Vent Haven ConVENTion 2010 - Ventriloquist Pete Michaels

[JOHN073100]

she sounds like mort from family guy

[TVWriterGuy]

Hmm..never been asked to define it, so this may be tricky. Not certain, but I believe the term originated in Yiddish vaudeville jargon. It refers to a physical comedy gag.

[TVWriterGuy]

I'm trying to think of examples...like a pie in the face, quickly-timed jokes and punchlines, gestures with comical sound effects, or a comical character getting a kick in the rear like clowns do to each other.

[TVWriterGuy]

I like this clip. She reminds me of Carol Channing.

[TVWriterGuy]

Tessie has aged very well. What's it been now...50 years...since the Winchell Mahoney Time was taping?

[VentBoy311]

you lucky doll

[MrPuppetfreak]

That looks like Jerry Mahoney with a wig and makeup!

[TVWriterGuy]

@MrPuppetfreak You are correct. That's exactly what Tessie was. She was a great character. If I remember correctly, I believe she was introduced as Jerry's cousin on Winchell Mahoney Time.

[MrPuppetfreak]

@TVWriterGuy Woah.Did Paul make another dummy, or just dress him up?

[TVWriterGuy]

@MrPuppetfreak I believe there were two dummies, same face. As I recall, Tessie and Jerry sometimes appeared in the same scene in the TV show. If my memory serves me correctly, I think Tessie didn't appear very often...or at least it seemed to me she wasn't in the show very often. I was kind of freaked out by her but was intrigued at the same time. I was absolutely nuts for that show. I caught it in 1960s reruns....before the tapes were destroyed.

[MrPuppetfreak]

@TVWriterGuy Oh ok.I cant believe they destroyed those tapes!I would of liked to see them.

[TVWriterGuy]

@MrPuppetfreak Yes, unbelievable that TV execs could be so childish. If you do a little searching, you can find footage of Tessie. She appeared with Paul Winchell on The Lucy Show. That particular episode went into public domain and can be found in 99c bins at drugstores. I'm pretty certain there are clips of that episode here on youtube.

[MrPuppetfreak]

@TVWriterGuy Is that the one were Lucy forgets to bring the dummys to an event? I think I saw that one.

[TVWriterGuy]

@MrPuppetfreak Yes, that's it. Lucy ends up dressing like Tessie and doing the schtick with Paul W.

[MrPuppetfreak]

@TVWriterGuy Yeah! Wiat whats a schtick? The act?