Does anyone here remember Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney?

[Radio_Lady]

Paul Winchell was a ventriloquist and Jerry was his dummy. They were big TV stars and I've just found his web page. Glad to know he's still alive and kicking.

http://www.paulwinchell.com/

You have to read this! Paul was born Dec. 21, 1922 and he'd done a bunch of other things in his life. What a diverse person!

http://www.paulwinchell.com/biography.htm

I watched his show quite a bit in my youth. I guess the reason I'm thinking about him is that I cleaned out my storage area and I have a ventriloquist doll that was given to one of my stepdaughters. I'd like to find a good home for it. I think this doll is Willie Talk from the 1960's.

[CBGLuthier]

1. I imagine most know him as

Tigger!! :-)

Saw him on a Dick Van Dyke show rerun where Rob was thinking about going to work for him and JellyBean. He was very funny.

[Radio_Lady]

10. Never realized that he was the voice of Tigger -- until today!

Also, he apparently invented the artificial heart -- and ALMOST invented disposable razors, but was dissuaded from that -- "Who would buy something to throw away?"

Great web site. I'm going to try and get the book.

[Snap]

2. Yup

I was pretty interested in the whole ventriloquist/puppet thing, the interior strings and hinged mouth, drinking water while the dummy sang his little heart out. There was lots of that stuff, Howdy Doody, Kukla Fran and Ollie, Pinnochio, and lots of vaudeville type entertainment, people playing saws with violin bows, spinning plates on sticks. Who needs cable?
I think Jerry M. had a puppet sidekick?

[hickman1937]

3. I remembered him as soon as I saw his picture.

I was never a big fan of ventriloquists, but I kind of liked him.

[CBHagman]

4. Hooray! Hoorah! It's Winchell-Mahoney Time...

(Cue Twilight Zone theme.) I was just talking to a co-worker about Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead yesterday. Glad to hear I'm not the only one!

Paul Winchell did so many voice-overs and was heard in many, many cartoons and commercials, as I recall, in addition to appearing as ventriloquist. I was really miffed when they replaced him as the voice of Tigger.

[madrchsod]

5. yup -just one of the twisted images i remember

from my youth-this is my excuse for being crazy....

[Hardrada]

6. Sure do.

There were a number of such acts on TV at one time. The genre that featured them, the variety show, has become extinct however. Perhaps it should be revived on cable in the form of talent contests. I used to be fascinated by some of the bits they did. There was someone who had a puppet named Lamb Chop. Remember her?

[Karenina]

9. Shari Lewis

My FAVORITE was Topo Gigio.

[Hardrada]

7. I remember Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen

were on radio!! This begs the question of how much ventriloquizing was going on. I suppose there was but the concept seems odd.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Sure I do. Didn't Knucklehead Smiff steal an election in 2000 and 2004?

[Radio_Lady]

12. Yeah, that was George Knucklehead Smiff-Bush --

Somebody's still doing all the thinkin' and talkin' for him!

[bif]

11. I had a Jerry Mahoney doll

As a kid

[Kool Kitty]

13. Oh, sure, I remember them.

And don't forget Farfel, the dog (puppet) in the act.

[kodi]

14. Farfel used to do the nestle's chocolate commercial too

.

[Kool Kitty]

16. That's right!

N-E-S-T-L-E-S Nestles makes the very best-chocolate!

[Hudgie DeRobertis]

17. Farfel wasn't with Jerry Mahoney.

My brother had a Danny O'Day dummy and Farfel appeared with him.
Jimmy Nelson was the ventriloquist.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. Oh, yes, the Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show

And do you know who was on that show for a while as a "member of the clubhouse"?

Carol Burnett.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

18. He is a passionate secular humanist

A friend and I came across one of his books in a weird little occult shop back around 1980. It was thick and densely written, and I only got to skim it (my friend being a cartoonist and packrat* who squirreled away the book in his huge humor collection), but it was clear Mr. Winchell is deadset against the Biblical depiction of a Creator. Click "Theology" on that link to find a PDF of his writings on the subject. The combination of ventriloquist/voiceover actor/artificial heart inventor/theologian is a rare one. He is a fascinating guy, and I loved his show when I was a kid.

*Are there any cartoonists out there who would agree that "cartoonist and packrat" is redundant? ;)