MP3:
1. Eyes (3:12)
2. Wisdom (3:04)
3. Home (3:00)
4. Distinguished (2:50)
5. Happiness (2:46)
This is off an album my dad made in the 1960's called, "Chips of Wisdom" (my dad was a pretty famous ventriloquist back in the day). Ostensibly, this was an album for kids, but it was so disturbing we couldn't listen to it when we were little.
I don't know if it was the horrible subject matter, my dad's acting or the album cover, but this thing gave us the willies. We had nightmares about it.
The premise is that my dad takes his little puppet out into the woods to have some father/son chats with him. So already, the creep factor is at a 10. He proceeds to teach him all about character and wisdom, which is admirable I suppose, but he does it by telling some of the most terrible stories you've ever heard.
There's a teacher at school with hooks for hands. A man at the newsstand who lost his eyes in the war...
File this away under terrible things we used to do to our children, before we knew better. And then take just a brief moment to reflect on what my childhood must have been like.
Want more madness? Download "Mary Smith" (who lost both her parents to the flu and was adopted by a loving family, which was very lucky for her, since "she wasn't pretty") from the 2003 365 Days Project (#88) and jump on over to my MP3 Library to download a collection of recordings made by my father along with many more hours of audio to amuse and delight.
- Contributed by: April Winchell
Image: Front Cover
Media: LP
Album: Chips Of Wisdom
Label: AAMCO
Catalog: ALP 320
id think having Paul Wichell as a father might be fun, but i wasnt there. it had to be better than having Bonehead Smiff as a Dad.
Posted by: Bob | September 09, 2007 at 02:10 AM
Love that Lucy Show clip, up there with the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton diamond ring schtick.
"Chips of Wisdom"...the cover alone is great. Was this really intended to be a childrens record? The swelling strings, the tongue-in-cheek self importance, the darkness, all add up to something pretty out there. Thanks!
Did your dad ever do any "party records" with the dolls? I'd love to hear some swearing from a dummy.....
Posted by: Dale Hazelton | September 09, 2007 at 10:20 AM
that clip is great - lucy looks like one o' them 'real dolls' the kids are so crazy about these days
Posted by: Holland Oats | September 09, 2007 at 10:24 AM
Thanks for the clips April! By the way, your website, April Winchell Multimedia is one of my favorites. I was a big fan of your fathers show as a kid. My favorite characters were Knucklehead and Snitchy the Snail.
If I'm not mistaken, your father helped pioneer animation techniques that are still being used today.
I am a big fan of yours too. Keep up the great work!
Posted by: Rory Murray | September 09, 2007 at 11:46 AM
April these are truly wonderful, creepy but essentially beautiful at the same time. I think it's the musical setting that makes them so special. Who was the musical director for the album? There are some great string arrangements on there. I live in the UK and until recently I had never heard of your dad or Jerry Mahoney. In the 60s we had our own television equivalent in the shape of Ray Allen and Lord Charles (who are still going today). I don't ever recall seeing any albums by them and I'm sure they wouldn't have got away with anything quite as kitsch as this.
Posted by: David | September 15, 2007 at 12:20 AM
I had no luck finding Mary Smith. The link goes straight to the ventriloquist record, which is #88. I'll look further later. Thanks for this!
Posted by: Arvo | October 24, 2007 at 05:11 PM
Arvo, Mary Smith is another track from this album, go to the page (365 Days 88) and click on the blue link there. It's a great track, you won't be disappointed.
Posted by: David | November 06, 2007 at 09:13 AM
I thought it wasn't disturbing at all.
Life lessons, FTW!
Posted by: Kathryn MurkyPuddle | April 07, 2009 at 08:45 PM
Oh, I think these are really sweet. I don't see creepiness, but I can imagine how the actual dummy could be scary to a kid. Your dad seems to have a consistent theme of looking past appearances and appreciating people for inner qualities. I'll bet he was quite a good guy.
Posted by: Mike | April 11, 2009 at 10:48 PM
Too much of life is sugarcoated today, too many people not living in the real world. Your father was trying to help young people understand. We all misunderstand our parent's intentions until it's too late. Your father brought a lot of happiness to young audiences for years, not to mention his creation of an artificial heart. Paul Winchell tried to do the right thing in life by doing for others.
Posted by: Preston | August 03, 2012 at 12:55 PM