Meet Erica Melchior and Her Marionettes

Professional entertainers are a rare breed, earning a living while doing something they love – all while bringing pleasure to others through their talents.

Many people start out with that goal in mind, only to find that it is a difficult path to success, fraught with obstacles. Others achieve the goal, even if that really wasn't what they set out to do.

Erica Melchior of Lorain seems to have been one of the latter. What started out as a hobby – performing a marionette show to entertain her daughter – blossomed into a career that took her all over the world with the Melchior Marionettes.

And it all started on Lorain's east side at her home on Hafely Drive. 

This article below from the May 11, 1953 Lorain Journal by Mary Lee Tucker covers one of Erica's first major gigs: bringing joy to the children of Gates Crippled Children Hospital in Elyria. Marionette characters included a witch on a broomstick, a frog prince and an octopus, Jojo the monkey and Happy the Clown.

The Lorain Journal seemed to be filled with small blurbs about each local performance, such as one for the Lorain Camera Club. The article appeared on June 10, 1953.

Halle's auditorium in Cleveland was the next stop, as noted in this item from the August 18, 1953 edition.

This article below, from the October 29, 1953 Lorain Journal, provides a nice detailed background of how Erica got started, as a hobby to entertain her four-year-old daughter Peggy. The article notes that originally the marionette troupe included Mrs. Robert L. Johnson and Mrs. Robert Hibbard. The performance at Gates Crippled Children Hospital was actually a test to see how the act would play in front of a live audience. The positive reception spurred Erica on to even greater creative heights.

At Christmas time 1953, the Melchior Marionettes put on a special performance at Lorain Surplus Center.

The year 1954 was a busy year, including performances locally at the County Workshop Theater, the Wellington Fun Festival, and the Mary Lee Tucker Christmas Benefit Show.

March 30, 1954

October 6, 1954

Dec. 4, 1954

Television finally beckoned in 1955, with a live performance on the Alice Weston Cooking Show on Channel 8.

The 1950s newspapers were filled with publicity for the Melchior Marionettes performances. Here's an article from December 19, 1956 reporting on a show for  a Christmas party sponsored by the Lorain Kiwanis Club.

Even though the Melchior Marionettes were often on the road, they were still bringing joy to local audiences. Here's a blurb about an appearance at a PTA meeting that ran in the Journal on April 18, 1958.

This photo from the May 22, 1958 Journal includes Seedy-Beady, the "pop-eyed" rabbit.

And this article from May 23, 1958 notes that Erica now had approximately 100 puppets and marionettes. "She performs with them in schools, night clubs and on TV," it notes.

This account from April 30, 1960 reveals that Erica "has entertained throughout the midwestern United States and has played many night spots in Europe." Pretty impressive for someone who originally just wanted to entertain her daughter!

Erica and Seedy-Beady are shown in ths photo from July 10, 1962. They were performing during the second day of Frontier Week in Amherst.

A performance at the Lorain County Fair was a highlight in 1964.

This 1960s photo (courtesy of Steven Hart) shows Erica and daughter Peggy backstage at a performance.

And by 1969, the torch was being passed to a new generation. Erica's daughter Peggy was now assisting, as noted in this article from Feb. 17, 1969.

Erica passed away in 1977, but her marionettes live on. Today, Peggy, Peggy's daughter Heidi, and Heidi's daughter Nevi continue to please audiences with the Melchior Marionette Theatre in Indiana. Here is the link to its website and Facebook page.