Chocolate, of course. Those other flavors (banana and strawberry, are marks of the Devil. And it's "Nestle's Quik", dammit, not "Nesquik".
Subject: Jimmy Nelson, Ventriloquist in Nestle's TV Commercials, Dead at 90 Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2019 18:34:09 -0400 From: A Friend <[email protected]> Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Everybody of a certain age remembers Jimmy Nelson and his figures, dummy Danny O'Day and puppet Farfel. Mr. Nelson worked with other figures over the years, but the Nestle commercials he did with those two became a part of the common culture. Also, kids loved Farfel. (h/t to That Derek in alt.obituaries) https://www.newsfromme.com/2019/09/25/jimmy-nelson-r-i-p/ Jimmy Nelson, R.I.P. Published Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 2:46 PM Around the age of eight give or take a year I began answering the oft-asked question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with "A writer." And I never again answered it any other way. But before six, there were a few months there when I said "A ventriloquist." I can't explain what the appeal of that profession was to me but it had a lot to do with seeing great practitioners of that art on TV: Paul Winchell, Edgar Bergen, Shari Lewis, Señor Wences, one or two othersand Jimmy Nelson. Jimmy Nelson's main "figures" were Danny O'Day (who was a pretty generic dummy) and Farfel (a canine puppet who was a star with his laid-back, hound-dog attitude). Nelson was proficient at not moving his lips he may have been the best of the bunch at that and at being a good foil for his friends. I liked him every time I saw him, which wasn't as often as I would have liked. A lot of those times when I did see him were when he, Danny and Farfel were selling Nestlé's Quik or allied chocolate products. Here's just such an appearance Jimmy Nelson died yesterday at the age of 90. A gent named Joe Gandelman wrote a much better appreciation of the man than I could have mustered so go read that. Make sure you watch the clips there too, and there's a good, long interview with Nelson. He was a great showman. https://themoderatevoice.com/r-i-p-classic-ventriloquist-jimmy-nelson-90 / [LOTSA CLIPS!] Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief on Sep 25, 2019 in Arts & Entertainment, Television R.I.P. Classic Ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson, 90 EDITOR¹S NOTE: Tonight marks the passing of someone who was an icon to baby boomers and to those who do what he did or aspire to do what he did. Someone who was long considered the the best and nicest in the business. Even if you didn¹t see him perform on TV or in his famous Nestles commericials, here¹s a story about a remarkable, talented and sincere person who proved nice guys CAN finish first. This was first published in 2010 and then revised and published in 2017. The ventriloquism world and show biz just lost one of their nicest icons someone who literally inspired many people who now do ventriloquism full-time or as a hobby. But no matter what, if you met him you were charmed, blessed and inspired. I am perpetually studying comedy of all eras and people would often ask me: so who is YOUR favorite ventriloquist? I would tell them he is not one of the ³classic² ones the bulk of people immediately name but he is a classic ventriloquist of the same era and stature. He is not one of the younger ones you see on TV, cruise ships, comedy clubs, Vegas or on the school circuit. He¹s Jimmy Nelson, a performer with a truly friendly stage persona, impeccable ventriloquism technique, a gentle but on-target sense of humor someone who performed as if he was truly part of a comedy team (the other guy just happened to be wood) but unlike some ventriloquists never appeared as if he wanted the audience to focus on as him the star and adore only him, but love him AND his comedic partner(s). And they did. Jimmy Nelson was born on December 15, 1928 and he left us today at the age of 90. It is a cliche to say this but it is true here: It is the end of an era. Nelson was an up and coming TV star in the 50s and in the 60s. He became beloved and famous to Baby Boomers and their parents everywhere in the classic Nestles Quick commercials starring him, his dummy Danny O¹Day and his dummy dog Farfel with the jingle: ³N-E-S-T-L-E-SNestles makes the very best² The dog would then sing: ³Chaawklete!² (Nestles brought a slightly revised version of Farfel back for a 1992 commercial.) He appeared live on the Milton Berle Show when a young Elvis Presley made one of his first appearances, worked the Jackie Gleason-produced summer replacement show Stage Show and countless other TV shows, did night clubs and was a smash on an HBO special that featured ventriloquists. Unlike some ventriloquists, he didn¹t move his lips, didn¹t smile each time the puppet talks, didn¹t have that little laugh when a puppet cracked a joke, and doesn¹t have a seemingly pained or strained look on his face as he talked (or sung) without moving his lips. And his manipulation of his key wooden partner (a highly coveted wooden ³figure² by iconic ³figuremaker² Frank Marshall) was absolutely flawless. Nelson was a legend but refused to act like one. As with most communities, the ³ventriloquism community² also has an elite comprised of both the famous and the institutionally powerful. Nelson was known for encouraging people (even if they were not in the community¹s elite) who want to keep the old art alive. He was never into exclusion, ego games, glad handing or cliques. And then there¹s this: people who want to try ventriloquism sometimes say that when they approach a professional ³vent² they sometimes feel discouraged, condescended to, or kept at distance because they don¹t do it full-time (a perception that is not always accurate). Not so with Nelson. The three words most commonly used about Nelson were ³showmanship² and ³gentleman² (a word not applied to everyone these days) and ³sincere.² For many years Nelson, retired in Fort Myers, Florida, performed whenever he wished (he especially has enjoyed visiting schools and doing shows for seniors where he can show and discuss some of his vintage videos) and can always be counted on to be at virtually every ventriloquists¹ convention always willing to talk and encourage and never interested in marginalizing, distancing himself, ignoring or discouraging. He was an equal opportunity encourager. But he has another role as well an unsung one. As the last survivor of the mid-to-late 20th century ³classic ventriloquists² group (Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell, Shari Lewis and Senor Wences were the others) he is famous for his role in encouraging people who want to do ventriloquism to keep tinkering with it and he encouraged some to go full-time. How do I know that? I¹ve heard of others. And I am one of them. I was a full-time reporter on the San Diego Union newspaper when I quit to go full-time with the encouragement of Jimmy Nelson. I had written from New Delhi, Dacca, Cypress, Madrid and then worked on the Knight-Ridder paper in Wichita before being brought out to San Diego by the San Diego Union. I had not known what happened to Nelson until I started tinkering with ventriloquism in the late 80s to relieve journalism job stress (one week I put in 40 hours of newspaper overtime I was truly driven). I learned that he had gotten off the road after being hired by a Florida bank to do its commercials and public relations (he was on TV often for the bank). I wrote to him and sent him the first taped video of me trying a routine and he invited me to visit him in his office while I was in Florida visiting my parents. When I met him it turned out he was exactly as endearing as his TV persona had been no change. I looked at the small versions of his dummy Danny O¹Day and Farfel as we talked in his office. We had lunch and he offered to look at any future video tapes and give me his feedback. So I sent a few. And, invariably, a few days after sending one, I¹d get a letter in the mail where he would critique my performance each one, packed with details and encouragement as he noted specific things I was doing correctly in terms of ventriloquism and showmanship. At one point told me: ³You look like you are so relaxed and you smile, Joe: you¹re one of the people who could do it full-time.² And so Jimmy Nelson planted the seed of encouragement (which he would say more than once) in someone who had been a PoliSci major at Colgate and got his masters in Journalism at Northwestern University¹s prestigious Medill School of Journalism and who had worked as a journalist on three continents. That seed blossomed into a decision to put aside one career and leap into the uncharted sometimes chilly waters of another. How often do you find someone who so totally changed someone¹s life and who made so many other people happy when they saw him onstage or off stage? http://www.leejaynelson.com/tributepage.html Tribute to My Father, Jimmy Nelson In the 1950's and 1960's, Saturday mornings were spent watching programs on your black and white television, and that would be your earliest memory of Jimmy Nelson. He and his puppets, Danny O'Day and Farfel the dog, made the jingle--"N-E-S-T-L-E-S, NESTLES MAKES THE VERY BEST"... and Farfel would sing ..."Chawwclate!" That's exactly how Jimmy Nelson sang his audition for the commercial, but his hand was sweaty because he was nervous...and that caused Farfel's mouth to snap shut! He thought that ended the audition on a bad note, but the executives loved it and kept it in the commercial! It became Farfel's trademark...all from a sweaty hand! The commercials ran from 1955 to 1965, but Jimmy and his 'Friends' have done a few more commercials for NESTLES since then. He still does perform that commercial at personal appearances because EVERYBODY wants to hear it! Jimmy Nelson's 'Friends' started with Danny O'Day who was built in 1945 by renowned ventriloquism figure maker, Frank Marshall. Danny O'Day's predecessor was a doll called 'Dummy Dan' that he received when he was 10 years old at Christmas from his Aunt. She had won it at a bingo game, and since she didn't want it, she gave it to Jimmy! That's how it all started! Eventually he started working in Chicago, after honing his skills while he was performing in the school he attended. The jobs didn't pay, but the amateur contests he kept winning did! He was only in his teens, but his talent was maturing fast, so he went to the man who had made Edgar Bergen's Charlie McCarthy. Once Frank Marshall saw Jimmy's act, he was impressed and agreed to make him a professional Danny ventrioloquism figure. It was quite an honor to have Frank Marshall make a figure for you. Jimmy still works with his original Danny O'Day figure. Humphrey Higsbye came two years after Danny O'Day when Frank said he could not carve two figures exactly alike. So Jimmy added another character to the act. Then Farfel became part of the family in 1950 when Jimmy was joking around with a stuffed dog lying about on the piano in one of the clubs. He used a voice that made people laugh and one thing led to another, and next thing you know...Farfel was famous! Jimmy's first televsion appearance was September 1950 on the Ed Sullivan Show! He performed his famous smoking routine with Danny O'Day, and he was quite a hit. In fact, Ed Sullivan said Jimmy Nelson was "the greatest I've ever seen in his field." He appeared on the show for years to follow. He and his 'friends' would also be a part of the Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater, and then of course, their association with NESTLES. By 1960, Jimmy was seen 5 days a week on the Studio 99 1/2 in the Tri-state area, in association with Channel 13 Newark, NJ. It was a live show and he added several hand puppets which meant he was doing 13 voices! Jimmy Nelson still performs today for elementary schools throughout the state of Florida, teaching children about the danger of smoking cigarettes through his Jimmy Nelson's Anti-Smoking Performances. [Above article based on JIMMY NELSON: N-E-L-S-O-N...Nelson Makes the Very Best...Warm Memories of Danny O'Day, Farfel & Chaaawwwwclate by J.C. Johnson/Comedy Profiles Editor TalkingComedy.com Vol.4/No.2. ALL VENT Issue 2005. Laughters LEGEND section...]
