I grew up watching--and loving--Shari Lewis who was a fabulous ventriloquist with her menagerie who included Lamb Chop, Charley Horse, Wing Ding and others. I loved her so much I asked my mother to get me any of her puppets which she did.
As a young female ventriloquist with big aspirations, Shari Lewis was searching for a voice who could say things that a young woman in the 1950s could not, and found it in a sock puppet named Lamb Chop. The duo debuted on CBS children’s television series “Captain Kangaroo” in 1956 and went on to attain cultural icon status in the U.S. by the end of the 20th century.
Shari was a fabulous entertainer who passed away in 1998 from uterine cancer. Now her daughter is working on a documentary of her life.
The documentary will examine her journey, which included winning 13 Emmys and a Peabody and authoring 60 children’s books, and her impact on children’s television through the lens of her decades-long relationship with Lamb Chop. It will delve into the unique psychology that exists between performer and puppet, and the world of ventriloquism and magic.Lewis’s daughter Mallory, who took up performing with Lamb Chop after her mother’s death, is serving as a consultant on the project. Can't wait!