The Legacy of Lambchop Continues

Carla Rhodes presented “Ventriloquism: From Ancient to Modern” in A704 (M) Friday at 8:30PM where she discussed history of ventriloquism, famous faces, and innovators while showing video clips on the big screen. Carla also had her partner, Cecil, assist her. He is rather older (crafted in the 1920s) and a little psycho, but all in all funny.

Carla fell in love with ventriloquism at eight when she watched Shari Lewis and Lambchop on TV. From that moment forward, she knew she had found her life’s calling. Carla’s home for the last ten years is New York, where she performs her solo act and participates in small roles on film with Cecil.

The various clips she showed were early clips of Shari and Lambchop, Edgar Bergman and Charlie McCarthy, Senor Wences and his puppets, as well as some equally talented but lesser known British performers.

Mallory Lewis, the daughter of Shari Lewis, had a special video for the attendees. Of course Lambchop was present, too. Mallory has continued on with her mother’s traditions, utilizing most of the original puppets Shari did. After Shari’s passing 15 years ago, Mallory wasn’t sure if she would be able to do it. After her first time on stage with Lambchop, which lasted about 2 minutes, the applause she received made her realize this is what she should do. Mallory does several stage performances a year; you can watch her in action on YouTube.

Carla was delightful and funny. There was a brief Q & A and time after to have pictures with Carla and Cecil.

Author of the article

Award-winning author Amanda Faith may have been raised in Dayton, but her heart and home is in the South. With a lifelong love of teaching and writing, she had plenty of encouragement from teachers and friends along the way. Loving a good puzzle has always been a fascination, and writing gives her the outlet to put all the pieces together. Being adventurous and loving to try new things, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves in unusual situations. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how they interact, taking them on journeys they would never have normally experienced. Her current adventure working as a high school English professor turned Media Specialist, writing, and doing paranormal investigations doesn’t slow her down from having a great time with a plethora of hobbies. Her published credits include several short stories, poetry, several journal articles, her doctoral dissertation, and her award-winning book Strength of Spirit. With multiple degrees, she has a passion for learning and exploring new venues. She is a staff writer for The Daily Dragon at Dragon Con. Check out her new website (www.amandafaith.net) or on Instagram (@dramandafaith)