Ventriloquism.org

Ventriloquist

Bob Neller

Credited as the first ventriloquist ever to perform on American television, and the pupil the Great Lester himself called his best.

  • 1911–1989
Bob Neller in white tie and tails, a boutonniere on his lapel, photographed by Strauss of Cleveland
Bob Neller, photographed by Strauss Studio, Cleveland, around the years Dizzy Dugan was drawing crowds. Via Ventriloquist Central, Dan Willinger's Frank Marshall Collection.

Bob Neller could do something with his mouth that almost nobody else in this trade could do: two sounds, two parts, at the exact same time, in harmony. His younger brother Doc watched him practice that whistle for years before he finally had it clean.[1] Then it put him on the first television broadcast an American ventriloquist ever gave, whistling in duet with a wooden partner while most of the country didn't even own a television set yet.[2][3] I own the figure that did the whistling.[4] Neller doesn't get talked about enough around here, so pull up a chair and let's fix that.

The whistle that got him noticed

Neller trained under the Great Lester, and Lester's own verdict on him survives in print: Neller was "the first to do all the difficult letters clearly, correctly and distinctly without any lip or jaw movement."[5] That's not a warm compliment from an old teacher handing out ribbons. Lester built his own reputation on exactly those letters, the hard consonants that trip up nine vents out of ten, and he put in writing that his student had them cold.

Neller went further than clean consonants. He built part of his act around a genuine oddity: whistling two notes in harmony, as if he and the figure were both whistling at once. His brother Doc spent his own formative years touring the Midwest at Bob's side, the two of them known for acrobatic exhibitions before Doc stepped back and let his brother's ventriloquism career take the lead.[1] Doc is the one who put the record straight on how much work that whistle actually cost: "the incredible amount of time that Bob spent practicing to whistle in two parts at the same time."[1] One skill, one witness, and Neller is one of the only names in this whole archive with a family member on record explaining how the trick got made.

The first face on American television

June 9, 1939. NBC, station W2XBS, out of Radio City, New York, just weeks after the network's first regular broadcasts had gone out from the World's Fair.[6] Bob Neller is credited, across enough independent sources that it isn't just hometown pride, as the first ventriloquist ever to perform on American television.[2][3][7] He made the same claim himself, in his own words, in a 1956 profile in his hometown paper.[5]

And here's the correction almost every later tribute page gets wrong. The figure doing the whistling that night wasn't Reggie, the famous McElroy with the mechanical face everybody remembers. It was an older figure, Dizzy Dugan, and the two-part whistle in harmony was the entire reason he got booked for the broadcast.[6] That figure isn't lost to history. I own it, and it still whistles.[4]

One head, two shops

Here's how a figure gets built by two rival craftsmen without either one losing his claim to it. Frank Marshall carved Dizzy Dugan's head for Neller sometime in the 1930s and gave the lips their own built-in pucker, purpose-carved for the whistle.[8] Once Neller saw what George and Glenn McElroy could do with a mechanism, he brought them the head and had them convert everything else: controls, headstick, body, hands, feet, all McElroy, riding on a Marshall face. It's one of only a handful of figures anywhere built by both shops.[8][9]

Neller was proud enough of the partnership to send a photograph to whoever built it, inscribed in his own hand: "To the masterfull creator of Dizzy Dugan, our best wishes, Bob Neller & Diz."[10] He whistled with Dizzy Dugan on the air in 1939 and kept working with him for years after, until he had McElroy build him something newer.

Then he retired the old figure, and in 1953 he sold him. A Wisconsin mother came backstage after a Neller show because her son Bernie was a budding young vent himself, and asked where she could buy him a professional figure. "I have your problem solved," Neller told her, and the two of them worked out a deal: $125 for Dizzy Dugan.[8] Bernie took that figure through the rest of his teenage years. He even brought him to his prom. Neller later tried to buy the McElroy body back, offering to reunite it with an old Marshall body he'd kept in storage. Bernie said no thanks. Smart kid.[8]

From there the figure passed to a collector named Bob Isaacson, who reunited the head and body after they'd been separated by an eBay sale, then to Dan Willinger and the Ventriloquist Central Collection.[11] I'm the current owner. I can tell you firsthand: the whistling mechanism Frank Marshall carved into that head in the 1930s still works.[4]

$125 for a figure that whistled on the first television broadcast in American ventriloquism history. Craftsmanship compounds, folks. So does history.

Reggie, the figure with a thousand faces

The figure Neller commissioned to replace Dizzy Dugan had a proper name, buried for decades in old newsprint until a Detroit society column turned it up: Reginald J. Trickpuss.[12] The McElroy brothers built him with twelve separate mechanical controls, and Neller did the arithmetic himself in a 1958 brochure: combine those twelve movements every possible way and you get 4,096 different facial expressions.[5] He marketed the figure more simply, on his own advertising postcard, as "a figure with a thousand faces," and the postcard survives: fourteen photographs of one face, grinning, winking, sneering, rolling its eyes, crossing them.[13]

Neller registered Reggie at Vent Haven in 1958 as figure number 331 in W.S. Berger's own numbering system, on a visit where Berger noted Neller was one of three visitors who'd flown planes in the war.[5] He sent Berger a photograph too, inscribed: "To W.S. Berger, may your outstanding collection continue to grow. Good luck. Bob Neller and Reggie."[14]

Fourteen suits, one wooden partner, a war just starting

By January 1941 Reggie was already carrying the act through Detroit's charity circuit. On the 17th, Neller played a British War Relief Society ball at the Detroit Golf Club, on a bill with a concert violinist fresh off a date with the Detroit Symphony and a piano-playing bandleader opening that same week at the Fox Theater. The Detroit paper's verdict on him: he'd "gained rating with Edgar Bergen as a ventriloquist."[15] By 1941, Bergen wasn't just competition. He was the yardstick the local press measured everybody else against, Neller included.

Three weeks later, another Detroit charity gala billed him as "aided by Reginald J. Trickpuss," on a program with a Canadian concert tenor who'd sung for the King and Queen of England.[12] Then came the wardrobe story, and it's a good one. Detroit Evening Times, December 22, 1941, sixteen days after Pearl Harbor: Neller was booked for a Christmas party the paper was throwing for soldiers at the Michigan State Fair Grounds, and the write-up made a point of his closet. "Ventriloquist Bob Neller has 14 different suits of clothes for his act. Reginald J. Trickpuss, his dummy, also has 14 suits to match his boss's."[16] Twenty-eight suits, tailored in fourteen matching pairs. That's a serious wardrobe budget for a nightclub act, and it tells you exactly how the routine worked: a costume change for every character or setting Neller and his wooden partner played that night.

Two months after that he was in Hartford, "extra added" on a State Theater bill headlined by bandleader Eddy Duchin and the dancing comedian Ray Bolger, fresh off playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.[17] The program called Reggie Neller's "wooden stooge," the vocabulary Bergen's success had made standard across the whole trade by then. Whatever you called him, Reggie was carrying real weight on a real circuit.

The barn fire

Between engagements Neller ran a side business, hand-making small novelty figures called Peekies. It didn't end well. The material he used to make them was highly flammable, and one day it caught: an explosion and a fire that burned the barn where he made them to the ground. He went bankrupt over it, and went back into performing to rebuild what he'd lost.[18] A photograph survives of Dizzy Dugan with an original Peekie peeking out of his coat pocket, proof the whole episode stayed close to home even after the barn didn't survive it.[18]

A gray-haired Bob Neller performing with Reggie standing on a chair beside him, at a microphone, before an audience
Neller, gray-haired by now, working a room decades into his career. Abbott's Get Together, Colon, Michigan, 1966. Photo by Dan Gardner, via Find A Grave, contributed by Dan G.
A row of small novelty figures called Peekies, made by Bob Neller
Peekies: the small novelty figures Neller hand-made on the side, out of a material flammable enough to end the whole business in one afternoon. Via Ventriloquist Central Blog

The teacher

Neller's ear for the hard consonants didn't stay a party trick. He developed his own alternate method for the two letters that ruin more beginners than any others, B and P, distinct enough that the International Ventriloquist Society's own lesson page names it as one worth seeking out on its own.[19] He recorded a full audio course, Learn Ventriloquism, covering close ventriloquism (voice quality, jaw and lip control, letter substitutes for the labials) and a distant-voice technique he called the Drone, later reissued on CD with the plain assessment that "as an instructor of the art of ventriloquism, Bob Neller was one of the very best."[20][21]

Mark Wade, who built his own career decades later teaching kids' ventriloquism from a stage in Ohio, saw Neller work live and never forgot it: "I watched him do his baby cry and distant voice and my jaw dropped to the floor. Wonderful performer. One of the best."[22] That's not nostalgia talking. That's one working professional watching another do something he couldn't explain.

The partners

Dizzy Dugan, Bob Neller's Marshall-carved, McElroy-mechanized figure, restored and photographed outdoors in a tan jacket and patterned bow tie

Dizzy Dugan

Marshall's carved face on a McElroy body, mechanism and hands. Whistled with Neller on the first American television broadcast in 1939. Sold to a Wisconsin schoolboy for $125 in 1953. I own him now, and the whistle still works.

Photo via Ventriloquist Central Blog
A young Bob Neller with Reggie, his McElroy figure, one finger raised toward the figure's face

Reggie (Reginald J. Trickpuss)

Twelve McElroy movements, 4,096 possible expressions by Neller's own count, marketed as "a figure with a thousand faces." Carried Neller's act through the Detroit charity circuit and beyond, registered at Vent Haven in 1958 as BVD No. 331.

Photo via WorthPoint

The circle

No vent works alone, and Neller's world was a full one: a teacher, a brother, a headliner he toured with, two rival figure-making shops, and a chain of owners who kept his best-known figure alive long after he retired it.

taught by The Great Lester brother Doc Neller toured with Rudy Vallee figure by Frank Marshall figure by George & Glenn McElroy praised by Mark Wade owned Dizzy Dugan Bernie Kallman owned Dizzy Dugan Dan Willinger owns Dizzy Dugan now Jimmy Vee

The last bow

For years, everything this archive knew about Bob Neller amounted to one television date and a death year. Then the photographs turned up: his brother's interview, the inscribed portraits, the auction records for a figure two rival shops both had a hand in building. A pioneer nearly slipped through the cracks of his own history. Not on my watch.

Neller kept performing well into his sixties, working a room, his figure standing unsupported on a hotel chair beside him at what looks like a vent convention decades after that first broadcast.[2] He died August 9, 1989.[3]

Freddy Fiddlesticks, the Ventriloquism.org spokesdummy

June 9, 1939, most of America owns no television at all, and the first thing a ventriloquist offers the ones who do is two notes whistled at once through wood. That's not showing off, that's a man handing over years of his brother's patience in a single breath.— Freddy Fiddlesticks, spokesdummy

Sightings in the newspapers

52 dated notices between 1931 and 1948. Each links to the scanned page at the Library of Congress. Browse all Career Snippets

  1. 1931Mar 25 Ventriloquist Robert J. Neller and his dummy 'Izzy' were to be feature specialty entertainers in 'It's a Gay Life,' the Haresfoot club of the University of Wisconsin's revue, at the Pabst theater in Milwaukee, April 10 and 11 (1931). Milwaukee, April page
  2. 1931Mar 25 Robert J. Neller's ventriloquist dummy was named 'Izzy'. page
  3. 1931Mar 25 Neller, a sophomore in general chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, was an Appleton boy working his way through school with his dummy and knowledge of ventriloquism. page
  4. 1931Mar 25 Neller became interested in ventriloquism since eighth grade, when the Great Lester played in Appleton and advised him that practice was necessary to master voice throwing. page
  5. 1931Mar 25 Robert J. Neller, a sophomore in general chemistry at the University of Wisconsin from Appleton, was a ventriloquist working his way through school with his dummy 'Izzy' and his knowledge of ventriloquism. page
  6. 1931Mar 25 Neller and his dummy 'Izzy' were to appear as feature specialty entertainers in the Haresfoot club's revue 'It's a Gay Life' at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, April 10 and 11 (1931). Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, April page
  7. 1931Mar 25 Neller became interested in ventriloquism since eighth grade after seeing 'the Great Lester' perform in Appleton, who advised him that becoming proficient required a great deal of practice. page
  8. 1939May 10 Bob Neller, ventriloquist, appeared on stage with Kitty Carlisle, Cappy Barra and his harmonica troupe, Dr. 'Think-a-Drink' Hoffman, and the Three Castles dancing trio, on a bill accompanying a film program (per a 1939-05-10 newspaper listing). page
  9. 1939May 10 Bob Neller, ventriloquist, appeared on stage alongside Kitty Carlisle, Cappy Barra and his harmonica troupe, Dr. 'Think-a-Drink' Hoffman, and the Three Castles dancing trio, per a theater listing in a 1939-05-10 newspaper. page
  10. 1939May 13 Bob Neller, a ventriloquist, appeared on the Capitol theater stage bill (as reported May 13, 1939) doing an act where he 'can whistle a duet with himself and say Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers (not at the same time)', alongside Miss Carlisle, Dr. 'Think-a-Drink' Hoffman, Cappy Barry and his harmonica ensemble, and the Three Castles novelty dancers. page
  11. 1939May 13 Bob Neller, a ventriloquist, performed on the Capitol theater stage bill (reported May 13, 1939) alongside singer Kitty Carlisle, Dr. 'Think-a-Drink' Hoffman, Cappy Barry and his harmonica ensemble, and the Three Castles novelty dancers; he was described as able to 'whistle a duet with himself and say "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" (not at the same time).' page
  12. 1940Apr 6 Ventriloquist Bob Neller appeared in a vaudeville stage show (produced by Gene Ford) alongside Vilma and Buddy Ebsen, soprano Marjorie Gainsworth, the Kanazawa Japs, and Marjorie King; a critic wrote he 'is at least as clever as Edgar Bergen.' page
  13. 1940Apr 6 Ventriloquist Bob Neller performed as part of a vaudeville stage show produced by Gene Ford, appearing alongside Vilma and Buddy Ebsen, soprano Marjorie Gainsworth, the Kanazwa Japs, and Marjorie King; reviewer called him 'at least as clever as Edgar Bergen.' page
  14. 1940Apr 6 A critic wrote that Ventriloquist Bob Neller 'is at least as clever as Edgar Bergen.' page
  15. 1940Apr 9 Bob Neller, billed as 'boss ventriloquist,' appeared on the Capitol Theatre stage show this week, per a photo feature in the newspaper (Washington, D.C., week of April 9, 1940). Capitol Theatre page
  16. 1940Apr 9 At the Capitol theater stage show (week of April 9, 1940), Bob Neller appeared billed as 'boss ventriloquist,' alongside The Rockets performing 'mass ventriloquism' each with a top-hatted dummy, and Buddy and Vilma Ebsen as song 'n' dance performers. page
  17. 1941Jan 17 Ventriloquist Bob Neller opened this evening (January 17, 1941) at the Book-Cadillac Casino in Detroit, sharing the bill with Barbara Scully and Harry MacDonald as master of ceremonies. Book-Cadillac Casino page
  18. 1941Jan 17 Bob Neller is described as having 'gained rating with Edgar Bergen as a ventriloquist' with his wooden partner. page
  19. 1941Jan 17 Bob Neller, a ventriloquist rated alongside Edgar Bergen, opened this evening at the Book-Cadillac Casino (Detroit) with his wooden partner; the bill also included Barbara Scully as soprano and Harry MacDonald as master of ceremonies, per the Jan. 17, 1941 newspaper. Book-Cadillac Casino page
  20. 1941Jan 17 Bob Neller, a ventriloquist rated alongside Edgar Bergen, opened this evening at the Book-Cadillac Casino (Detroit) with his wooden partner 'Reginald J. Trick-puss', on a bill with Barbara Scully and master of ceremonies Harry MacDonald. Book-Cadillac Casino page
  21. 1941Jan 17 Bob Neller, a ventriloquist compared in rating to Edgar Bergen, opened this evening at the Book-Cadillac Casino in Detroit, appearing with his wooden partner. Book-Cadillac Casino page
  22. 1941Feb 1 Bob Neller, ventriloquist, was billed to appear at a fund-raising Birthday Ball event on Feb. 1, 1941, alongside tenor Joseph Victor Laderoute, violinist Zino Francescatti, and Spanish dancers Fernandez and Teresita. page
  23. 1941Feb 1 Bob Neller, ventriloquist, appeared on a fund-raising show bill alongside tenor Joseph Victor Laderoute, violinist Zino Francescatti, and Spanish dancers Fernandez and Teresita, as part of Michigan Birthday Ball fund-raising parties reported February 1, 1941. page
  24. 1941Feb 1 Bob Neller, ventriloquist, was among the acts performing at a Michigan fundraising Birthday Ball event reported Feb. 1, 1941, alongside Fernandes and Teresita (Spanish dancers), tenor Joseph Victor Laderoute, and violinist Zino Francescatti. page
  25. 1941Feb 1 Bob Neller, ventriloquist, performed at a Michigan fundraising Birthday Ball event reported February 1, 1941, sharing the bill with Fernandes and Teresita (Spanish dancers), tenor Joseph Victor Laderoute, and violinist Zino Francescatti. page
  26. 1941Feb 3 Bob Neller, the ventriloquist, aided by Reginald J. Trickpuss, performed among entertainers at an event featuring John Hoysradt as master of ceremonies, alongside tenor Joseph Victor Laderoute, violinist Zino Francescatti, and Spanish dancers Fernandez and Teresita, with Eddie Le Baron and his orchestra from the Book Casino. Book Casino page
  27. 1941Feb 3 Bob Neller, 'the ventriloquist,' performed with his figure Reginald J. Trickpuss at an event featuring John Hoysradt as master of ceremonies, alongside tenor Joseph Victor Laderoute, violinist Zino Francescatti, dancers Fernandez and Teresita, and Eddie Le Baron's orchestra, as reported in a Detroit-area newspaper dated 1941-02-03. page
  28. 1941Feb 28 Bob Neller, billed as a ventriloquist who whistles duets, appeared in 'The Berserk Revue' stage show, sharing the bill with Comedian J. C. Flippen, Soprano Marjorie Gainsworth, Billy Branch and Company, and the Rhythm Rockets (1941). page
  29. 1941Feb 28 A 1941-02-28 theater review lists 'Bob Neller, the ventriloquist' as part of a variety bill that also included Marjorie Gainsworth (singer), Billy Branch and company (apache dance), and Gil and Bernie Mason with comic dogs, plus the Rhythm Rockets. page
  30. 1941Feb 28 Bob Neller, billed as a ventriloquist 'who whistles duets,' appeared in 'The Berserk Revue' stage show (reviewed Feb. 28, 1941), alongside comedian J. C. Flippen, soprano Marjorie Gainsworth, dance act Billy Branch and Company, and the Rhythm Rockets. page
  31. 1941Feb 28 Bob Neller, described as 'the ventriloquist,' appeared alongside Marjorie Gainsworth, Billy Branch and company, Gil and Bernie Mason, and the Rhythm Rockets in a variety stage show, per a newspaper dated 1941-02-28. page
  32. 1941Dec 19 Ventriloquist Bob Neller opened a new 'Holiday Revue' at Club Royale (Detroit) on the night of 1941-12-19, performing with his figure described as a little red-headed wooden partner named Reginald J. Trickfoot (OCR uncertain: 'Trickptiss'); the bill also included radio songstress Joy Parker and the Starliters. page
  33. 1941Dec 19 A Detroit Times nightclub column noted that 'Neller's ventriloquial humor scored a hit in Detroit last season,' and that he had added a 'jam session' bit impersonating a midway barker with a kazoo (Detroit, 1941-12-19). A Detroit Times page
  34. 1941Dec 19 Ventriloquist Neller was also scheduled to appear at a Military Ball sponsored by the Detroit Times' 'Santa Claus for Service Men' committee at the State Fair Grounds the following Tuesday after 1941-12-19. Detroit Times page
  35. 1941Dec 19 Ventriloquist Bob Neller opened a new 'Holiday Revue' at Club Royale in Detroit on Dec 19, 1941, with his red-headed wooden dummy partner named Reginald J. Trickpiss. page
  36. 1941Dec 19 Neller's ventriloquial humor scored a hit in Detroit the previous season, and he added a 'jam session' bit impersonating a midway barker with a kazoo. page
  37. 1941Dec 19 Neller was also scheduled to appear at a Military Ball for soldiers, sailors and marines at the State Fair Grounds, sponsored by the Detroit Times' 'Santa Claus for Service Men' committee, the following Tuesday. Detroit Times page
  38. 1941Dec 19 At Club Royale's new revue, Neller shared the bill with singer Joy Parker, the Starliers, and the McColl Twins. page
  39. 1941Dec 21 Bob Neller, billed as 'the nation's outstanding ventriloquist,' performed with his dummy 'Reginald J. Tuckpuss' (OCR: 'Tnckpuss'), star of the Club Royale's show, as part of a variety program (per the newspaper's date, Dec. 21, 1941). page
  40. 1941Dec 21 Bob Neller, described as 'the nation's outstanding ventriloquist,' performed with his dummy figure at a floor show on December 21, 1941, sharing the bill with Enric Madngueta's orchestra, Patricia Gilmore, the Conrads, Jane Fulton, Marianne Anion, Dottie Cook, Connie Barleau, and the Blondell Sisters. page
  41. 1941Dec 22 Ventriloquist Bob Neller was billed to appear at The Times party for soldiers at the State Fair Grounds, per a notice printed December 22, 1941. The Times page
  42. 1941Dec 22 Bob Neller had 14 different suits of clothes for his ventriloquist act, as noted in a 1941 newspaper piece. page
  43. 1941Dec 22 Ventriloquist Bob Neller was scheduled to appear on the night after Dec 22, 1941 at The Times party for soldiers held at the State Fair Grounds. The Times page
  44. 1941Dec 22 Bob Neller's ventriloquist dummy was named Reginald J. Trickpuss. page
  45. 1941Dec 22 Bob Neller had 14 different suits of clothes for his ventriloquist act, and his dummy Reginald J. Trickpuss had 14 matching suits. page
  46. 1941Dec 22 Bob Neller, described as 'the outstanding ventriloquist,' performed with his dummy 'Reginald J. Trickpuss' at an event featuring acts from the Club Royale, reported in a Detroit-area paper dated 1941-12-22. page
  47. 1941Dec 22 Bob Neller, billed as 'the outstanding ventriloquist,' performed with his dummy 'Reginald J. Trickpuss' at the Club Royale, as part of a show reported in a Detroit-area paper dated 1941-12-22. page
  48. 1942Feb 13 Ventriloquist Bob Nelltr (name possibly garbled by OCR) appeared with his wooden 'stooge' figure as an extra added act on the stage show bill headlined by Eddy Duchin and Ray Bolger at the State theater, Hartford, for three days, February 13, 14, and 15, 1942. page
  49. 1942Feb 13 Ventriloquist Bob Neller (rendered 'Bob Nelltr' in OCR) performed with his wooden figure 'Reggie Trickpuss' on the State theater stage in Hartford, on the bill with Eddy Duchin and Ray Bolger, February 13-15, 1942. page
  50. 1948Dec 16 Ventriloquist Bob Neller performed with his dummy Reggie at an event reported in a Dec 16, 1948 newspaper; the dummy razzed the Warden, Deputy Warden, and others, and Neller had the dummy whistle. page
  51. 1948Dec 16 Ventriloquist Bob Neller performed with his dummy Reggie at a 1948 show, with the dummy razzing audience members including the Warden, Deputy Warden, Pappy Lang, Albert S., and Shortline. page
  52. 1948Dec 16 The reviewer noted that whistling was 'one thing we had never seen a ventriloquist attempt' before Bob Neller accomplished it successfully during this 1948 performance. page

Sources

  1. Doc Neller, interviewed, "Doc Neller, Younger Brother of Ventriloquist Bob Neller," Ventriloquist Central Blog
  2. "Ventriloquists of the 20th Century," Ventriloquist Central
  3. Find A Grave memorial 22943916, Robert John "Bob" Neller
  4. Jimmy Vee, firsthand, 2026: current owner of the Dizzy Dugan figure
  5. The Oracle (International Brotherhood of Ventriloquists), 1953–1958 issues — Lester's pupil verdict, the 1956 Appleton hometown profile, the Vent Haven visit and BVD No. 331, and Neller's own 4,096-expression brochure math
  6. "American Television's First Ventriloquist," Ventriloquist Central Blog
  7. The Oracle, November 12, 1953, quoting Showbiz, From Vaude to Video: "the first vent to appear on TV was Bob Neller in 1939"
  8. Willinger Collection auction, Session 2, Lot 62 (Crown, October 25, 2015)
  9. Willinger Collection auction photographs, 2015, Lot 62
  10. Willinger Collection auction photographs, 2015, Lot 138 (the inscribed Strauss of Cleveland montage)
  11. "Frank Marshall," Ventriloquist Central (Dan Willinger's Frank Marshall Collection)
  12. "In Mayfair," Detroit Evening Times, February 3, 1941 — Library of Congress, Chronicling America
  13. Clinton Detweiler, Mr. D's blog — the Reggie "thousand faces" postcard
  14. Photograph, Jimmy Vee collection — Neller's inscription to W.S. Berger
  15. "In Mayfair," Detroit Evening Times, January 17, 1941 — Library of Congress, Chronicling America
  16. "People You Know," Detroit Evening Times, December 22, 1941 — Library of Congress, Chronicling America
  17. The Waterbury Democrat, February 13, 1942 — Library of Congress, Chronicling America
  18. "Peekies, or Kilroy Is Watching," Ventriloquist Central Blog
  19. International Ventriloquist Society, free ventriloquism lessons page
  20. Maher Studios catalog — scanned document, Jimmy Vee collection
  21. The Ventriloquist Academy, legends promotional page
  22. Mark Wade, interviewed, Vent-O-Gram (David Malmberg)