From: "Mark Levenson" <markl-AT-levenson.com>
Subject: punch:  was he or wasn't he...?
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 15:53:09 -0800


> From: Buster <jmaroon1-AT-mail.airmail.net>
> To: puptcrit-AT-jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU
> Subject: Re: Never Again...
> Date: Wednesday, December 04, 1996 12:14 PM 
>And as I said in a previous post, the history of Punch in this
> country is rife with incidents of censorship, as the powers that be often
> tried to silence his wonderfully subversive voice, always to no avail.  

earlier, you wrote "Mr. Punch was once against the law in this country."
can you identify any sources for these laws or censorship against punch? 
it would be very interesting to know.  McPharlin's chapter on history of
punch in his "history of puppet theatre in america" mentions that punch
shows done in the street were often (but not always) covered by the much
broader (and largely ineffective) 19th century laws that prohibited or
required the licensing of street entertainment.  but, he doesn't seem to
mention laws covering punch specifically nor any legislation or litigation
censoring the show.  and such laws that did exist, because they were
directed at street entertainment, did not appear to cover punch shows
performed indoors -- that is, from mcpharlin's text, there doesn't appear
to be anything specific about punch that anyone tried to regulate or
censor.

Mark Levenson
The Levenson Company
503-452-4046/voice
503-245-1161/fax
markl-AT-levenson.com


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