What - doesn't anyone remember Lenny The Lion? Shame on you.
Well now; Lenny The Lion and his partner Terry Hall were amongst the most popular characters of early British children's television. They appeared around the time that Sooty began to make good, and would seem to have been presented as an alternative.
In fact, Lenny was much more of a character because - unlike Harry Corbett - Lenny's partner, Terry Hall, was a ventriloquist. And he gave Lenny a very identifiable and quirky voice as well as an interesting and humorous personality. Lenny was a big puppet - an armful - with a hand and a movable face, eyes and lower jaw. In short, there was a great deal more entailed in his act compared to the silent glove-puppet of Sooty and the rabid squeaking of Sweep.
At his peak, Lenny had his own show with variety guest appearances on prime-time kids' telly, but he doesn't seem to have lasted. Ceertainly he hasn't been anything like as enduring as Sooty & Sweep. And for the life of me I cannot think why? After the show he continued to make many guest appearances before being relegated to the pantomime circuit.
It wasn't fair, but I guess that's showbiz. Late 50's early 60's saw a lot of ventriloquist acts come and go. Comic impersonators seemed to banish them all by the 1970's.
But in 1957 Lenny was certainly worth the Lion's share in Puppetry and ventriloquism. What a pity he's just faded into obscurity.
Well now; Lenny The Lion and his partner Terry Hall were amongst the most popular characters of early British children's television. They appeared around the time that Sooty began to make good, and would seem to have been presented as an alternative.
In fact, Lenny was much more of a character because - unlike Harry Corbett - Lenny's partner, Terry Hall, was a ventriloquist. And he gave Lenny a very identifiable and quirky voice as well as an interesting and humorous personality. Lenny was a big puppet - an armful - with a hand and a movable face, eyes and lower jaw. In short, there was a great deal more entailed in his act compared to the silent glove-puppet of Sooty and the rabid squeaking of Sweep.
At his peak, Lenny had his own show with variety guest appearances on prime-time kids' telly, but he doesn't seem to have lasted. Ceertainly he hasn't been anything like as enduring as Sooty & Sweep. And for the life of me I cannot think why? After the show he continued to make many guest appearances before being relegated to the pantomime circuit.
It wasn't fair, but I guess that's showbiz. Late 50's early 60's saw a lot of ventriloquist acts come and go. Comic impersonators seemed to banish them all by the 1970's.
But in 1957 Lenny was certainly worth the Lion's share in Puppetry and ventriloquism. What a pity he's just faded into obscurity.
