Lefty Ventriloquest Hand Puppet
date: label: Date made
content: 1975
name: label: user
content: Marshall, Jay
label: maker
content: Marshall, Jay
label: maker
content: Steinway and Sons
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Known as Lefty, this glove or hand puppet is a replica of a white rabbit created by magician and ventriloquist Jay Marshall while touring with the USO during World War II. Originally made from a khaki glove, the glove was a creation of necessity as Marshall could not carry a full size dummy in a duffle bag. In 1946 he created his new rabbit using a white glove, button eyes, attached cardboard ears and a black inked mouth. Using his left thumb and index figure to manipulate the rabbit, Marshall used the figure as a dummy rather than a puppet and threw his voice into Lefty's mouth.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This duo appeared regularly in Las Vegas and on the Ed Sullivan television show, as well as on stages in England and Australia. Marshall retired Lefty in 1975 and donated him to the Museum in 1980.
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: Magic shows
label: related event
content: World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Puppets
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Jay Marshall
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1980.0283.01
label: catalog number
content: 1980.0283.01
label: accession number
content: 1980.0283
objectType: label: Object Name
content: puppet
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cotton (body material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (eyes material)
label: Physical Description
content: black (eyes color)
label: Physical Description
content: inked (mouth production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: black (mouth color)
label: Physical Description
content: cardboard (ears material)
label: Physical Description
content: cotton (ears material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in; 21.59 cm x 21.59 cm