.

Click here to see Frank Marshall’s Mickey Ventriloquist Figure

 

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Dummy Collecting, Frank Marshall Figure (Dummy), Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figure (Dummy) Makers, Ventriloquist Figure Building, Ventriloquist Figures | 1 Comment

"Mary Cole" Strikes Ventriloquist Marketplace

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Webmaster

scam-alert

I have written blogs about this in the past but I received a disturbing email again today letting me know that one of the sellers on the Ventriloquist Marketplace fell into the trap of a scammer.

You must remember that if someone contacts you about purchasing an item from you and wants to send you a money order that is all well and good as long as the money order is for the exact amount of the item. If for any reason you are asked to accept a money order in an amount for more than your item and then to refund the difference IT IS A SCAM. I capitalized this because I am shouting. The funds get refunded and then you get notified by your bank that the money order is a fake and you then have to reimburse your bank so you lose both ways.

If you do not have a PayPal account do yourself a favor and open one. With PayPal you have a certain amount of protection and the scammers will not use PayPal. I know most of us have PayPal today but if you don’t you really are making a mistake. It is one of the most secure sites on the web and makes the purchasing and paying for item a breeze and you have security. I know this sounds like an ad for PayPal but I just want to make sure you understand this gives you some protection.

The scammer named “Mary Cole” is not new and this name has come around before and the person that got taken was hit by this name (of course a scammer can use any name). If you remember back a while ago almost everyone on the Ventriloquist Marketplace got emails from this person including me. I insisted they give me their contact information but it was never forthcoming and I also told them purchasing could only be done with PayPal. The emails stopped.

Again please BEWARE of any money transactions, on the web, from any site because the scammers are there waiting to take YOUR hard earned money!!

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central | Leave a comment

A "Mexican" Dummy…

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Webmaster

Marcelo
“Don Marcelo y Napoleon”

 

Hello Dan:
I’m sending you a photo of my figure, Napoleon, and myself (I’m the fat one!). We had the privilege to perform for a Spanish speaking audience last Saturday, when the Mexican community in Calgary celebrated the independence of their country… I received many compliments on my performance (Mexican people are very generous and loving, mind you…) and they adored the fact that Napoleon was wearing a Mexican traditional suit! They appreciated that detail very much, especially if you consider that Napoleon’s character is, like me, an Argentinean guy.

I made him myself in paper mache. I bought the hands, eyes and body from Braylu, but I made all the rest… I especially like the mouth movement, it’s just the lower lip, not the whole jaw, kind of like a “living mouth” but without using the leather patch.

I hope you can get a suit like this for Don Frijoles! And don’t forget the Texan boots… I bought Napoleon’s on EBay, very cheap…

A hug from Marcelo (“Don Marcelo y Napoleon”)

 

Marcelo, a very nice Mexican ventriloquist figure. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figure (Dummy) Makers, Ventriloquist Figure Building, Ventriloquist Figures | 4 Comments

The Real Story of the One-Eyed Bum/Tough Guy Ventriloquist Figure

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Webmaster

toughguy-016S

At the ConVENTion this past summer, one of the acquisitions I picked up for the Ventriloquist Central Collection was the Hartz Tough Guy (as I call him).

Last week I received an email from the ventriloquist figure builder himself, Conrad Hartz, giving me the “real story” behind this figure. Here’s Conrad’s email:

 

Dan……….The one-eyed bum was never supposed to be. This is one of my earliest carvings. I was carving a rough/tough guy for myself and had ordered what I know was the most beautiful blue hand-blown German eyes. The eyes were the clearest and prettiest hand crafted German eyes I had ever seen. The eyes came in and the day I was to put the in the figure…..was very hot. The shop was not air-conditioned and I was sweating. Anyway, I put the left eye in the head and dropped the perfectly matched right eye onto the cement floor. It shattered into a million pieces. I died a thousand deaths because no two pairs of hand-blown eyes are as perfectly matched as these were. So……I decided to close the right eye permanently and recarve his nose crooked and give him a “stressed” look to say the least. The hands were carved rather massive in style. A Doctor that was a friend of mine from Columbia, SC came down and saw him and immediately fell in love with him. He bought him and the rest is history. Upon his death, he was sold to someone…..somewhere. I’m glad to see him again.

Conrad

Thanks, Conrad, for sharing the “real story” behind this figure. I always enjoy learning about how unique ventriloquist figures, as is the case with this guy came to be.

Click here to see the “One-Eyed Bum/Tough Guy”

 

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

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Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Dummy Collecting, Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figure (Dummy) Makers, Ventriloquist Figure Building, Ventriloquist Figures | 1 Comment

Paul Winchell's Jerry Mahoney & Knucklehead Smiff Ventriloquist Figures

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Webmaster

jerry-mahoney-knucklehead-smiff
Jerry Mahoney & Knucklehead Smiff

Here are a pair of characters for sure. These are the only legally made exact copies of the famous Duo Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. These are full size figures made from the original molds taken from Mr. Winchell’s original figures.

Jerry is the upgraded version because he has side to side eyes, slot jaw and full shell blinkers. He stands 42″ tall and has 360 degree heat rotation with ball and socket neck. His head stick is wood. His body is also wooden. His suit is the original style 2 tone suit done to Mr Winchell’s specification. Jerry’s wig is also made by Rene of Paris and was done for Winchell on special order.

Knucklehead Smiff is also full size with the same wooden body and wooden headstick as Jerry. He has just slot jaw movement just as the original. His cloths are also original design.

In my opinion these are the best figures that Jerry Layne produced and that may be because Paul Winchell was a stickler on his product. These are a must for any collector of ventriloquist figures or television memorabilia.

Click here for more >>>

 

Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com

***************************************************

Dan Willinger is a ventriloquism enthusiast and ventriloquist figure collector. He has been collecting for over 25 years. He created the Ventriloquist Central Collection. It now has over 100 ventriloquist figures and over 50 of them are Frank Marshall figures. Because of his love for the art of ventriloquism, Mr. Willinger created the website Ventriloquist Central. For more information about the website, go to: http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

Copyright 2009 by Dan Willinger

NOTE: You may use this blog article provided you run it with the bio box intact. Please email a copy of your publication with the blog article in it to: webmaster@ventriloquistcentral.com

Posted in Paul Winchell, Ventriloquism/Ventriloquist, Ventriloquist Central, Ventriloquist Figure (Dummy) Makers, Ventriloquist Figure Building, Ventriloquist Figures | 4 Comments