overall: 22 in x 26 in x 20 1/2 in; 55.88 cm x 66.04 cm x 52.07 cm
Object Name:
puppet
Place made:
United States: New York, New York City
Associated Place:
United States: New York, New York
Date made:
1930-1939
Date made:
1970s
Description (Brief):
Made by Bil Baird of wood and plastic, Slugger Ryan is a rod puppet with external wooden sticks or wire rods attached, allowing the puppeteer to manipulate his movements.The puppet is smoking a cigarette and is seated at a rust-colored wooden piano with a fabric keyboard. His bench is perched on a blue and black checked floor, surrounded by a low curtain held up with brass rings. He is dressed in gray wool pants, pink cotton shirt, a tan vest, and wears a Wendell Wilkie button.
Baird created the original Slugger Ryan in the mid-1930s, for shows at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. Modeled on the legacy of a honky-tonk piano player, this puppet bears a passing resemblance to Hoagy Carmichael; the composer of such song hits as “Stardust” and “Georgia on My Mind.” The puppet captures Baird’s hallmarks of caricature and satire. Baird made the Smithsonian’s version of Slugger Ryan in the 1970s.
Bil Baird (1904-1987) was born in Nebraska, and by the age of 14, was making his own puppets, creating stage sets, and performing his own plays. He attended Iowa State University and in 1926 entered the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts to study stage design. After traveling in France for over a year, Baird returned to the U.S. and went to New Yori to work for Tony Sarg, a highly respected and talented puppeteer.
In 1934 Baird created his own company, referring to his marionettes as "his little wooden friends." In 1936 Orson Welles commissioned Baird to make the puppets for his Federal Theater Project production of "Dr. Faustus." While working on this project, Baird met Cora Burlar, a dancer with the Martha Graham company, and they were married in 1937. The two were life-long partners in marriage and work. They set up a studio in New York where they created, carved, painted, and dressed thousands of puppets, as well as making the props, stage sets and scenery for all their produections.
The Baird marionettes performed at the 1939 Chicago World's Fair and went to to become international stars, appearing in many varied venues. They performed on Broadway with the Ziegfield Follies, at Radio CIty Music Hall, the late show with Jack Parr, television specials that included Art Carney in "Peter and the Wolf," the "Sorcerer's Guide," and AT&T commercials. Their marionettes are probably best known for the puppet show that appeared in the featue film, <i>The Sound of Music</i>. He created the puppets, wrote, produced and performed the "Loney Goat Herd" put on by Maria (Julie Andrews) and the Von Trapp family children.
Baird enjoyed one of the most prolific and varied careers in the history of puppetry. His career spanned almost 60 years and Baird was a mentor to many up and coming puppeteers, including Jim Henson, who credited his success to the teachings of Bill Baird.
