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Pioneers of Puppetry
Frank Paris, Rufus & Margo Rose, Richard Teschner, George Prentice & More! DVD: $19.95 (black & White/ 59 minutes/ NTSC/ all-region/ -R format)
Frank Paris and His Marionettes (6 minutes) These film loops, called "soundies" were produced in the 1940's for coin operated film viewing machines called "Panorams". This is some of the only footage that exists of master puppeteer Frank Paris' famous cabaret marionette variety acts. Included are his signature Carmen Miranda (pictured), as well as his Sonya Henne ice skater, circus bike rider, "jive" dancer, disjointing skeleton, and an extraordinary, realistic Sally Rand fan dancer. Frank Paris, credited with inventing the "cabaret style" of marionette performance, and creator of the original, and rarely seen Howdy Doody, ranks as one of America's leading stars of puppetry. | ||
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Richard Teschner: The First Christmas (8 minutes) Famous Austrian puppeteer Richard Teschner, influenced by the Javanese puppetry he saw, is credited with introducing rod puppets to the West. Narrated in English, this re-telling of the Nativity Story is one of the few recorded performances of the beautiful Richard Teschner rod puppets. Although there are no credits in this film, the final shot pulls back to reveal Teschner's signature round Zodiac puppet stage proscenium arch (see Bil Baird's Art of the Puppet, page 165). | ||
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"Jovanni" Shadow Puppet Company (2 minutes) This short newsreel documents a performance by this Swiss hand shadow company in Spain. The show is created with only their hands and some cardboard accoutrements. The startling effects resemble an animated cartoon. | ||
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Lilliput Theatre (5 minutes) This charming newsreel from the early 1950's beautifully documents San Francisco's Lilliput Theatre. This is some of the only footage we have seen on the "toy theatre" style, popularized in England over 100 years ago. Hugh Evans, assisted by Frank Bray (pictured) present Dick Whittington and His Cat, complete with chorus and ballet figures, fog and mirror ball effects, and intricate flying sets. | ||
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George Prentice: Santa's Punch and Judy Show (6 minutes) This raucous and delightful version features the legendary artistry of George Prentice, who also merited a description in Bil Baird's book on page 113. This is probably the most accurate record of a traditional, fast paced and violent Punch and Judy show (complete with an odor spewing skunk) one is ever going to find. | ||
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Rufus & Margo Rose Marionettes: Jerry Pulls the Strings (37 min., 1937) Produced for The American Can Company, and sometimes called The Story of Coffee, this historic work is credited as the first industrial film to utilize marionettes. Many famous puppeteers worked on making this movie, including, of course, the Roses, Bil and Evelyn Baird, Martin and Olga Stevens, Frank and Fania Sullivan, and Sylvia Meredith. By today's standards, Jerry Pulls the Strings is perhaps slow and wordy. It remains, however, a fascinating documentary of the "realistic" style of marionettes popularized in this country by Tony Sarg, and carried on by generations of American artists. While most of the films in this DVD were made from direct transfers from 16 mm film copies, please note that these films are over 50 years old. Therefore, the film quality of these selections varies from "very good" to "fair". |
