Wait Time For Ventriloquist Figures – Frank Marshall

When Ony Carcamo asked his question in response to my blog (click here if you missed the blog) I knew I had to make my response be correct so I contacted my pal Bob Isaacson to find out the correct information about Frank Marshall.

Bob knew Frank for two decades so I knew he would be able to give all of us the correct information.

Here is Bob’s response to me…..

Dan…I read the blog this a.m.,(very good) ..today, (won’t mention names), but as you pointed out, these current figure makers, promise, but don’t deliver. Even when Frank was (“under the weather”) way back in ’62, he took 3 months. After seeing me on a TV show, said I should have a backup duplicate. I made payments in advance & he had it completed in 2 months. My original figure in high school, I believe Frank (again I was making payments) only took a few weeks. He could knock one out in a week if you needed it asap. So, I suppose if you paid Frank right up front for the total cost, you could have the figure in a very short time, again, depending on how busy he was. Hope this helps……..Bob

 

Thanks, Bob for the insight.

 

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 2010 by Dan Willinger

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3 Responses to Wait Time For Ventriloquist Figures – Frank Marshall

  1. LeeDean says:

    In 1958 I took a bus to Chicago and spent night with Frank Marshall. after giving instructions for two figures he was to make for me. I gave him a photo of my younger sister for girl figure and a boy’s voice for boy figure. Three months later two figures arrived in KY parcel post, $275 paid for each, and they perfectly matched description. So I got two figures in only three months, so have to conclude a little over a month for one figure if he wanted to, and not working on anything else.

  2. LeeDean says:

    To answer further on delay time, children pulled figures off the set and dropped them while working on the air on a live kid’s show. I sent them off to Frank Marshall for much needed repairs, both heads being cracked open, and, at the same time had them overhauled with all the extra controls. In 1961 Marshall after long delay and upset over my persistent calls to get them done because about to lose kid’s show told me, “You’re just another lousy ventriloquist”. I had to pay Frank $400.00 each for the repairs and when I got them back from Frank I was not happy with the job Frank had done, not because of poor workmanship however but because all the extras took away from the original artistic expression (upper lip area lost the “V” trough, slot below chin now to accommodate protruding tongue, eyebrows slots, etc.)

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