File puptcrit/puptcrit.0812, message 220


Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 21:57:50 -0800 (PST)
From: Mc Arthur Terrance <puppeterry-AT-yahoo.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Politi Library where TV McArthur works


--- On Tue, 12/9/08, Alan Cook <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com> wrote:

> Is this the library named for children's book
> illustrator/writer Leo Politi?

Alan, 
Yes, this branch is named for Leo Politi, who was born in Fresno.  The walls are adorned with his art (including a mural), and we have a large collection of his books.
> 
> I asume they have a copy of Leo Politi's book, Mr
> Fong's Toy Shop in which kids put on a shadow puppet
> show, among other things.

2008 is the centennial of Politi's birth, and we've had lots of programs to celebrate it. At the time of the Moon Festival, I did a shadow show of parts of "Mr. Fong's Toy Shop."  The week of Leo's birthday, we had a party, and I did shadow shows of two legends he recounts in "Three Stalks of Corn."  Next week, I'm doing shadows to illustrate "Pedro the Angel of Olvera Street."

Thank you, Alan, for your memories.  I will share them with the branch staff.

Terrance V. Mc Arthur
Fresno (CA) County Public Library


> 
> There was a real Mr Fong who ran a shop full of Chinese
> antiques (including various puppets from time to time (I
> bought a few from him), who Leo knew. That was in "New
> Chinatown" which grew after the original Los Angeles
> Chinatown was largely bulldozed to make room for Union
> Station.
> 
> Now, New Chinatown is OLD Chinatown, a lot less interesting
> than it used to be, Mr Fong is dead, but his family is
> trying to keep the shop going last I heard.
> 
> Nearby is Olvera Street, also a subject of books by Leo.
> "Pedro of Olvera Street" also had a touch of
> reality. One of the best shops on Olvera Street was CASA DE
> SOUSA, and it was run by the Sousa family. Mrs Sousa's
> son Bill I think was a primary inspiration for PEDRO, and as
> an adult he took up puppetry, first working with Betsy
> Brown, and continuing on as "Teatro de los
> Puppets". In honor of Leo Politi, Bill Sousa perfomed a
> hand puppet show on the edge of Olvera Street as a kickoff
> of the Leo Politi Year.
> 
> Leo was an almost daily visitor at the Art Building of the
> Los Angeles County Fair when I dd an exhibit of Chnese
> Puppets one year (17 days). I did brief shadow
> demonstrations all day long too. Weekends families from the
> San Gabriel Valley Chinese Cultural association performed a
> dragon dance and a lion dance in front of the Art Building.
> Between their presentations, their kids sat through all the
> puppet demos, until I had an impromptu puppet manipulation
> class for them, which Leo saw (with delight).Leo was kind of
> the oldest kid in Los Angeles.
> 
> Leo also visited the largest puppet exhibit I ever did (796
> puppets at the Municipal Art Gallery in Hollywood's
> Barnsdall Park in 1975) and did an ink sketch of me with
> puppets which I still have. No question, that he was a fan
> of puppets..
> 
> ALAN COOK



      
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