Ventriloquism for Dummies Trivia Quiz

Answer: It doesn't

Of course it is the ventriloquist who speaks, not the dummy, but one could certainly look like the world's greatest ventriloquist if an audio device was concealed inside the dummy's head. Jules Vernon, an early vaudeville ventriloquist, had no need of such trickery, and used as many as seven puppets in his act, seamlessly jumping from character to character in a whirlwind of dialogue and repartee, as he made the puppets appear to converse with him and each other.

Answer: Throwing their voice

Naturally, ventriloquists do not actually throw their voice (one could not literally throw one's voice any further than one could throw a party), but this is the term that is used to describe the skill of making it seem as though the dummy is doing the talking, even though the sound is coming from the ventriloquist's mouth. Harry Lester (1878-1956), also called The Great Lester, and the "Grandfather of Modern-Day Ventriloquism", was one of the great teachers of the art of "ventriloquizing", and was the first ventriloquist to popularise the familiar stand-up routine with a single dummy (most notably his dummy "Frank Byron, Jr.").

Answer: F, V, B, P, M

The labial sounds of the consonants F, V, B, P, M, and also W are the hardest to produce without moving the lips. Ventriloquists typically use substitutes like TH (for F and V), D (for B), T (for P), and N (for M), often modifying them by using the tongue in a different manner, or disguising them by speaking quickly. For W, a quick "ooh" sound is often used as a substitute before the rest of the word is pronounced. Making these sounds while maintaining a smile is particularly difficult.

Answer: Edgar Bergen

Born Edgar John Berggren in Chicago, Illinois, in 1903, Edgar Bergen taught himself ventriloquism at age 11, and achieved early success in vaudeville. It might seem bizarre for a ventriloquist, but much of Bergen's success was achieved on radio, usually with his most popular dummy "Charlie McCarthy".

This showed that it was Bergen's characterisations, wit and comedic timing that was the key to his popularity. Other well-known ventriloquists and their dummies have included Ray Alan (with "Lord Charles"), Terry Hall (with "Lenny the Lion"), Peter Brough (with "Archie Andrews"), Jeff Dunham (with "Peanut"), Paul Winchell (with "Knucklehead"), and Shari Lewis (with "Lamb Chop").

Answer: Yes, but only in works of fiction

A number of films, TV shows, and books have portrayed the frightening scenario of a ventriloquist's dummy coming to life (typically for a malevolent purpose). This theme was used in the films "Dead of Night" (1945), "Devil Doll" (1964), and "Magic" (1978). On TV, ventriloquist dummies came to life in two different episodes of "The Twilight Zone" - "Caesar and Me" (1964) and "The Dummy" (1962).

The scenario also appears in a number of books by R. L. Stine, in the "Night of the Living Dummy" saga (from the "Goosebumps" series) which feature the rather nasty Slappy the Dummy. Ventriloquist dummies may also come to life in nightmares, especially after one has viewed any of the aforementioned works.

Answer: Automatonophobia

There is nothing more unsettling than being alone in a room with a ventriloquist's dummy - especially if you have just watched any films or read any books about the things coming to life. Broadly speaking, automatonophobia is a fear of any artificial human likeness, including wax models, mannequins, robots, and puppets, but perhaps it could be applied especially to the fear of ventriloquist dummies, since they are presented in such a lifelike way.

Answer: Johnny Vegas

Terry Fator (born 1965 in Dallas, Texas) had been a lead singer for musical bands and a comic impressionist before he got the idea of combining his talents with another of his loves - ventriloquism. After winning "America's Got Talent" in 2007, he was in hot demand as a performer, and was credited with reviving ventriloquism as a popular form of entertainment. Among Fator's many dummies, and one that he used on "America's Got Talent", was "Johnny Vegas", with whom Fator performed Dean Martin's "That's Amore", and Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco".

Answer: Nightclubs

Parliaments could be a possibility, since ventriloquists must work with dummies. Courthouses might also be conceivable, since ventriloquist dummies are good at judging others in their jokes. Telemarketing also might work, since ventriloquists have the gift of the gab. Nightclubs, however, are clearly the best option, since a ventriloquist is fundamentally an entertainer who makes a dummy appear to open its mouth and speak.

Some political advisors appear to use this technique with their employers, but that is a slightly different thing.

Answer: Pole-vaulting

Ventriloquist dummies have small levers or keys inside the body which are controlled by the ventriloquist to make certain parts move. Eyes can roll or turn; ears can waggle; the head can spin, pivot or rise; and of course, the mouth opens and shuts. Pole-vaulting is only achieved by a dummy when it is attached to a particularly athletic and somewhat insane human partner. One of the pioneers of ventriloquist puppet-making was the Theodore Mack & Son Furniture Factory, which produced many famous puppets for ventriloquists in the early part of the 20th century.

Answer: Venter (belly) and loqui (speak)

The ancient Greeks thought that abdominal noises were the spirits of the dead projecting their voices into the bellies of the living. Special priests would attempt to interpret the "voices", and the art was called gastromancy. The original ventriloquists (ie, "belly-speakers") were therefore these oracles, who presumably simply had to forego food for a while in order to stir up a long-winded conversation with the non-living.

It was not until the 19th century that ventriloquism became a form of entertainment for the stage.