Steve Meltzer from the Santa Monica Puppetry Center in California sent me this wonderful article which he wrote for the Puppetry Journal back in the spring of 1976. With his permission I am happy to share this nice article written about Paul Winchell’s life.
Mr Melter along with Kelly Asbury hosted the final performance that Paul Winchell did back on March 13, 2004. The picture you see (above) of Paul Winchell is one of the last pictures taken of him and Jerry Mahoney in performance mode (FYI…the Jerry that Paul Winchell is using was built by Ray Guyll). What a great treat to see this.
Thanks again to Steve Meltzer for sharing with of us here on Ventriloquist Central.
Dan
www.ventriloquistcentral.com
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Great Lester had a great sense of humor and comedy. See, “Stepfather to Charlie McCarthy” article in Coronet magazine on Tribute site. At age 20 en route to Germany, Lester stopped an ocean liner by man overboard call for help on a $100 bet. Edgar Bergen acknowledged on one of his early broadcasts with Rudy Vallee that Lester was greatest ventriloquist he had ever known. It is also pointed out in the article that Charlie McCarthy came from the same workshop that produced all of Lester’s figures, which would include Frank Byron, Jr., genius being Frank Marshall who fathered these articulate personalties. Coronet for March 1945 issue, pp 116-117.