Harry Lester American variety ventriloquist Date of Birth: 01.01.1878 Country: Poland

1. The Great Lester: The Famous Ventriloquist
2. A Unique Ventriloquist
3. A Teacher and Mentor
4. Television Appearance and Legacy

The Great Lester: The Famous Ventriloquist

The Great Lester, an American vaudeville ventriloquist of Polish origin, is considered the most famous and successful ventriloquist of the vaudeville era and one of the pioneers of this challenging entertainment craft. Although there is limited information about his early life, he was born in Poland in either 1878 or 1880. His real name was Marian Czajkowski, but it was not suitable for a successful career in American vaudeville. According to Lester himself, he carved his puppet, Frank Byron Jr., out of wood when he was young. The magazine "Coronet" claimed that the puppet was created by Frank Marshall from Chicago. However, it is more likely that Frank Byron Jr. left Theo Mack & Son's workshop in Chicago a few years before Frank Marshall, who was also of Polish descent and originally named Marzalkiewicz, joined the workshop in 1913. Lester is referred to as the "grandfather of modern ventriloquism."

A Unique Ventriloquist

Lester was known for being the first ventriloquist to drink water while his puppet spoke, although Joe Laurie, a vaudeville artist who later performed on Broadway, claimed that this trick was first used in 1821. In 1925, musicians jokingly replaced the water with whiskey. Lester drank the whiskey as if it were water, showing no signs of being affected. On the other hand, Frank Byron Jr. started coughing and shaking his head as if he had drunk the whiskey. One of his most famous acts involved Lester making phone calls to heaven and hell in search of his sister. He also became the first ventriloquist to walk among the audience while his puppet whistled.

A Teacher and Mentor

Later in his career, Harry Lester became a renowned teacher, instructing others in the art of ventriloquism. He developed his own program of breathing exercises and speech articulation. During his lessons, Lester encouraged his students to make tape recordings, resulting in numerous educational recordings that still exist today. One of his students was Edgar Bergen, a famous American actor and radio host, known for his ventriloquist act with his puppet, Charlie McCarthy.

Television Appearance and Legacy

In 1951, The Great Lester made his first and only television appearance on the weekly program "You Asked For It," hosted by Art Baker. For the show, Lester brought not only Frank Byron Jr., but also two other puppets, Broadway Eddie and Elmer Jones. Frank Byron Jr., the most famous of Lester's puppets, is currently preserved in the Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, the only museum in the world dedicated to ventriloquist dolls and props. The Great Lester passed away in 1956.