Perhaps it's all the years of Twililight Zone and everything ele.
But can anybody look at this picture and not think the dummy is planning something evil?
(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/390047_298999640151287_100001237603713_920994_786077496_n.jpg)
This thread title alone just gave me a mild heart attack.
I don't think in the history of horror there is anything more frightening than ventriloquist dummies--what in the hell could possibly more scary than them? Even that picture is brutal! I'm 35 yrs old and the idea of dummies or maniquins or any other thing like that to me is just the scariest.
I had this old DC comic I got out of a dollar bin at a comic shop when I was about 10 or 11 yrs old. It had the ventriloquist making this terrified and shocked face on stage while the dummy which I believe was a little skeleton was pointing at him saying "I accuse YOU of MY murder!"
Anyway my uncle who is barely 10 yrs older than me, his appendix burst and he was in the hospital out cold, tubes in his nose etc etc. We're really close so my dad took me into his room and I put a few comic books next to his bed.....that was one of them. The 1st thing he said to me when he woke up was "What the hell did you get me that for!?! I just woke up ina hospital and the first thing I see is some scary ass ventriloquist!!"---It runs in the family I guess.
I didn't realize until a few months ago that Ward Hall was a ventriloquist early on.
"Perky Perkins," huh? Hmm...
I want to smash Perky Perkins' face in with a hand axe. That's what. Dummies are ALWAYS looking to do evil. This is common knowledge. ;D
Hey, here's a dummy that isn't scary at all.... Oh, wait-----I'm dead wrong about something again. :o
(http://acidcow.com/pics/20110607/creepy_02.jpg)
Sean, you have found a picture of the first dummy, that I have ever found acttually disturbing.
I think they're creepy as hell.
"Or you could just kill him..."
(http://two-and-half-men.maxupdates.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Jon-Cryer-g.jpg)
A friend of mine and his daughter are both into ventriloquism. He's an Indiana cop, and has a wolf puppet called Trooper Timberwolf, a bald eagle named Patriot, and a vulture named J.W. Dye. Hers is a black cat with batwings named Badcat. Since they basically look like plush toys, they're not scary at all.
Count Z- Watch out, they are making you drop your guard!
Look at us, we're cute and fuzzy! Nothing to be afraid of!
We're your friends!
As AA said , IT'S A TRAP!
Magic 1978 Movie Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezkx07HYylo#)
The pic Sean posted may be the scariest thing I've ever seen.
What is it about these freaky damn things that are so scary!?
Because they sometimes look like us.
I think it is the Uncanny Valley effect.
I got a Danny O'Day dummy for Christmas when I was 10 years old. He was awesome... except for late at night... he'd sit there on my dresser, grinning at me with that "Black Dahlia" mouth of his and those "The Man Who Laughs" eyes. Brrrrrrr!! I stuck him in my closet, which almost made him seem even scarier! Not sure what happened to him, but if I ever hear a tapping at my window at 3 in the morning, I'm not lookin'! That looks like the Evil Mr. O'Day in that pic with Jon Cryer. My Mom might even have an old pic somewhere of me & the dummy - that might be redundant...
You know, I'm of two minds on this subject. My folks introduced me to the worlds of Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Bros, WC Fields, and Charlie McCarthy when I was quite young. I loved to see Edgar Bergen when I could on Mike Douglas, Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show, Laugh-In, etc. My folks got me my own Charlie doll when I was eight or nine years old. He and his pals don't creep me out, but the dummies on the Twilight Zone and in films like Magic, etc do creep me out.
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/Charlie.jpg)
I still have Charlie to this day. He sits quietly in a closet in my studio. I just hope he stays that way...
Awesome pic, Mike! You look good in a top hat!
Okay, I just smacked myself for that one ;D.
Quote from: Unknown Primate on April 02, 2012, 05:03:46 PM
Awesome pic, Mike! You look good in a top hat!
Okay, I just smacked myself for that one ;D.
I should have titled this pic "A couple of dummies!" LOL!!! I like this photo because it was back when life was much different. Thanks to my folks I had a great childhood. It's when middle school and high school hit that everything went to hell. :o
Illoman- I LOVE that picture! There's nothing cuter than kids putting on magic shows or trying their hand at ventriloquism! I used to enjoy Howdy Doody and his friends like a fiend! I can't get enough of those old time ventriloquists! The new ones are not really that cool, but anything before and including Willie and Lester is A-Ok!
I always wanted a "dummy" of my very own. Even though I cannot possibly throw my voice- teehee!
Quote from: FACTO2 on April 01, 2012, 08:10:39 PM
Because they sometimes look like us.
I think that's 100% right. When I was a kid, I don't think I was ever scared of monsters or beasts--from Gillman to the aliens at the Cantina Club, I was more fascinated and wanted to know more and see more about them. Mask and things like that never scared me.
The stuff that really mirrored being human scared the hell out of me. Remember those masks they'd sell at the pharmacy? The clear clown faces? To this day I think those are the creepiest damn things I ever saw.
And Mark that story is funny as hell! LOL I'm gonna tell that to my uncle.....he used to complain to my grandparents that his Aurora models were going to "get him" at night. LOL...WHAT A MAROON!
Quote from: BlackLagoon on April 02, 2012, 06:41:32 PM
Remember those masks they'd sell at the pharmacy? The clear clown faces? To this day I think those are the creepiest damn things I ever saw.
Oh hell yes - they are really disturbing!
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6894544996_48f7cf6955_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67809938(*at*)N03/6894544996/)
masked-alice (http://www.flickr.com/photos/67809938(*at*)N03/6894544996/#) by The Golden Gorilla (http://www.flickr.com/people/67809938(*at*)N03/), on Flickr
Maybe because I grew up enjoying things like "Shrimpenstein", and performers like Edgar Bergan and Paul Winchell, that Ventriloquest dummy's don't bother me. The only trully creepy ones I have seen is the Victorian one in the photo, and Ansom Williams.
Puppets in general don't bother me. I, too, was raised on Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell, and the old "Kukla, Fran & Ollie Show." I had that same Charlie McCarthy dummy, a Mortimer Snerd, as well as a rather elaborate Mikey Mouse that came with a red coat and black pants. But, I never could pull off throwing my voice, and all three were relegated to my basement by the time I hit high school. No pix, I'm afraid.
The dummy looks like the bastard child of William Demarest and Lady Elaine Fairchild. :o
NOT that I would EVER want anyone cursed by having to now picture a liquored-up, stumbling William Demarest feverishly humping the HELL out of a Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood puppet... ::)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v681/LouisXIV/cinema/character_actors/william_demarest.jpg) (http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/17462-lady_elaine.jpg) (http://acidcow.com/pics/20110607/creepy_02.jpg)
Too late, Sean - thanks a lot!
Damn you, you big galoot!
Sorry I came late to the party.
My Knucklehead Smif (Paul Winchell,vent)...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/DSC02256-1.jpg)
...and my wife's Danny O'Day with my Farfel (Danny's dog) (Jimmy Nelson,vent)...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/DSC02259-1.jpg)
...and finally an unusual Nestle's Chocolate milk shake store display featuring Farfel.
Always loved Farfel...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/DSC02261-1.jpg)
.
Monster Bob,
I would spare Farfel, but Knucklehead and Danny would be getting flying closelines and atomic elbows non-stop. 8)
AHEM ,so what am I ,chopped liver? CREEPY ventriloquist dummies have been a big interest ever since I could remember. We'll be watching Dead Silence and Goosebumps Night of the Living Dead Dummies later this week.
SEE YA. But will YOU see ME? >:D
(http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp47/WickedLester666/WickedLester2-1.jpg)
Vintage 1950's Nestle's Quik Commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQK-AJKtjB0#)
Jimmy Nelson and Gordon MacRae (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CQFz3Fha8#)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on April 05, 2012, 08:56:56 AM
AHEM ,so what am I ,chopped liver? CREEPY ventriloquist dummies have been a big interest ever since I could remember. We'll be watching Dead Silence and Goosebumps Night of the Living Dead Dummies later this week.
SEE YA. But will YOU see ME? >:D
(http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp47/WickedLester666/WickedLester2-1.jpg)
YIKES!
In these parts we had a lunchtime "kids" show featuring the local talents of "Uncle Bob" and his ventriloquist dummy friend "Archie Wood" (yep, no joke material there....). As you'd expect from a local lunch-time kids show, the production values were nil, but they still managed to draw a huge audience, mainly because there were only two TV channels at the time and one of them showed news at noon. As a result, i spent years watching "Archie" and his friends (an assortment of sock puppets that included a rat-like charatcter called "Marvin Mouse"). I fully attribute my current twisted state to this early and frequent exposure to the art of ventriloquism.
(http://www.antiquark.com/blogimg/Uncle_Bob_Archie_Wood.jpg)
Uncle Bob and Archie-when, oh when will you call me on "birthday phone" Archie???
(http://files.coveringthemouse.com/images/misc03.jpg)
Marvin the Mouse-his eyes never really looked directly at you as he lip-synched to "The Thing" by Phil Harris. Now I'll never get rid of the "bump-ba-bump" .
I used to love this show when I was a kid.
Shrimpenstein (1967) Pt. 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRmpRCjcCFU#)
Wicked Lester- I was wondering when you were gonna pull out the Big Kahuna of ventriloquist figures (I'm afraid to call him a dummy)!! I love that Goosebumps story!
Somewhere in my garage, I have a vice-like pencil cup of that guy's head!
Back when Paul Winchell hosted some sort of kids game show (was thinking Gong show...? not) I wrote to him and received an autographed photo-card back. He had just been given an Doctorate for his Artificial Heart work
Quote from: Haunted hearse on April 05, 2012, 03:30:30 PM
I used to love this show when I was a kid.
Shrimpenstein (1967) Pt. 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRmpRCjcCFU#)
Wow, and oh my goodness.
Thanks for this link, Haunted Hearse. That is the front half of the "secondary" Addams Family Iron Maiden prop (the "front loader" as I call it), that the mad doctor guy in the Shrimpenstein video (above) jumps out of, used on the original Addams TV series from time to time, as well as the HALLOWEEN WITH THE ADDAMS FAMILY reunion movie. it was also used in the HORROR HALL OF FAME TV show starring Vincent Price- the one with John Astin, John Carradine, and Frank Gorshin(I think) co-starring.
It was also used in 1966's film CHAMBER OF HORRORS, in the wax museum scenes. Here is a shot from CHAMBER OF HORRORS...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/PDVD_034-1.jpg)
It is sitting out in my garage waiting some restoration as we speak! Appears SHRIMPENSTEIN is only using the front doors of the Maiden here, attached to a hole in the wall, but that's her for sure. It came out of 20th Century Props in LA a couple of years back.
Did they use it for the whole run of SHRIMPENSTEIN, does anybody know?
.
Quote from: Illoman on April 02, 2012, 05:01:00 PM
You know, I'm of two minds on this subject. My folks introduced me to the worlds of Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Bros, WC Fields, and Charlie McCarthy when I was quite young. I loved to see Edgar Bergen when I could on Mike Douglas, Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show, Laugh-In, etc. My folks got me my own Charlie doll when I was eight or nine years old. He and his pals don't creep me out, but the dummies on the Twilight Zone and in films like Magic, etc do creep me out.
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/Charlie.jpg)
I still have Charlie to this day. He sits quietly in a closet in my studio. I just hope he stays that way...
amazing amazingly awesome picture... LOVEEEE IT !!!
Monster Bob- The fact that you have that iron maiden "out in the garage" is beyond amazing.
It is like meeting Dr Jones and casually saying "Oh the Ark, I think that's in my rec room. My wife keeps yarn in it..."
Here are pics of a couple of my "partners in crime"
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t204/quattoo/Copyofjok3.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t204/quattoo/b58731da.jpg)
(http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t204/quattoo/c84ec887.jpg)
Some where I have a black Ventriloquist doll stored in a storage container. Wait is that considered a hate crime? Probally not considering I got others stored with him .Sorry I have a dark sense of humor. lol!
Quote from: horror1o1 on April 06, 2012, 11:25:32 PM
Some where I have a black Ventriloquist doll stored in a storage container. Wait is that considered a hate crime? Probally not considering I got others stored with him .Sorry I have a dark sense of humor. lol!
:laugh: :laugh:
Quote from: horror1o1 on April 06, 2012, 11:25:32 PM
Some where I have a black Ventriloquist doll stored in a storage container. Wait is that considered a hate crime? Probally not considering I got others stored with him .Sorry I have a dark sense of humor. lol!
Probably "Lester", Willie Tyler's dummy.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 07, 2012, 07:53:24 AM
Probably "Lester", Willie Tyler's dummy.
I think Lester is too classy of a doll to be mine. From what I remember mine is wearing some sorta weird ruffled outfit that's tanish.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 05, 2012, 08:37:14 PM
Wow, and oh my goodness. Thanks for this link, Haunted Hearse. That is the front half of the "secondary" Addams Family Iron Maiden prop (the "front loader" as I call it), that the mad doctor guy in the Shrimpenstein video (above) jumps out of, used on the original Addams TV series from time to time, as well as the HALLOWEEN WITH THE ADDAMS FAMILY reunion movie. it was also used in the HORROR HALL OF FAME TV show starring Vincent Price- the one with John Astin, John Carradine, and Frank Gorshin(I think) co-starring.
It was also used in 1966's film CHAMBER OF HORRORS, in the wax museum scenes. Here is a shot from CHAMBER OF HORRORS...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/PDVD_034-1.jpg)
It is sitting out in my garage waiting some restoration as we speak! Appears SHRIMPENSTEIN is only using the front doors of the Maiden here, attached to a hole in the wall, but that's her for sure. It came out of 20th Century Props in LA a couple of years back.
Did they use it for the whole run of SHRIMPENSTEIN, does anybody know?
.
Bob......did you know I have a Hollywood room in my house? Right here in my house. Yup. Sure is. Spot in a dark corner just the right size for that prop. Really. No kidding.
Quote from: Monster Bob on April 05, 2012, 08:37:14 PM
It was also used in 1966's film CHAMBER OF HORRORS, in the wax museum scenes. Here is a shot from CHAMBER OF HORRORS...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/PDVD_034-1.jpg)
It is sitting out in my garage waiting some restoration as we speak! Appears SHRIMPENSTEIN is only using the front doors of the Maiden here, attached to a hole in the wall, but that's her for sure. It came out of 20th Century Props in LA a couple of years back.
Did they use it for the whole run of SHRIMPENSTEIN, does anybody know?
Shrimpenstein only lasted a season or two, and that was the only way "Von Sticht" entered his laboratory, so I think the answer is yes. By the way, I was finally able to locate a DVD of "Chamber of Horror's", which I really enjoyed. I had no idea that was the same iron maiden used in "The Addams Family". Ripley's had an actual iron Maiden on display in their San Augustine Museum when I visited it back in the 1970's, and I think they produced a model kit of that. One of the toys produced for Shreck, was the "Duloc Dungeon Crew" play set, and it included an Iron Maiden.
It is not the principle maiden from ADDAMS, but what I would call the "secondary", used in a few episodes. The main Maiden is split right down the middle and opens in two halves.
This is the "principle" ADDAMS Iron Maiden, used in almost every episode, and also show briefly in HARUM SCARUM with Elvis Presley...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/DSC00296-2.jpg)
.
(http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy16/2260841/Screenshot2012-05-24at91632AM.png)
Saw this pic and thought of you Monster Bob!
I would LOVE to see this flick- can't find a copy, though.
I swear Monster Bob, I am not stalking you and your Iron Maidens..
(http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy16/2260841/Screenshot2012-07-05at95640AM.png)
Quote from: Gillfan on July 09, 2012, 09:53:30 PM
I swear Monster Bob, I am not stalking you and your Iron Maidens..
(http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy16/2260841/Screenshot2012-07-05at95640AM.png)
Bob if you get strange breathing calls it's probally Gillfan.lol! ;D
Ha ha!