Ventriloquists - A Tribute Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charlie McCarthy

Charlie McCarthy sat on Edgar's knee with a monocle, top hat, and tuxedo. He made comments and remarks that no human would have thought to make during the late '30s to early '50s. Charlie and Edgar were off and on radio from 1937 to 1973 with shows such as "The Chase and Sanborn Hour" (Hour later changed to Program), "The Charlie McCarthy Show", "The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show", and "The New Edgar Bergen Hour" plus guest appearances on others. Bergen hosted a TV game show, "Do You Trust Your Wife?" ('56-'57) and usually appeared with Charlie, Mortimer Snerd, and Effie Klinker. Charlie did receive an honorary degree (Master of Innuendo and Snappy Comeback) in 1937 from Northwestern University.

Answer: Danny O'Day & Farfel the dog

Danny O'Day sang the beginning and Farfel the dog sang the last word, both the creation of Jimmy Nelson (born 1928) as was Ftatateeta the cat, Humphrey Highsby, and David Sumkind (a David Suskind imitation). Farfel (a Yiddish name for pasta), Danny and of course Nelson were spokesmen for Texaco on "The Texaco Star Theater", Milton Berle host. Nelson, along with Madge, the Palmolive manicurist, and the Maytag repairman are among the longest TV spokespersons. "The Texaco Star Theater" was so popular that NBC refused to cancel it for the election on 2 Nov 1948. Nelson also hosted a show called "Studio 99 1/2", from 1960-61 on a local NY TV station weekday afternoons and evenings, but no episodes can be found.

Answer: Lester

Created by Willie Tyler, Lester is recognized by his ever-present baseball hat. The team's routines were performed primarily on variety styled shows of the 1970s. Lester remarked that they were part of "The Four Tops" when they were called "The Four Tops and a Stick". Tyler was the first ventriloquist to appear on the "Late Show with David Letterman".

He toured with many famous Motown artists and in 2000 was presented with "The Askins-Award" for his contributions to the art of ventriloquism. The duo has a few commercials to their credit like McDonalds and Maxwell House Coffee.

Answer: Jerry Mahoney

Paul Winchell's goal at 13 was medicine but polio and the Great Depression intervened. While recuperating, Paul created a dummy for his art class taught by Jerry Magon. Jerry Mahoney was named after this teacher who awarded Paul credit for his creation. Along with his other friend Knucklehead Smiff, he took 1st prize on the radio show "Major Bowe's Original Amateur Hour" and was introduced to TV in 1948 on "The Bigelow Show". Carol Burnett was introduced to TV in 1955 on the "The Paul Winchell Show". "Winchell-Mahoney Time" ('65-'68) saw Knucklehead Smiff's father, Bonehead Smiff, and Oswald, a clever camera inverted image both appear.

Answer: Lamb Chop

Lamb Chop was the answer but the others were also puppets of Shari's. Charlie Horse, the goofy guy, Hush Puppy, from the south and Wing Ding a black crow, who was dropped from mention in the '60s because of cultural attitudes. She had many TV shows, specials, and appearances from 1952 to 1998 including "The Shari Lewis Show" and "Shariland". "Captain Kangaroo" introduced Lamb Chop to TV in 1956. Shari and daughter Mallory, who has carried on with Lamb Chop, won the first ever Emmy by a mother and daughter. Elmo of "Sesame Street" was purportedly the first non-human puppet to testify before Congress in 2002, Lamb Chop beat him by nine years in 1993. Along with Shari they testified for children's protection on TV.

Answer: Madame

"I stayed in my box for what seemed like an eternity to my many fans, only coming out for the occasional dry martini and foot massage...well a girl can't allow herself to go to pot!" is what Madame remarked on her comeback. "I've been through tough times but I'm a survivor. I always tell people all it takes is your own valet, a wardrobe staff and masseuse.

There's nothing like healing with the help of a national TV audience" on her return. Crazy Mary appeared in a straight jacket with siren on head (speed freak). Jiffy, a black southern woman who came North, a sometime nightclub singer, describes herself as a 'lady of the night'. Malchelheny and Baby Smedley (named after his grandfather) were also creations.

Answer: Señor Wences

When Señor Wences (1896-1999) spilled ink on his thumb and a smudged his forefinger, it looked like a mouth so he began talking to his class and the teacher. However, his goal was bullfighting but he was gored after 200 fights. To exercise his arm, he began to do more with Johnny. Thus, Wenceslao Moreno became Señor Wences. Pedro was born when a baggage car was damaged and all that remained in Señor's trunk was the head of one of his dummies. Pedro in his box when asked "S'awright?" would reply "S'awriiight!" and Johnny when Wences explained how to do something, would remark, "Easy for you, for me ees very deefeecult!".

Answer: Terry Hall

"Lenny the Lion Show" ran from 1956 to 1963 on BBC TV and was a favorite of then fifteen year old rock star David Bowie. Lenny was one of the first non-human animal puppets on children's TV and one of the first to have arm movements. Lenny was a 'spokespuppet' for diabetic children showing that he too used an insulin pump. Hall and Lenny first appeared on BBC TV in 1956 and in 1958 made his debut on the "Ed Sullivan Show".

He performed for British audiences for twenty years with Lenny on shows like "The Lenny the Lion Show" ('57-60), "Lenny's Den" ('59-61), "Pops and Lenny" ('62-63), "Reading With Lenny the Lion" ('77-80), and many other variety shows.

Answer: Rickie Layne & Velvel

In fact, Sullivan invited Rickie Layne (1925-2006) & Velvel back many times and even involved himself as a straight man in the act (he bought Velvel a dog but Velvel was horrified saying, "I used to be a tree"). Velvel was a modified version of the Willie Talk toy that became popular during the 1940s. Clean-shaven in the 1950s, but in the '70s grew their hair and mustaches. "I was up in Reno in 1978 and I did a gag with the dummy where he had a mustache," Layne says. "I'd say, you're just jealous because your mustache is bigger than mine," and Velvel would answer, "Anything I have is bigger than yours.". Rickie Layne was presented in 2002 with the Ventriloquist's Askins Award for lifetime achievement.

Answer: "Judy Splinters"

"Judy Splinters" kept Shirley company when she was hospitalized as a child for severe burns. They both started out on a radio station in San Francisco at the age of fourteen in 1940. "Judy Splinters" first aired live as a local program in Los Angeles in 1947 and Shirley also was a regular on Eddie Cantor's radio program.

The show moved to New York where it first was seen in the summer of '49 in the evening then as a kids afternoon program for nine months in 1949-50. Leaving show business she embarked on a career as cardiopulmonary therapist and was head of the Respiratory Therapy Dept. at a hospital in Port Jefferson, NY.

In 1958 she did make one more TV appearance on "To Tell the Truth".