Carl Wayne, Lorain Ventriloquist – Nov. 25, 1953

Remember when the comic hijinks of ventriloquists and their dummies was a popular form of family entertainment? It seems that ventriloquists popped up regularly on TV in the 1950s and 60s. They're still around today (with Jeff Dunham as one of the modern talents keeping the craft alive) but just not as common.

If you're old enough, you might remember some of the famous teams: Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy (and Mortimer Snerd); Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney (and Knucklehead Smiff); Señor Wences (seen many times on The Ed Sullivan Show); Jimmy Nelson and Farful the Dog; Willie Tyler and Lester; and Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop.  

Locally, a gentleman named Frank Meluch of Lorain enjoyed a long career, that started back in the 1930s. He continued to perform with his dummy Jerry du Berry right into his golden years.

And above you see another local performer: Carl Wayne and his dummy Jerry Shane. The promotional photo announcing their upcoming appearance at the Mary Lee Tucker benefit show appeared in the Lorain Journal on November 25, 1953. 

As the caption notes, Carl Wayne "is a Lorain High School graduate who eyed a career as a professional ventriloquist and spent approximately eight years on the road, touring across the country on supper club and club dates.

"Wayne and his dummy, Jerry Shane, were on tour with Frances Langford two or three years ago.

"Wayne is considering going back on the road again this coming year with his act, possibly with a USO group to entertain servicemen."

You can see Jerry Shane in this photo montage from the Mary Lee Tucker benefit show that appeared in the Journal on Dec. 3, 1953.

The review of the show noted, "Carl Wayne, hometown ventriloquist who has more than eight years on the road as a professional, presented a new and novel act with his dummy, Jerry and another, Virginia. 

"For the head of the girl, Wayne used his right hand, applied make-up to it, then had the hand-dummy blow out a match and smoke a cigaret."

After his performance at the Mary Lee Tucker benefit show, Wayne made a few local appearances in early 1954.

I don't know if Carl Wayne hit the road again after that, or if he packed Jerry Shane away and moved on to another career opportunity.

But it's nice to know that for a little while at least, he achieved a modicum of success making people happy, doing something he loved.

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I mentioned Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop at the top of this post. I had the pleasure of seeing Mallory Lewis (daughter of Shari Lewis) perform with Lamb Chop at the 2009 Ohio State Fair.

Here is the link to her website, as well as a link to a great article about how she is keeping her mother's legacy alive.