Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site randvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!lll-crg!dual!qantel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!randvax!boren From: boren@randvax.UUCP (Pat Boren) Newsgroups: net.tv Subject: Jay Johnson of "Soap" Message-ID: <2629@randvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 12:11:34 EDT Article-I.D.: randvax.2629 Posted: Tue Aug 6 12:11:34 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 12-Aug-85 22:17:15 EDT References: <287@brl-tgr.ARPA> Distribution: net Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica Lines: 29 > So, is Jay Johnson a for-real ventriloquist... Yes, he is. About 5-7 years ago he used to appear regularly at a nightclub in Santa Monica called The Horn. Many people "started" out there and got their breaks there, being seen by the right people in the audience. Jay was one, as were Skip Stevenson ("Real People"), Johnny Yune ("They Call Me Bruce?"), and years ago, Jim Nabors and Ronnie Schell (both discovered by Andy Griffith) and Vikki Carr (among others). Rick Ricardi was the owner -- he used to be vocal coach at 20th Century Fox in the 50's, and he wanted a club for performers to train. Only the best appeared in his club. Sigh, it closed a few years ago... Jay is fantastic in person. My favorite routine is when he and Squeaky (not Bob, but a different dummy) sing Figaro very fast. In general, his best lines are the ones where he mocks himself: Squeaky stops singing, and Jay asks him what happened -- Squeaky says, "You ran out of air." Oh, for the good old days of The Horn... If you can ever see Jay (who's a Texas boy, by the way), DO!!! -- Patricia Boren decvax!randvax!boren boren@rand-unix.arpa