"Smithers, a fictional character on the animated TV series ""The Simpsons"". Wayland Flowers Wayland Parrott Flowers Jr. (November 26, 1939 – October 11, 1988) was an American actor, comedian and puppeteer. Flowers was best known for the comedy act he created with his puppet Madame. His performances as ""Wayland Flowers and Madame"" were a major national success on stage and on screen in the 1970s and 1980s. Born and raised in Dawson, Georgia, Flowers created Madame in the mid-1960s. Flowers' first big break was an appearance on ""The Andy Williams Show"". The character of Madame is an ""outrageous old broad"""
"Adult puppeteering Adult puppeteering is the use of puppets in contexts aimed at adult audiences. Serious theatrical pieces can use puppets, either for aesthetic reasons, or to achieve special effects that would not otherwise be possible with human actors. In parts of the world where puppet shows have traditionally been children's entertainment, many find the notion of puppets in decidedly adult situations—for example, involving drugs, sex, or violence—to be humorous, because of the bizarre contrast it creates between subject matter and characters. Adult puppeteering appears in many forms. In the US and UK it is more easily found on screen."
"Edna Howland Edna Howland (born Sadie Edna Howland; September 22, 1886 – October 14, 1964) was an American vaudeville artist. She was best known for her piano playing and soprano voice. Between 1910 and 1920, she toured with Jack Kammerer, an acrobatic comedian. Billed as Kammerer & Howland, the duo described themselves as a “Classical Comedy Singing and Talking Act,” and as performers of “Jollity and Jingles Mirthfully Mingled.” Howland retired from show business in the early 1920s. Edna Howland was born Sadie Edna Howland on September 22, 1886, to Benjamin L. Howland and Mary (Murray) Howland, in Somerset, Massachusetts."
"W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer. Fields' comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist, who remained a sympathetic character despite his snarling contempt for dogs and children. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a silent juggler. He gradually incorporated comedy into his act, and was a featured comedian in the Ziegfeld Follies for several years. He became a star in the Broadway musical comedy ""Poppy"" (1923), in which he played"
"which became known collectively as Muppets. Initially, through the children's television show ""Sesame Street"", and later in ""The Muppet Show"" and on film, these inspired many imitators and are today are recognised almost everywhere. Wayland Flowers also made a major contribution to adult puppetry with his satirical puppet, Madame. Sid and Marty Krofft are two of Americas most well known puppeteers and were mainly known for their live action children's TV series in the 60s and 70s namely HR Puffinstuff and Lidsville Puppets also have been used in the ""Star Wars"" films, notably with the character of Yoda. His voice"
"music locally as part of an ensemble organized by Mrs. Eli E. Wilcox. Sadie Edna (Howland) Lindstrom died on October 14, 1964. Edna Howland Edna Howland (born Sadie Edna Howland; September 22, 1886 – October 14, 1964) was an American vaudeville artist. She was best known for her piano playing and soprano voice. Between 1910 and 1920, she toured with Jack Kammerer, an acrobatic comedian. Billed as Kammerer & Howland, the duo described themselves as a “Classical Comedy Singing and Talking Act,” and as performers of “Jollity and Jingles Mirthfully Mingled.” Howland retired from show business in the early 1920s."
"after the song of that title. Mammy was lovable to both blacks and whites, matronly, but hearkening to European peasant woman sensibilities. Her main role was to be the devoted mother figure in scenarios about the perfect plantation family.[103] Minstrel show performers Rollin Howard (in wench costume) and George Griffin, c. 1855 The wench, yaller gal or prima donna was a mulatto who combined the light skin and facial features of a white woman with the perceived sexual promiscuity and exoticism of a black woman. Her beauty and flirtatiousness made her a common target for male characters, although she usually"
"evening wear and ""summer diamonds"" (""Some are diamonds; some are not""), Madame's look is based on movie stars such as Gloria Swanson. Many believe that Madame is based on a Washington, DC gay icon, waitress and restaurant hostess Margo MacGregor. Madame's many TV appearances included ""Laugh-In""; a long run on the game show ""Hollywood Squares"" (replacing Paul Lynde in The Center Square); a recurring comedy skit on ""Solid Gold""; a regular on ABC's short-lived summer replacement show called ""Keep on Truckin'"", TV guest spots; and as the star of her own syndicated 1982 sitcom, ""Madame's Place"". Flowers and Madame were"
"been written especially for her. Maude Adams Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production of ""Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up"". Adams's personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more than one million dollars during her peak. Adams began performing as a child while accompanying her actress mother"
"a noted stage actor. Sarah Wheatley Sarah Wheatley (1790 St. John, New Brunswick - July 1854 New York City) was a United States stage actress. Wheatley's father, whose last name was Ross, died when she was two years of age. She made her first appearance in New York City at the Park Theatre on 12 November 1805, and in 1806 married Frederick Wheatley, an actor, and retired from the stage; but on his failure in business she resumed her profession for the support of her family and achieved success. Wheatley was noted for her representations of old women. Her son,"
"Beatrice Herford Beatrice Herford (1868–1952) was an American actress, diseuse and vaudeville performer born in England. The daughter of a minister, Herford spent her youth moving between England and the United States, following her father's changing jobs. In her twenties, she participated avidly in private theatricals, writing her own monologues. In 1895, she made her public debut at the Salle Érard in London, receiving favorable reviews. Two years later, she married Sidney Hayward, of Wayland, Massachusetts. She continued to deliver monologues both in public and in private. Her monologues, generally comic in nature, lampooned popular figures and types. Representative titles"
"such as HomeGrown Theatre in Boise, Idaho continue the avant garde satirical tradition for millennials. Puppetry Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performance is also known as a . The puppeteer uses movements of her hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move the body, head, limbs, and in some cases the mouth and eyes of the puppet. The puppeteer often speaks in"
"Gwen Plumb Gwendoline Jean Plumb AM BEM (2 August 19125 June 2002), was an Australian performer of international appeal, actress and comedian active in every form of the art genre, (except circus) including revue, pantomime, vaudeville, interviewing, stage, radio, game shows, live appearances, television soap opera and mini-series and film. She was considered the Grand Dame of Australian entertainment, best known to local and international audiences as ""Ada Simmonds"" in serial The Young Doctors. She was known for her outrageous, but hilarious ""Chook Call"". Gwen started her career in 1931, with Gwen Meredith drama club, she had her first well-known"
"Maude Adams Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production of ""Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up"". Adams's personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more than one million dollars during her peak. Adams began performing as a child while accompanying her actress mother on tour. At age 16,"
"Goddard as Garland's pianist. Adrienne Barbeau played Garland in ""The Property Known as Garland"" (2006) and ""The Judy Monologues"" (2010) initially featured male actors reciting Garland's words before it was revamped as a one-woman show. Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and vaudevillian. During a career that spanned 45 years, she attained international stardom as an actress in both musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a juvenile Academy Award, a Golden Globe"
"of complications following surgery. Louis K. Meisel, coauthor of ""The Great American Pin-Up"", said she was ""the last of the great models"" drawn by illustrators. South Carolina's ""The State"" newspaper described her as ""probably the number one pin-up girl of all time"". Jewel Flowers Jewel Flowers Evans (22 July 1923 – 6 February 2006) was an American pin-up model best known for her work with Rolf Armstrong as a ""Calendar Girl"" during the 1940s and 1950s. Jewel Flowers was born in 1923, in East Lumberton, North Carolina, in the part of the town known as a cotton mill village, to"
"Nancy Welford Nancy Welford (May 31, 1904September 30, 1991) was an American actress in the early talkie era. The daughter of actress Ada Loftus and actor Dallas Welford, she was born in England and came to the United States whe she was six years old. Welford's stage debut came as a member of the ensemble for ""Mimic World"". As early as 1921, she was active in vaudeville. In 1923, a caption of a photograph in the ""New York Daily News"" described her as the prima donna of a musical comedy and noted, ""She has come up from the chorus and"
"Lotus Weinstock Marlene Weinstock, (January 29, 1943 – August 31, 1997) more commonly known by her stage name Lotus Weinstock, was an American stand-up comedian, author, musician, and actress. Weinstock was born in Philadelphia. Her parents were Robert and Lucille Weinstock. She studied at the Philadelphia Dance Academy. Early in her career, she changed her name to Maurey Haydn. Under this name, one of her songs was recorded by Richie Havens. After moving to Los Angeles, she regularly performed at The Comedy Store and the LA location of The Improv. She performed on ""The Merv Griffin Show"" and ""The Tonight"
"Zelda Kaplan Zelda Kaplan (June 20, 1916 – February 15, 2012) was a fixture in New York's art, nightclub, and fashion worlds. She was often seen at popular New York nightclubs until closing. Her trademark outfit was a matching African-print dress, handbag, and shoes, and a tall cloth hat. She made numerous philanthropic and humanitarian efforts, frequently traveling to Africa to speak out against female genital mutilation and campaign for the right of women to inherit; in 1995 she spoke to villages in South Africa about birth control. In regard to women's rights, she was quoted by the ""Village Voice"""
"to Las Vegas, and upping the glamor and glitz, he took on the sobriquet ""Mr. Showmanship"". As his act swelled with spectacle, he famously stated, ""I'm a one-man Disneyland."" The costumes became more exotic (ostrich feathers, mink, capes, and huge rings), entrances and exits more elaborate (chauffeured onstage in a Rolls-Royce or dropped in on a wire like ""Peter Pan""), choreography more complex (involving chorus girls, cars, and animals), and the novelty acts especially talented, with juvenile acts including Australian singer Jamie Redfern and Canadian banjo player Scotty Plummer. Barbra Streisand was the most notable new adult act he introduced,"
"Ray Bourbon Ray (or Rae) Bourbon (c.1892 – July 19, 1971) was the stage name of an American female impersonator and comic entertainer noted for his ""outrageous"" risqué monologues. He mainly performed in nightclubs, gaining a following in the 1930s and 1940s, and issued several LPs of material during the 1950s. He died while serving time in prison, after being convicted of being an accomplice to murder. Many details of his life are disputed, but it is thought that his birth name was either Hal Wadell (or Waddell), or Ramón Ícarez, and that he was born in Texas. He claimed"
"performers threw their voice to make it appear that it emanated from far away, rather than the modern method of using a puppet. A well known ventriloquist of the period, Joseph Askins, who performed at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London in the 1790s advertised his act as ""curious ad libitum Dialogues between himself and his invisible familiar, Little Tommy"". However, other performers were beginning to incorporate dolls or puppets into their performance, notably the Irishman James Burne who ""... carries in his pocket, an ill-shaped doll, with a broad face, which he exhibits ... as giving utterance to his"
"in its own right. Mainstream minstrelsy continued to emphasize its propriety, but traditional troupes adopted some of these elements in the guise of the female impersonator. A well-played wench character became critical to success in the postwar period.[53] Female characters ranged from the sexually provocative to the laughable. These roles were almost always played by men in drag (most famously George Christy, Francis Leon and Barney Williams), even though American theater outside minstrelsy was filled with actresses at this time. Mammy or the old auntie was the old darky's counterpart. She often went by the name of Aunt Dinah Roh"
"actually women with facial wigs or bearded men dressed as women, both practices being lampooned by comedian and former circus performer W.C. Fields in the 1939 film, ""You Can't Cheat an Honest Man."" Bearded lady A bearded lady or bearded woman is a woman who has the ability to grow a visible beard. These women have long been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, or ridicule. A relatively small number of women are able to grow enough facial hair to have a distinct beard. In some cases, female beard growth is the result of a hormonal imbalance (usually androgen excess), or"
"Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary works published in such magazines as ""The New Yorker"" and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table. Following the breakup of the circle, Parker traveled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting. Her successes there, including two Academy Award nominations, were curtailed when her involvement in left-wing"
"Fay Templeton Fay Templeton (December 25, 1865 – October 3, 1939) was an American actress, singer, songwriter and comedian. Her parents were actors/vaudevillians and she followed in their footsteps, making her Broadway debut in 1900. Templeton excelled on the legitimate and vaudeville stages for more than half a century. She was a favorite headliner and heroine of popular theater, appearing until 1934. For a time she dated Sam Shubert, of the Shubert family of theatre owners, up until his death in a railroad accident. Some of her notable performances were in ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" and ""Roberta"". In an age of buxom"
"Wences was a Spanish ventriloquist who became popular through his appearances on the American program ""The Ed Sullivan Show"". His characters included Johnny (a face drawn on his hand) and Pedro (a gruff head in a box) who would talk when Wences opened the box. Similarly, chinface puppetry involves puppet features drawn or attached onto an upside-down chin. A pull string puppet is a puppet consisting of a cloth body where in the puppeteer puts his/her arm into a slot in the back and pulls rings on strings to make certain movements such as waving the arms or moving the"
"Puppetry Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performance is also known as a . The puppeteer uses movements of her hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move the body, head, limbs, and in some cases the mouth and eyes of the puppet. The puppeteer often speaks in the voice of the character of the puppet, and then synchronizes the movements of the"
"night she wandered outside of town and was found dead on September 8, 1879, of an overdose of morphine, apparently a suicide. Eleanor Dumont Madame Moustache was the pseudonym of Eleanor Dumont (also called Eleonore Alphonsine Dumant), a notorious gambler on the American Western Frontier, especially during the California Gold Rush. Her nickname was due to the appearance of a line of dark hair on her upper lip. She was thought to have been born in France and moved to America as a young woman. She was an accomplished card dealer and made a living from twenty-one and other casino"
"flappers. Although they earned money from work, they still wanted to earn some more for them to live. Women were willingly invited to dance, for drinks, for entrances up to jewelry and clothing. For the ""return service"", women granted any kind of erotic or sexual interaction from flirting to sexual intercourse. However, this practice was easily mistaken for prostitution. So, some people would call them ""charity girls"" to differentiate them from prostitutes as the girls claimed that they did not accept money in their sexual encounters with men. In addition to their irreverent behavior, flappers were known for their style,"
"operating a professional puppet theater. Since the early 1950s the Lovelace Marionettes had strictly been a traveling troupe, performing in malls, department stores, schools and arts festivals in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The company was based out of Ms. Lovelace's basement and later the East Liberty warehouse in the neighborhood of East Liberty. The new Lovelace Theatre catered primarily to birthday parties for children ages 4 to 12. Ms. Lovelace, some of her adult children and a curious band of volunteers that she had trained, staged marionette plays from a repertoire of folk and fairy tales, fables and"
"Ada Blanche Ada Blanche (16 July 1862 – 1 January 1953), born Ada Cecilia Blanche Adams, was an English actress and singer known early in her career for vivacious performances in Victorian burlesque and pantomime and later in character roles in Edwardian musical comedy. Born into a theatrical family, Blanche made her stage debut at the age of fourteen and had a forty-five year career, almost exclusively on the British stage, in the West End and on tour. In the 1890s she was a leading principal boy in London's most lavishly staged pantomimes. In the 20th century her career changed"
"extended illness on July 17, 1972. Eva Puck Eva Puck (November 25, 1892 – October 25, 1979) was an American entertainer, a vaudeville headliner who later found success performing in Broadway musical comedies and film. She was born in New York City, the middle of three children raised by Abraham and Lena (née Salmon) Puck. There is some question about the family surname being Puck or Salmon, both were used in early press articles. Little is known of her mother who came to America from Poland in 1874 or her English father who immigrated in 1882. They married in 1887"