Well, the question speaks for itself! Seriously, though…how can one master this talent? Can it be self-taught? Or, do some people just have it, and others never will? At a show once, I happened to have noticed (by accident) that sometimes I could see the lips move when I had a profile view of the ventriliquist. Otherwise, head-on, you’d never catch it.
I wonder if any of the SDopers ever tried to master it? What was your experience? What sounds, or letter combinations, are the hardest? Are there some easier sounds for a beginner to start practicing with? - Jinx
Dover reprinted Edgar Bergen’s book on the subject a couple of years ago – I got a copy for my then eight or ten year old nephew for Winter Solstice – apparently his interests are more focussed on mine. Shoulda kept it for myself. Little ingrate! mutter mutter mutter…
I think good ventriloquists rely less on not moving their mouths and more on using good banter dialogue and body language to focus your attention on the dummy.
Even when watching the best you can see their mouths move. Their art is making you watch the dummy.
Well, my Grandma had a friend who wanted to learn to throw her voice, so she stood in front of her mirror practicing trying to speak without moving her mouth. I guess you can’t help some small movement, as you have seen, but you can get decently still about it with persistence.
When she had practiced in secret for a while, she tried it out. Riding in the car with her husband and friends, someone asked a question and she answered with her little trick. The next thing she knew, they were freaking out and pulling over, because (they swore) the answer had come from OUTSIDE the moving car.
She had fun with her little trick at other times, but never as effectively as that once everyone knew about it.
Oh yeah, I wanted to add from what I’ve seen some ventrilquists have their mouth relaxed, and others have a kind of smile. I would think that it would be easier to do with the relaxed mouth position than talking around a frozen half-smile, but everyone is different. Maybe that way is easier for some people.
I haven’t seen a ventrilquist act in a long time. I mean, years! Have they mostly died out?
Wierd.
I remember this guy who was on the show Soap had a stand-up routine that involved a little tiny guy who lived in his guitar. It was really creative and funny. That was ages ago…
It’s very easy to learn how to talk without moving your lips. Any book on the subject will show you how in the first couple chapters. The skill is in making distinct voices and making transitions between voices. That’s where years of practice comes in.
I taught myself around 4th grade and never lost the knack.
Good luck, and have fun learning if you go for it. My husband was a ventriloquist when he was a kid (he did it professionally!), but he’s so shy about it now he will not do it for me. I wish he’d teach me.
(HUGE hijack)
Cat Ran-Tan had this voiceless meow he used to do. His mouth would open exactly the way it would if he were to meow, but no sound would come out. Well, sometimes he would actually meow, but most of the time it was silent.
Cat Harvo has a very distinct quack-like meow, and doesn’t sound like any of the other cats.
Ran-Tan was on the counter one day, and Harvo was on the floor right underneath him. My husband and I were standing there looking at RT and talking about him. Then he did his silent meow at exactly the same moment that Harvo meowed. Ladies and gentlemen, The Ventrilocats!! We laughed so hard we were gasping for breath and hurting.
I guess it was one of those classic you-had-to-be-there moments, but it’s one of my favorite memories of Ran-Tan, who died a few weeks ago.
I second this. Edgar Bergen was pretty bad at ventriloquism, but he was funny, witty, and interesting, and added real personality to the dummy (or was it the other way around?). The material is 95% of the act.
Seriously, though…how can one master this talent? Can it be self-taught? Or, do some people just have it, and others never will? At a show once, I happened to have noticed (by accident) that sometimes I could see the lips move when I had a profile view of the ventriliquist. Otherwise, head-on, you’d never catch it.