The Great Lester

The Great Lester

Harry Lester (1878 – 1956), born Maryan Czajkowski in Poland, best known by his stage name The Great Lester, was a seminal vaudeville ventriloquist.

Ventriloquist act

Lester claimed to have carved his dummy, Frank Byron, Jr. himself when he was young. "Coronet" cited Frank Marshall of Chicago as his carver. [Citation | last = Drury | first = Don | author-link = Don Drury | title = Stepfather to Charlie McCarthy | journal = Coronet | volume = | issue = | pages = p. 117 | date = March 1945 | year = 1945 | url = http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com/tribute/makers/coronet.pdf]

Called the "Grandfather of Modern-Day Ventriloquism", Lester claimed to be the first to drink while his dummy spoke; however, Joe Laurie notes that this trick was first performed in 1821.

One of Lester's most noted acts was a bit where he called up Heaven and Hell in search of his sister. He was also the first ventriloquist to walk among the audience while his dummy whistled.

Legacy

The Frank Byron, Jr. figure now resides at Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

Notes

References


*Laurie, Joe, Jr. "Vaudeville: From the Honky-tonks to the Palace." New York: Henry Holt, 1953. p. 80, 254.

External links

* [http://mercurye.com "A Pictorial History of Ventriloquism"]
* [http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com/tribute/lester/lester.htm Lester gallery, audio and video recordings] at VentriloquistCentral.com
* [http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com/tribute/video/lester.wmv Only TV appearance of Lester] "You Asked For It" September 27, 1951 (Windows Media format)
* [http://www.venthavenmuseum.net/images/galleries/gallery4.html Harry "The Great" Lester Gallery] at Vent Haven Museum
*" [http://www.talkingcomedy.com/SI-Vent-2005/theater-siVENT05/HtgL-THTR-siVENT05.html Vaudeville Vent - 'The Great' LESTER: 'Grandfather' of Modern Day Ventriloquism] " at TalkingComedy.com


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Great Concert, Paris 1964 — Livealbum von Charles Mingus Veröffentlichung 1970 Aufnahme 1964 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Great Pretender (disambiguation) — The Great Pretender is a 1956 song written by Buck Ram and originally recorded by The Platters.The Great Pretender may also refer to:In music: * The Great Pretender (album), the 1992 US version of a posthumous album by Freddie Mercury that… …   Wikipedia

  • The great pretender — «The great pretender» Sencillo de The Platters Formato 7 Grabación 1955 Género(s) Rhythm and blues Duración 3:26 …   Wikipedia Español

  • The Great Pretender (Lester Bowie album) — Infobox Album | Name = The Great Pretender Type = Studio album Artist = Lester Bowie Released = 1981 Recorded = June 1981 Genre = Jazz Length = 42:44 Label = ECM Producer = Manfred Eicher Reviews = *amg|id=10:3zfixqrgldse|rating|5|5 Last album =… …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Flamarion — Infobox Film name = The Great Flamarion image size = 125px caption = The Great Flamarion video cover director = Anthony Mann producer = W. Lee Wilder writer = Vicki Baum (Story) Anne Wigton (Screenplay story) Heinz Herald Richard Weil starring =… …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Divide (band) — Infobox musical artist Name = The Great Divide Img capt = Img size = Landscape = Background = group or band Alias = Origin = Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA Genre = Country Years active = 1992–2007 Label = Campfire Atlantic Broken Bow Associated acts …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Dobro Sessions — Infobox Album Name = The Great Dobro Sessions Type = studio Longtype = Artist = various artists Released = September 18, 1994 Recorded = 1994 Genre = Country Old time music Bluegrass Length = 73:31 Label = Sugar Hill Producer = Jerry Douglas Tut… …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Shark Hunt — Infobox Book name = The Great Shark Hunt title orig = translator = image caption = author = Hunter S. Thompson illustrator = cover artist = country = United States language = English series = The Gonzo Papers subject = Politics, Journalism genre …   Wikipedia

  • The Great Pretender — Infobox Single Name = The Great Pretender Cover size = Caption = Artist = The Platters Album = A side = B side = Released = November 3, 1955 Format = 7 Recorded = 1955 Genre = Rhythm and blues Length = 2:36 Label = Mercury Records Writer = Buck… …   Wikipedia

  • Causes of the Great Depression — The causes of the Great Depression are still a matter of active debate among economists. The specific economic events that took place during the Great Depression have been studied thoroughly: a deflation in asset and commodity prices, dramatic… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”