Limited 1948 Edition Re-Production of the Famous Fred Maher Ventriloquist Course

Recognize the photo? It's Fred Maher and Skinney Dugan. Mr. Maher created the now famous Maher ventriloquism home study course.

Fred and his wife, Madeleine, began Maher Studios in Detroit, Michigan in 1934.

As a kid, I remember seeing the little classified ad in the back of 'Popular Mechanics' magazine for their course. It ran in the magazine for decades.

Fred passed away unexpectedly in 1952, and Madeleine continued the business until she sold Maher Studios to Clinton Detweiler in 1969.

The original course has been out of print for over 30 years (Clinton released his own revised version of the course in 1975).

But recently, Clinton re-released a very limited number of copies of this original course.

My copy of the 1948 Maher course arrived yesterday. What a great package. Clinton did a superb job putting this together.

As I began flipping through the pages, all of my old memories of the course began to come back. I recognized a lot of the artwork, and even remember some of the verbiage used in the text.

I never took the whole course when I first signed up in the mid 1960's. I was on the payment plan, I think, and I guess I couldn't save up the $5 a month needed to get the next set of lessons. I believe I only made it about half way through the original course.

This course had so much information in it. It certainly was the best on the market - even then.

All of the bonuses (the photos, flyers, letters, forms, etc) are a great addition. It's like the whole history of the Fred Maher course (and how it was marketed) in a 3 ring binder.

I was also pleased that the photo copies of the original pages came out so well. It's going to be a real pleasure reading the entire course again.

The $75 price tag was a very small investment for this historical and still extremely useful information.

Everyone interested in ventriloquism should have a copy of this in their library. But, I know that won't happen. as Clinton is only producing a limited number of these for sale.

I feel lucky to be one of the few to get a copy.

Vent Haven Convention Registration Now Available!

You can now get the registration form for the longest running and best ventriloquist convention in the world - The Vent Haven 2007 Convention - on line!

The dates this year are July 18-21, 2007 at the Drawbridge Inn and Convention Center in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. (which is just a few minutes away from Cincinnati, Ohio).

The convention has been an annual event for over 30 years.

I attended my first one in 1981. It's a great place to go to learn more about this great art form - through the many lectures and workshops given by top professionals in the business.

There are 2 dealers rooms (I'll have a table again this year) full of every imaginable ventriloquism item you could ever want...from dummies, to books and videos, collectibles and everything in between.

There are also free tours to the largest ventriloquist dummy and memorabilia museum in the world - The Vent Haven Museum.

Plus, you'll make a ton of new friends and meet the "stars" from the world of ventriloquism in person.

If you've never been to a Vent Haven convention, you just have to attend! You can find the registration form here:

www.venthavenmuseum.net/convention/register07.html

Or you can get more information at the Vent Haven website:

http://www.venthaven.com/

Hope to see you there this summer.

Ventriloquist Week 2 on David Letterman

With the huge success of the first "Ventriloquist Week" last fall (which probably started out as a joke until the ratings came in), David Letterman is having a second ventriloquist week the week of February 12-16.

Here's the lineup:

Monday - Kevin Johnson
Tuesday - Dan Horn
Wednesday - Otto and George
Thursday - Jim Barber
Friday - Brad Cummings

Should be another great week of ventriloquism on network television! Be sure to tune in.

A New Hartz Figure

Today I received a new figure. It's a Conrad Hartz dummy that I purchased from ventriloquist Todd Oliver. (You may have seen Todd and his talking dog Irving on "Ventriloquist Week" on the David Letterman show last September).

I visited Todd in Branson, Missouri last October and he was kind enough to invite me to his home to view his puppet and vent photo collection. He showed me a really nice Hartz figure that he purchased from Conrad about five years ago as a back-up for his main figure, Joey.

The new figure looked a little different than Joey, and Todd told me he couldn't get Joey's voice to "match" this newer dummy. It just didn't feel right to him.

So, the puppet was never used in a show and was placed in storage.

I have always wanted a Hartz figure that had this exact look. I told Todd if he ever wanted to sell it to let me know.

He emailed me in January and said he would be willing to sell the puppet and I jumped at the chance to own a Hartz with no wait.


The puppet is fantastic. Conrad hand carves all of his figures from basswood and in the style of Frank Marshall. No two of his figures are the same.

The controls are silky smooth and quiet. The dummy has one of the best paint jobs I've ever seen. Conrad's work is second to none.

He has minimal movements - a moving mouth and side to side eyes - but that's all this figure needs. He has a ton of personality.

Todd also included a custom made red suit, red leather "alligator" shoes, white silk shirt and silk tie that he purchased in L.A. This clothing really adds to the personality of the puppet.


This guy is going to find a place in my show very soon.

Comedy Central Stand Up Showdown

Well, the results are in for the 2007 Comedy Central Stand Up Showdown contest. Out of dozens of comedians that were in the running, Jeff Dunham finished a very respectable 5th.

Congratulations Jeff!

I also want to personally thank everyone who voted during the month. I sent daily email reminders to several Internet mailing lists, and if you received those reminders and voted, you can pat yourself on the back for helping Jeff finish in 5th place.

This is a big deal for all ventriloquists.

Jeff will be taping a new prime time special for Comedy Central in a few months.

Jeff being on Comedy Central, the Tonight Show, Letterman, etc. only helps all of us by putting vent in the mainstream.

The secret to Jeff's success?

First and foremost, he is very, very funny. He is a comedian, that happens to use ventriloquism as his method to express his humor. He also has worked his tail off for 25+ years to get where he is today. And, he is original. These things combined have all contributed to the success Jeff now enjoys.

My web sales have increased the past year or so - partly due to the exposure ventriloquists have been getting on television.

I've received several calls and emails from various media requesting interviews about my ventriloquism101.com website and ventriloquism in general.

It's a good time to be a ventriloquist. Capitalize on it while the interest is high.

Another Vent in the Family?

A week or so ago I posted a blog entry about my daughter, who gave her first vent performance at her school.

I also have a 6 year old son, Austin, who is an aspiring ventriloquist as well.

I wanted to give him a really special gift this year, so I sent my good friend Clinton Detweiler an old stuffed toy Danny O'Day doll and asked him to work his magic to create a "pro" style puppet for Austin.

As you know, Clinton is the best in the business at modifying the Goldberger dolls, and he certainly did not disappoint with Danny!

He added beautiful blue moving eyes, raising eyebrows, hollow body, headstick and wig to Danny.

I also asked Clinton to repaint Danny to give him a more professional look. The paint job is amazing! Great blending of the colors on Danny's face. He even added eyelashes. The hand painted face really makes the puppet look more like the real Danny O'Day.



As a nice extra, Clinton also repainted the hands on the dummy.

I picked up the clothing (the tie, shirt and vest) as a set at the local Kid's R' Us store.

Needless to say (and as is evident by the picture you see) Austin is thrilled with his new friend.

We'll see where he goes with his interest in ventriloquism, now that he has this great puppet to work with. He's already been looking in some of my old joke books for material.

I'll keep you posted!

Thanks Clinton.

Making Dad Proud

Heather and Jerry - December 2006

My 11 year old daughter, Heather, gave her debut ventriloquism performance today at her school. She had a book report project to do based on a popular kids book, "The Indian in the Cupboard."

I decided to let her use the very first vent figure I ever received - a Jerry Mahoney / Little Ricky I got for Christmas in 1966 - as part of her report presentation.


Lee and Jerry - December 1966

Heather dressed Jerry (temporarily called Little Bear - the character from the book) in an Indian costume she made herself. We also built a wooden box with a door that acted as the cupboard, case and stand.

Heather and I (OK, mostly me), wrote a short script with several cute jokes.

Her teacher was impressed and her classmates really seemed to enjoy her routine. I know it was not easy for Heather to get up and perform vent for the first time - especially in front of her classmates (and mom, who was videotaping the act).

It was exciting for me to see her do a performance with my first vent puppet. (snif')

Great job Heather!

Merry Christmas!

From the whole Cornell family. (Nick Woodson, too).

Dedicated To My Dad

It's been a while since I've written, as my father (who had been ill for a couple of years), passed away on Saturday, November 25th. He was 75.

I am dedicating this blog entry to him - Richard "Dick" Cornell.

My dad grew up in the 1930's and came from humble means. But even though his family did not have a lot financially, he always had a motto to "do your best." And, that's what he did. He (along with my mom) raised 4 kids. There were times when he worked 3 jobs just to make sure we all had food on the table and a roof over our heads.

He was tall (6' 4") and very athletic. He looked intimidating if you did not know him.

But, he was in reality a quiet man, never showing or expressing much emotion to any of us in the family. But as I look back now, I know that he showed us his love by what he did for us, not by what he said.

He always "did his best" and just by watching him do that over the years, I'm sure it influenced me and helped me achieve whatever level of success I now enjoy.

Does this have anything to do with ventriloquism? Absolutely.

People ask me all of the time how long it takes to become a ventriloquist. They want me to tell them they can learn after a couple of practice sessions.

It all depends on whether you're willing to "do your best" or not. I see people who take my course (or other instruction) and "do their best," and become very good in a relatively short period of time. And they continually work to get better and better as the years go by.

But, more often I see people who fool around with learning and end up being very mediocre or very poor ventriloquists.

They blame their lack of getting better or booking jobs on other factors - "It was a bad audience," "My material was over their heads," "So and so moves their lips, so it's OK if I do." I've heard all of the excuses.

Am I the best ventriloquist in the world? Hardly. But I always try to do what my dad always told me - "Do your best." I take responsibility for how good or bad my technique, show, etc. is and I always try to do better. That would have been how my dad wanted it.

Do your best. Try it.

I'll miss you dad.

Ventriloquism Is a Dying Art, Right?

I have people ask me this question all of the time - usually from people who are over 40 and remember when there were ventriloquists on network and cable television. And you know, you don't see ventrilquists on TV as much, so vent must be on it's last leg, right?

I say a resounding "No." In my opinion, ventriloquism is indeed live and well. Sure, you may not see a ventriloquist on TV as often, but that's because there are no "variety" type shows (which ventriloquists were a major part of) on television anymore.

People are more interested in who Brad Pitt is in love with, or who Britney Spears just broke up with. You know - "entertainment" and "reality" shows. Here's some reality for you - those shows provide no lasting entertainment value whatsoever. Who is going to remember or give a flying crap about who the winner of American Idol was 5 years from now. Nobody. But I digress.

Let's examine where ventriloquists are working today. Comedian and vent Jeff Dunham finished in the top 5 of Comedy Central's Standup Showdown this year, and he had his own prime time Comedy Central special that had unbelievable ratings. They were so good, he was asked by Comedy Central to do a second special next summer.

His "Arguing with Myself" show DVD was in the top 5 on amazon.com for several weeks and sales went double platinum! Amazing.

David Letterman had "Ventriloquist Week" in September. What may have started out as a joke, ended up being a huge success.

Jay Johnson (of the TV show "Soap") had his one man vent show appear on Broadway.

There are several vents performing as the headline acts in the mega successful tourist city of Branson, Missouri - Todd Oliver and Jim Barber, to name a couple.

There are over 600 ventriloquists on the yahoogroups ventriloquist list.

Nearly 500 people attend the annual Vent Haven Convention in Ft. Mitchell, KY.

My ventriloquism101.com website averages 12,000 to 16,000 hits per month.

At any given time there are between 250 and 300 vent items for sale on eBay - year after year.

Ventriloquists may not be seen on mainstream television as much anymore, but the art itself is still going strong. You are in good company.

Visit to Branson, Missouri

A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of seeing performances and visiting with two great pro vents in Branson, Missouri - Todd Oliver and Jim Barber.

You may have seen Todd during "Ventriloquist Week" on The David Letterman show in September. Todd has several live dogs in his act that talk.

My family and I saw Todd's show on the Branson Belle Showboat (where Todd is the headline act) and then visited with him after the show. I also was invited out to Todd's house and got to see his amazing collection of 8 x 10 photos of ventriloquists of yesterday and today. The walls of his home are literally lined with hundreds of photos, posters, etc.

It was a great visit. If you go to Branson, you must see Todd's show. www.toddoliver.com

I also got to see Jim Barber's hilarious ventriloquism, illusion and variety show he performs with magician Dave Hamner.

They own the Hamner Barber Theater. Once again, I was able to visit with both Jim and Dave after the show. Really great people.

Jim's comedy and ventriloquism is fantastic and Dave's illusion show is magnificant. This show was one of the highlights of my visit to Branson.

Be sure to go see the Hamner Barber Variety Show if you go to Branson.

www.hamnerbarber.com

Lee at the Hog Wild Celebration

Lee with "Snickers" at Hog Wild 2006!















Each year in a small town just west of Indianapolis, Indiana, the community hosts an event called "Hog Wild on Main Street."

There are all sorts of games for the family, food - (featuring amazing pulled pork sandwiches), bands, an open class car show, and various variety entertainment "under the big top" tent that is set up.

The event is free, and all of the proceeds from the sale of food, t-shirts, etc. is donated to several local and state charaties.

This was my second year in a row performing, and my first show using my new Axtell Expressions basset hound, Snickers. I'm hoping this turns into an annual performance event for me.

This year, "Hog Wild" drew over over 1200 people.

Welcome to Lee Cornell's Ventriloquism 101.com "VenTips" Blog!

Hello and welcome to the new "VenTips" blog. The original VenTips email newsletter has been a successful weekly newsletter sent to visitors of the www.ventriloquism101.com website.

This new blog will give people interested in the art of ventriloquism a place to come to read about all types of topics related to ventriloquism, being a ventriloquist, performing, show business and marketing.

And you can catch up on what's been happening in the world of Lee Cornell.