Recently, an original long lost manuscript resurfaced having been discovered in an ancient bookshop in the back waters of the southern states.
Posts Tagged ‘Ventriloquism’
Jeff Dunham’s Latest Tour Dates
Jeff Dunham is taking his gang on tour over summer. It will be a good opportunity to see Achmed, Walter, Peanut, Jose etc live. You may have caught his act on David Letterman or Comedy Central, or maybe on Youtube where he has one of the most watched videos of all time – Achmed The Terrorist.
His style of comedy and ventriloquism is not for everyone but I think he is very talented and worth checking out with some close to the bone humor that his puppets help him push it to the edge.
The ratings on Ticketmaster are 4.7/5.0 with 98% saying they would recommend to a friend after 8,166 reviews of Jeff Dunham
He has announced 30 dates which cover cities in the USA and 7 dates in South Africa.
Here are Jeff’s tour dates from his site – http://www.jeffdunham.com
14/07/2010 – James Brown Arena – Augusta, GA
15/07/2010 – Southaven, MS – Desoto Civic Center
18/07/2010 – Verizon Arena – North Little Rock, AR
21/07/2010 – Pacific Amphitheatre – Costa Mesa, CA
22/07/2010 – Paso Robles, CA – Grandstand @ California Mid State Fair
28/07/2010 – Santa Ana Star Center – Rio Rancho, NM
29/07/2010 – Amarillo Civic Center – Amarillo, TX
30/07/2010 – Ector County Coliseum – Odessa, TX
31/07/2010 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
01/08/2010 – Ohio Expo Center – Columbus, OH
06/08/2010 – South Shore Music Circus – Cohasset, MA
07/08/2010 – Clearfield County Fairgrounds – Clearfield, PA
14/08/2010 – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort – Mount Pleasant, MI
15/08/2010 – Iowa State Fairgrounds Grandstand – - Des Moines, IA
18/08/2010 – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Indianapolis, IN
19/08/2010 – The Family Arena – Saint Charles, MO
20/08/2010 – Kentucky Exposition Center – Louisville, KY
21/08/2010 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
27/08/2010 – Mohegan Sun Grandstand – Syracuse, NY
03/09/2010 – Colosseum At Caesars Palace – Las Vegas, NV
05/09/2010 – Allentown Fairgrounds – Allentown, PA
06/09/2010 – Mahoning County Fairgrounds – Canfield, OH
18/09/2010 – Sun City Superbowl – Sun City, South Africa
20/09/2010 – Carnival City Casino – Johannesburg, South Africa
21/09/2010 – Carnival City Casino – Johannesburg, South Africa
22/09/2010 – Carnival City Casino – Johannesburg, South Africa
23/09/2010 – Carnival City Casino – Johannesburg, South Africa
24/09/2010 – Grand West’s Grand Arena – Cape Town, South Africa
25/09/2010 – Grand West’s Grand Arena – Cape Town, South Africa
30/09/2010 – Bloomsburg, PA – Grandstand
If you go let me know what you think of this talented ventriloquist.
How Shanthakumar Became A Ventriloquist
Ventriloquist Shanthakumar is a veteran performer of 2,500 shows and his shows have appeared on TV. You may not have heard of him because he is based in India.
There is an interesting article that has recently been published about him. In it he discusses how he became a ventriloquist and some of his insights into learning the art of ventriloquism.
The article starts as follow:
Shanthakumar has three interesting companions, whenever he takes the stage — puppets named Johnny, Jack, and Rani, who always worries about her looks. These puppets are the Chennai-based ventriloquist’s creations and have become a means to convey his quick retorts, well-timed repartees and reflections on life.
How did Shanthakumar get interested in the art? He replies, “My interest was in presenting jokes with punch lines at various humour clubs that I have been visiting since the 1980s. I equipped myself accordingly and showcased my brand of humour at these clubs. This, perhaps, is what led me to ventriloquism.”
He continues, “The great Prof. M.M. Roy, one of the oldest professional ventriloquists in India, was my teacher. I asked him if he could teach me and sure enough, classes began on a fortnightly basis. Roy had performed in the film ‘Muradan Muthu’ on the insistence of ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan, and M.R. Radha was all praise for Roy after watching a show of his. Roy had assisted many in Hindi and Telugu movies.”
The rest of the article can be found in The Hindu by clicking here:
http://thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article505963.ece
Let me know your thoughts on the article and ventriloquism in general.
Ventriloquist – How To Throw Your Voice – Possibilities – Part 5 – Practice
At this point act as if strongly exasperated and apparently push and struggle against an opposing force with all your might. Finally by seemingly a greater effort you cause the door to fly back suddenly and at the same time give utterance to a loud ” ha, ha, ha,” in the ventriloquial voice, as if some one were laughing at you in the room or hallway beyond.
Always bear in mind that the eye helps to deceive the ear, and make the action of pushing the door, etc., as natural as possible. The more realistic the ventriloquist makes his part the more effect his performance will have upon the public. As far as voice alone goes, there are ventriloquists who can manipulate ventriloquism perfectly, but who, on account of lack of necessary actions, do not succeed in impressing their hearers very strongly. As a rule, between a good actor who is a poor ventriloquist and a good ventriloquist who is a poor actor, the former will be more successful. This topic will be more fully gone into in the paragraphs about ventriloquial acting and entertaining further on.
The foregoing dialogue is merely suggested and intended for preliminary rehearsals rather than for use in public, although of course if the performer is unable to write a better one there can be no objection to such use. The chances are however, that he can obtain suitable material of a more witty and amusing character from other sources and make it ventriloquially effective. One month’s daily practice should be sufficient to enable him, by proper emphasis on a tone or syllable, to illustrate and bring out the salient points of any dialogues he may use, and to surprise and astonish those among his friends not familiar with the capabilities of the art, with the strange voices within him. There should be no straining after effect, but the student will find that what he has practiced much he can do well, and by perseverance alone can perfection be obtained.
Ventriloquism – Throwing Your Voice – The Drone – Part 2 – Jerry
Then again some wiseacre who thinks “he knows all about it” and discourses learnedly of the “double throat,” will walk confidently up to the performer and ask him to throw his voice to the back part of the room over the heads of the audience or to some other utterly impossible place. I have never yet heard of a ventriloquist being requested to throw his voice into the next county, but undoubtedly there are persons who think that he might do so if he wished, though just how it could be made to return to him from so long a distance they might be rather hard put to it to say. Apropos of this:
” Did you know,” asks Jerry, the Irish boy, in one of my dialogues, ” that I was down to a party the other night? “
Vent. ” No, were you? “
Jerry. ” Yes, and there was a ventrisquealer there.”
Vent. ” No, no, Jerry, you mean a ventriloquist, a man who throws his voice.”
Jerry. ” Yes, that’s it, but this feller threw his voice so far it didn’t get back again.”
Vent. “Is it possible?”
Jerry. ” I dunno, but he did it all th’ same.”
This is probably the attitude which would be taken by the knowing ones who, while they might not believe that the voice could be heard from such a distance, might still maintain that it could be sent there and allowed to go off according to schedule, even if no one heard
Ventriloquist Puppets – Part 11 – The Old Lady
One popular figure worker has his Old Lady arranged behind a table at the back of the stage, while the Old Man sits in a chair near by, and the Irish and Colored figures are given a settee just back of the footlights. Another has his Old Man standing and his Old Woman sitting, while still another arranges his figures, which are all of full length, in a row on a covered divan or sofa behind which he stands.
With all his modern improvements the Old Man is fearfully and wonderfully made, like unto no living creature of the heavens above, the earth beneath or the waters under the earth. His nose pulls out and is illuminated by electricity from the interior, as is his scarf-pin, and the pulling process is accompanied by a terrible squinting of the eyes. On occasion his hair raises in fright or amazement, not like ” quills upon a fretful porcupine,” but like a hirsute trap-door. His eyes wink at so much per wink per eye. His head turns completely around and when remonstrated with at such an unnatural proceeding, it makes the circuit again in the opposite direction while he casually remarks that ” one good turn deserves another.” His arm lifts and plucking his hat from his head with jointed fingers he waves it jauntily about. Not only does he smoke a pipe, but places it in his mouth himself, and lighting a match on the side of his own face holds it to the tobacco and puffs away contentedly, occasionally adding realism to the action, if not refinement, by expectorating a fine stream of water over the stage. When anything occurs in the audience to attract his attention his neck stretches to a frightful length, while he blithely gives utterance to the warning, ” Danger,” with a rising inflection on the ” ger ” which proves intensely amusing. He also crosses his legs and uses his handkerchief; and, in fact, with all his accomplishments he must be as difficult to work as a locomotive.
Ventriloquist Puppets – Part 8 – Making The Arms Look More Muscular
There are two ways to make the arms look muscular. One is by means of rings sewn inside the sleeves, as is done with marionette figures. The other is to have underneath the outer clothing an inner suit of silesia, with arm and leg shapes stuffed with excelsior. For the smaller figures the hands are made of wood with enough of a wrist to permit the end of the stuffed arm shape being drawn around it and tightly secured. The stockings are brought up over the leg shapes and fastened with thread, and the shoes (which are ordinary baby shoes) are drawn over the bottoms of these and also sewn. Large figures, however, sometimes have hands made simply of gloves painted in flesh color and stuffed with cotton or excelsior, the short wrists of these being fastened either over the arm-shape or to the inside of the outer coat sleeves. The clothing is drawn over the shape and fastened by means of tacks or small nails to the box or if the inner shape includes a stuffed bust which also covers the front and sides of the box, the clothing may be sewn directly to that. This is much the better way, as tacks are likely to wear loose and also tear the covering. The Old Woman needs neither lower limbs nor feet, if she is to sit, a wire hoop being fastened to the bottom of the dress to give the necessary fullness. When covered with a bright cover, the box the figures travel in is often used as a seat for them.
For more details on making a ventriloquist dummy visit http://www.ventriloquistsecretsrevealed.com
Ventriloquist Puppets – Part 3 – More Figures
The little girl referred to in a previous chapter usually adds much to the effectiveness of a performance, and is made to do duty in a variety of ways. An English ventriloquist, Robert Ganthony, to whom I am indebted for many valuable hints concerning the subject, has a little girl figure which stands at the piano and sings to his accompaniment, the mouth being moved by the ventriloquist’s foot. It also plays the violin, the sound being a vocal imitation, while the bow arm is worked by means of a second pedal. Whether the girl stands, sits on the knee or on a stool, sings, plays or recites, depends of course upon the inclination and talent of the performer. Ventriloquial Coloredes have a variety of accomplishments, ranging from dancing to smoking. Some even play the banjo, which is made to hook on the shoulders and is readily detachable. In this case the arm is worked by means of a wire running from the hand on the inside of the sleeve and through the clothing at the back, where it is held by the exhibitor
(Fig. 3)
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. But the principal use .of the Colored figure is to utter an idiotic laugh whenever an interruption is wanted, an awkward pause takes place, or the proceedings generally want some little enlivenment. If laughter is to be his sole office, the top half of the head should hinge on the lower, and be so balanced that a tug at the string behind causes him to throw his head back in a fit of unrestrained merriment, which of course the ventriloquist supplies.
Ventriloquist (figures) Dummies – Construction – Part 4 – Lower Jaw
To this movable floor is then glued a strip of sheepskin or flexible leather, completely covering the cavity from the lower lip to the chin below. Before putting in the lower jaw ” for keeps ” as the boys say, a small screw ring should be inserted in its underside, to which is fastened a piece of gut string or flexible picture-wire, long enough to reach down through the neck and well into the interior of the body which has yet to be made ; and another screw-ring is inserted on the upper side near the back edge, to which is hooked a spiral spring strong enough to pull the mouth shut smartly after being opened by a tug on the picture wire below. This arrangement is shown at ” D,” Figure 2.
With the exception of the eyes, which may be obtained from a taxidermist at a cost of fifteen or twenty cents, and the hair, the head is then complete except for painting, which of course should be in flesh color with the cheeks well tinted in red. The teeth are merely suggested by alternate red and white stripes on the ridges back of the lips, and the eyebrows are painted in dark red or mahogany color.
The body, the length of which is determined by the size of the head, is simply a box, like that shown at ” E,” the hole in the top being for the neck. When the head is completed, the neck should be cut off at the right length and the opening in its lower end blocked with a round stick, hollow for half its length from the top. Through this extends the picture wire, terminating in a ring, which controls, when pulled down by the thumb, the movement of the lower jaw, as shown at ” D.”
After the head is placed in the body, a wire is driven through the neck stick close up to the top of the box to prevent the head from pulling out when in use. This may be fitted loosely enough to allow of being drawn out, making the head readily removable for packing.
For more on ventriloquist dummies construction visit http://www.ventriloquistsecretsrevealed.com
Ventriloquism – Caricature Voice – Part 5 – Foreign Voices
If you should have occasion to imitate a Frenchman don’t fail to remember that the Parisian lacks in aspirates what he makes up in r’s; gives a sex to everything, and introduces a little Punch quality into the terminations ending in ” n.”
The German puts a ” b ” where he should use a”p” and vice versa, and a”v” for a ” w.”
Among the characters which you may care to imitate, either for figure working or for Natural ventriloquism are fleshy people, who never have deep or big voices. Use a little voice with moderate pitch for a fat man, and a falsetto voice for a fat old lady.
The voice of a jocular young man is hard, loud and thin, and is produced explosively against the front of the palate, immediately above the upper row of teeth.
The loafer or tramp whose voice has been destroyed by chronic hoarseness and drink speaks in a sort of harsh whisper. The only hint that can be given for its production is the statement that it is the Grunt voice without the grunt. On account of its character it is hardly suitable for figures, but with a little appropriate dialogue it may be used at a partly opened door to suggest to the people in a room that there is such a person outside who is trying to beg a ” handout” or cast off clothing. Of course the door must be partly opened, not shut, as otherwise the sound would not, in the nature of things, be heard, for it is quite impossible to ventriloquize a whisper.
This voice is usually the product of large cities and does not belong to a countryman. A fair imitation of this voice is often given by so-called” tramp comedians ” of the variety stage.
Paul Zerdin – A Volunteer Ventriloquist
Here is another great clip of Paul Zerdin, with a vounteer from the audience to act as his dummy. This is a funny act and the volunteer really helps to make it even funnier. I hope you enjoy it too.