Thank you for the many hours of entertainment
and information your company has brought into our home! I am,
however, distressed by the prospect of losing our beloved friend
Bob, one of the wittiest "personalities" on TV today -- human or otherwise.
All too often dismissed as "kiddee fare" (a
considerable market in itself), puppets have been stars and
star-makers on American television since its inception. Where
would Kukla be without Fran and Ollie? Buffalo Bob without Howdy
Doody? Ed Sullivan without Topo Gigio? Sheri Lewis without Lamb
Chop? Kermit without Miss Piggy?!
Moreover, if the folks who write the Encyclopędia
Britannica know anything -- and they know a lot -- then
the appeal of puppetry is something to be reckoned with. In
their words:
"Puppet shows seem to have existed in almost
all civilizations and in almost all periods...puppet
theatre...represents one of the most primitive instincts of the
human race...
"The claim has, indeed, been made that puppet
theatre is the most ancient form of theatre...the appeal of the
puppet even for modern audiences lies nearer a primitive sense
of magic than most spectators realize [hence, the unreliability
of polls]...
"The spectators must no longer be mere
spectators; they must bring their sympathetic imagination to
bear and project upon the impersonal mask of the player the
emotions of the drama. Spectators at a puppet show will often
swear that they saw the expression of a puppet change. They saw
nothing of the kind; but they were so wrapped up in the passion
of the piece that their imaginations lent to the puppets their
own fears and laughter and tears. The union between the actor
and the audience is the very heart and soul of the theatre, and
this union is possible in a special way, indeed in a specially
heightened way, when the actor is a puppet.
"...the puppet only justifies itself when it
adds something to nature -- by selection, by elimination, or by
caricature. Some of the most effective puppets are the
crudest..."
Which leads me to ask: Who could be a more
beloved side-kick -- for your cast and guests as well as for
the entire family at home -- than that ol' wart-laden sock,
Bob?
Please, "Save Our Bob"!
I believe my letter was prompted by an on-air
plea by the cast for an "S.O.B." campaign.
