Wayland Flowers (November 26, 1939–October 11, 1988) in Gulfport, Mississippi) was an American puppeteer. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object — a Puppet — in real time to create the illusion of life
Flowers was best known for his puppet Madame, who was a huge hit with audiences in the 1970s and 1980s. A puppet is a representational figure manipulated by a Puppeteer. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.
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Madame
Madame was created by Flowers in the mid-1960s. Flowers' first big break was an appearance on the "Andy Williams Show. Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams (born December 3 1927 in Wall Lake Iowa) is an American pop singer " The character of Madame is an "outrageous old broad" who entertains with double entendres and witty comebacks. Not to be confused with Puns which employ multiple phrases A double entendre is a Figure of speech similar to the Pun, in Bedecked in fabulous evening wear and "summer diamonds" ("Some are diamonds; some are not"), Madame's look is based on movie stars such as Gloria Swanson. Gloria Swanson (March 27 1899 – April 4 1983 was an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe -winning American Hollywood
Madame's many TV appearances included Laugh-In; a long run on the game show Hollywood Squares (replacing Paul Lynde in The Center Square); as recorting star of Solid Gold; a regular on a short-lived summer replacement show on ABC called "Keep on Truckin' "; various TV guest spots; and as the star of her own syndicated 1982 sitcom, Madame's Place. Here Comes The Judge redirects here for the 1968 song see Shorty Long. The Hollywood Squares was an American Television comedy and Game show in which two contestants play Tic-tac-toe to win money Paul Edward Lynde ( June 13 1927 &ndash January 10 1982) was an American Comedian and Actor. Solid Gold is an American syndicated Television series which aired from 1980 to 1988 usually on Saturday in the early evening time slot Madame's Place is an American sitcom that featured the misadventures of Madame a Puppet in the form of a bawdy old movie star with a naughty
Flowers and Madame were in the center square on the final NBC episode of Hollywood Squares in June 1980; host Peter Marshall asked Madame the final game question of the daytime series, which was: "Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss lived in the same place. Where did they all live?" Madame's "comic" answer: "At the YMCA!" Then her "serious" answer: Germany. (The correct answer: Austria. )
Other puppets
Flowers' other puppets included Crazy Mary (an escapee from Bellevue mental hospital), Jiffy (a Harlem harlot with a heart of brass), Machelheny (a retired Vaudeville comedian). Bellevue Hospital Center, founded in 1736 is the oldest Public hospital in the United States Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s His puppet Smedley worked with Marlo Thomas on Free to Be… You and Me. Margaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas (born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, who first achieved fame on the TV series That Free to Be… You and Me is a Record album and illustrated songbook for children first released in November 1972 and later in 1974 as a television special
Madame's whereabouts
Five weeks after collapsing during a performance, Wayland Flowers died of a complication (cancer) from AIDS. [1]Flowers' estate, including Madame, was left to Wayland's then-manager, Marlena Shell.
After many years out of the spotlight, Shell met New York-based puppeteer Joe Kovacs in 2002, and felt Kovacs was an ideal candidate to continue the "Madame" performances. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Joe Kovacs (Born Joseph Stephen Kovacs on December 15, 1967 in Independence Ohio is an American Puppeteer and Actor. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Kovacs presented his first "Madame" show, Madame: A Comeback from Abroad, in 2006. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [2] The show takes a cue from (and spoofs) one-woman shows such as Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and explains where Madame has been for the last decade or so. Elaine Stritch (born February 2 1926)
Madame's most recent game show appearance was in the Tom Bergeron version of Hollywood Squares, where she was a panelist for one week in 2004. Tom Bergeron (born May 6, 1955 in Haverhill Massachusetts) is an American Television personality and Game show host, best The Hollywood Squares was an American Television comedy and Game show in which two contestants play Tic-tac-toe to win money The puppet is currently on display in the permanent collection of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia was founded in 1978 by Vincent Anthony [3]
References
- ^ AP. "Wayland Flowers Dies; Ventriloquist Was 48", The New York Times, October 12, 1988. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved on 2006-12-30. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St
- ^ Comeback
- ^ Center for Puppetry Arts
External links
- Wayland Flowers at the Internet Movie Database
- Madame's Place at the Internet Movie Database
- Madame and Me Website
- July & August 2006 NYC Show, A Comeback From Abroad
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