Jerry Mahoney Ventriloquist Puppet
date: label: Date made
content: 1938
name: label: user
content: Winchell, Paul
label: maker
content: Marshall, Frank
label: maker
content: Winchell, Dr. Paul
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Ventriloquist dummy Jerry Mahoney, created by Paul Winchell around 1938. This is the first of many "Jerrys" which the puppeteer used over the course of his decades-long career as a performer on stage and screen. This original Jerry is made of wood and was sculpted by Frank Marshall; he has a detachable carved wooden head and is dressed in a red sport coat and a bow tie.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Ventriloquist Dr. Paul Winchell and his puppets, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, were popular acts from 1938 through the 1980s, appearing on stage in variety acts, in their own television show, "The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show," and in guest appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and other variety programs. Jerry’s wise-cracking, outspoken persona would exasperate straight man partner Winchell in comical songs, skits, and quiz segments on these programs.
label: Description (Brief)
content: In addition to his ventriloquist skills, Winchell was an inventor and holds a patent on an early version of the artificial heart. He was also a well known voiceover actor for children's movies and television shows. One of his most memorable characters included acting as the voice of Tigger in the Disney movie, "Winnie the Pooh" for which he received a Grammy award.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
topic: label: general subject association
content: Puppetry
label: Subject
content: Television broadcasts
label: Subject
content: Radio and television broadcasting
label: Subject
content: Children's television programs
label: general subject association
content: Television
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Puppets
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Dr. Paul Winchell
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1981.0395.01
label: catalog number
content: 1981.0395.01
label: accession number
content: 1981.0395
objectType: label: Object Name
content: puppet
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: gesso (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paint (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: hair (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 43 in x 20 in x 6 1/2 in; 109.22 cm x 50.8 cm x 16.51 cm