File puptcrit/puptcrit.0508, message 486


From: "Mark S. Segal" <segalpuppets-AT-comcast.net>
To: <puptcrit-driftline.org-AT-lists.driftline.org>
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 09:29:36 -0400
Subject: [Puptcrit] books


What was the book????

just curious if you remember.....

You know only got one Fettig File a long time ago....did you only do one?

Thanks
Mark S.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ray DaSilva" <dasilva-AT-puppetbooks.co.uk>
To: <puptcrit-driftline.org-AT-lists.driftline.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 9:06 AM
Subject: RE: [Puptcrit] The Knife Thrower


> Dear Mark,
> George and Elizabeth Merten lived in Toronto and were two of the main
> pillars of the Toronto Guild of Puppetry in the 1950's.  George worked
> for the Ontario Department of Education and traveled around the province
> drumming up interest for puppetry and forming groups as part of the
> Community Programmes initiative.  In addition to the three largish books
> most puppeteers know, he also wrote 'The Puppet in Your Community' with
> an accompanying 'Leader's Handbook', 'Playground Activities - Puppetry'
> and 'Puppets in the Classroom'. Elisabeth's forte was music, and I
> recall enjoying watching 'The Missing Maestro' and one of the Guild
> evenings.
> You could not find the book you mentioned because someone had bought it.
> I do sell some occasionally although books in the US (like gasoline) are
> considerably cheaper in the US than here - perhaps something to do with
> cheaper paper.  We don't have so many trees left.
> Best wishes
> Ray
> -----Original Message-----
> From: puptcrit-driftline.org-bounces-AT-lists.driftline.org
> [mailto:puptcrit-driftline.org-bounces-AT-lists.driftline.org] On Behalf Of
> Mark S. Segal
> Sent: 30 August 2005 13:06
> To: puptcrit-driftline.org-AT-lists.driftline.org
> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] The Knife Thrower
>
> Ray,
> I never met the Mertens,
> But their books (first found in a library) were um inspirational....
> I learned from them...especially the scripts a long time ago...
>
> Hmmm....books again.
>
> I remember something you had written in a description of one of your
> books
> for sale.....
> Something about even if you think you know all there is to know about
> hand
> puppets this is a great book.....(something like that).
> does that ring any bells? Went back to look for which book you said that
>
> about and couldn't find it.
>
> Mark S.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ray DaSilva" <dasilva-AT-puppetbooks.co.uk>
> To: <puptcrit-driftline.org-AT-lists.driftline.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 5:09 AM
> Subject: [Puptcrit] The Knife Thrower
>
>
>> Dear Fred,
>> Thanks for the memories of Joe Owens.
>> You said
>> "He had a wonderful knife throwing act. The 'knife' was recessed into
>> the
>> thrower's arm.  As the thrower reached into the basket to get another
>> knife, an
>> electro-magnet, worked by a foot switch, pulled the knife out for all
> to
>> see. As
>> the thrower raised his arm to throw the knife, a spring release
> snapped
>> the
>> knife back into the arm as another 'knife' appeared in the target
>> opposite,
>> wobbling. These several knives were preloaded and released by a string
>> pulled by
>> the puppeteer.
>>
>> Yes, I remember that too and it was very convincing, the illusion was
>> quite astonishing.  I still wonder however, if it mattered that it
>> lacked the thrill of the real thing.  We knew that if the knives
> missed
>> (of course they couldn't) then no flesh would be cut and no harm would
>> be done, but would it?  It would have been just terrible if he had
>> 'missed' and the last knife was seen quivering from the marionette
>> girl's breast - which a puppet could have done well.  I recall that I
>> had in mind creating an act with a balloon animal instead of the girl
>> marionette and after all the knives had been thrown and dutifully
> missed
>> it would be removed by the puppeteer only to burst in his hands.  I
>> never did it though.  Perhaps someone else will or already has.
>> I recall that Tom and Elsie Harrison of Niagara had a similar act in
> the
>> 1950's and probably others had too after Joe had generously published
>> the details.
>> Yes Fred, I remember George and Elizabeth Merten well, they were one
> of
>> the inspirations which started me on a full-time professional career -
>> but that's another story. I still have some marionettes which George
>> made.
>> Ray
>>
>>
>>
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