Ventriloquism Made Easy: How to Talk to Your Hand Without Looking Stupid! Second Edition [Paperback]

Paul Stadelman (Author), Bruce Fife (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1989 | ISBN-10: 094159906X | ISBN-13: 978-0941599061 | Edition: 2nd

Learn how to throw your voice. Make your hand talk, your shoe sing, and your mother-in-law shut-up! Everyone will be tongue-tied when you start talking to the lamp shade and it talks back! Ventriloquism, as taught in this book, is easy to learn if you follow a few simple rules. Anybody can do it! And it's so fun that once you start, you'll be talking to yourself for hours. This book explains how to use standard puppets as well as novelty figures such as balloon animals and gym socks. Includes 22 complete comedy dialogs to get you started. All outrageously funny.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is must reading for 'budding' ventriloquists. -- Robert H. Ladd, Dialogue

Wonderful book!...the best resource book currently on the market for the aspiring ventriloquist. -- Clinton Detweiler, North American Association of Ventriloquists

You will start with very basic instructions and move through learning to talk through your nose...It's terrific. -- Rainbo Reviews

About the Author

Paul Stadelman is a professional ventriloquist who starred on his own TV show for many years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Piccadilly Books, Ltd.; 2nd edition (November 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 094159906X
• ISBN-13: 978-0941599061
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #457,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Magic & Illusion

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite and FUNNIEST how to do "vent" books!, September 5, 2001

By 

Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ventriloquism Made Easy: How to Talk to Your Hand Without Looking Stupid! Second Edition (Paperback)

As someone who got interested in ventriloquism (and eventually dumped a 20 year newspaper career to work with WOODEN dummies) I was often frustrated reading how-to-do-ventriloquism books. Most were either amazingly boring, unknowingly pompous, or filled with cutsey-comments that seemingly padded an explanation of what I believe is actually a relatively easy "art" (if you are nutty enough to practice in front of a mirror until you perfect the "hard" letters). This is one of my FAVORITE now to do ventriloquism books -- and to this day it remains the funniest. I still do a routine in my show based on the structure of one of Paul Stadelman's classic bits (I have long since replaced the actual jokes). The late Paul Stadelman was a "classic" and I believe underrated vent who performed, taught and was on television for many years. And this book is worth it's price just for the zippy routines with Stadelman and his dummy Windy Higgins. These don't go on and on with long set-ups but are punchy, quick pay-off bits (and if Stadelman used a pun it was seldom groan-inducing). Stadelman was clearly more influenced by vaudeville and comedy teams than by other ventriloquists (which I think is GOOD). At the least these routines help readers understand routine construction and setup-joke structure. The late, wonderful Col. Bill Boley (another performer who deserved a higher national profile since there are zillions of ventriloquists running around doing bits of his published work and others who painstakingly "emulate" his original routines) was the only other ventriloquist whose published routines came CLOSE to doing this. And to TEACH you vent? This book has it all. It gives you the substitute letters (to say for the hard letters) and words to practice to perfect them. It also tells you how to make a puppet out of your hand, gives you performing tips, has some great ventriloquism-related photos, and and list of suppliers and organizations (some of this is outdated now). If someone was interested in "vent" and had this book, George Schindler's Ventriloquism: Magic With Your Voice and the in-its-own-class Maher Studios correspondence course they'd have it all. Plus, if they have this book they're going to also have some BIG laughs while reading it. Paul Stadelman is truly ventriloquism's unsung hero!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, September 4, 2005

By 

J. O'Hara (Southern, ME. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ventriloquism Made Easy: How to Talk to Your Hand Without Looking Stupid! Second Edition (Paperback)

I just got the book and already I am starting to get the hang of it. I am nowhere near good enough to take it on the road, but this book will give you the tools to feel confedent right from the start.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro, January 9, 2007

By 

Cindy (Black Hills, SD United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ventriloquism Made Easy: How to Talk to Your Hand Without Looking Stupid! Second Edition (Paperback)

This is an easy to read and use book and a great activity to do with your kids, particularly if they have any speech difficulties. You can get started with a sock puppet if you like, so it's also inexpensive.