Toll lane to close Thursday
January 28, 2015
HEART OVER HYPE
January 29, 2015
For a guy who is not a ventriloquist, Edward Oliver has a lot of dummies in his life.
In an antique-looking box in his tastefully appointed downtown Houma office, the AFLAC insurance agent keeps a few special friends, collected over the years from auctions and special sales.
He’s been fascinated with the puppets ever since he saw a ventriloquist perform at Mulberry Elementary School 45 years ago.
“I’m more drawn to it now because it is a lost art,” Edward said. “It used to be something very common, like a form of standup.”
Edward’s most prized ventrilo-quial figures – are the world-famous characters Charlie McCarthy and Dapper Dan, also called Dummy Dan.
Dan is a sartorially splendid character popularized in cartoons of the 1930s.
Charlie McCarthy, who with his real life partner, Edgar Bergen, rocketed to fame in vaudeville, on radio and film shorts and later on television.
Edward’s dummies are of a smaller size than generally used by those in the profession; they are what he describes as toy-quality as opposed to professional grade.
“These were made as toys for kids,” Edward explained. “It was at one time a common toy for a child to have. Today, I don’t know any kid that has one.”
Special movie effects, holograms, realistic characters in video games and other amusements have no doubt caused fascination with an effigy moving its mouth while its partner throws her voice to wane, for the magic to fade.
But not for Edward.
These two most prized dummies were actually put together by Edward from several others.
Dapper Dan needed a trademark hounds-tooth cap, which Edward was able to find on a dummy that was in less than splendid shape. So – for the hat – it got added to the collection.
“On one the quality of the head was perfect but the outfit was gone,” he said. “Another was terrible but the clothes were in good shape.”
Charlie McCarthy is still not quite where Edward would like him to be. The dummy wore a trademark top hat in performance, and one has yet to be located.
The dummies are not displayed at Ed’s office, though he has presented them to visitors on request.
He would consider allowing them to be used in a library or museum exposition, but not where anyone “could fool with them.”
While not known to suffer from automatonophobia – the term for people deathly afraid of dummies or dolls – some members of Edward’s family are not friendly toward the dummies.
“My wife and my daughter say they are the creepiest things they ever saw,” Edward said. “I just look at the personality and think of the ventriloquist. They think of horror moves where the dummy comes to life.” E3
Houma insurance agent Edward Olivier shows off his collection of ventriloquist dummies, including world-famous Charlie McCarthy and Dapper Dan. McCarthy found fame with his real life partner, Edgar Bergen, in vaudeville, on radio, film shorts and later on television. “My wife and my daughter say they are the creepiest things they every saw,” Edward admits. “I just look at the personality and think of the ventriloquist.
