abstract
| - Burr Tillstrom (1917-1985) was a puppeteer best known as the creator of the early television series Kukla, Fran, and Ollie. Tillstrom created his first puppet, a clown character who would be named Kukla following an encounter with a Russian ballerina, in 1936. His troupe of "Kuklapolitans" expanded in 1938 to include Oliver J. Dragon ("Ollie"). The group performed on early television broadcasts in 1939 and 1942. With the addition of Chicago actress Fran Allison, the program premiered as Junior Jamboree in 1947 and was soon renamed Kukla, Fran, and Ollie, remaining on the air until 1957 and with several subsequent revivals. Tillstrom also performed on the satirical political series That Was the Week That Was, winning an Emmy for his Berlin Wall hand ballet. The premise of Kukla, Fran and Ollie was not dissimilar to that of The Muppet Show years later. It centered on the Kuklapolitan Players, a motley theater group, with Kukla as the general straightman and voice of reason. Ollie considered himself the star actor (performing in the annual Gilbert & Sullivan productions and other major acting and singing parts). Other troupe members included Madame Ooglepuss (the diva), Col. Crackie (the Southern emcee), stagemanager Cecil Bill, and electronics expert Buelah Witch, among many others. On Kukla, Fran, and Ollie, Tillstrom developed the technique of watching the on-stage action through a small monitor as he performed the puppet characters, while standing behind a scrim through which he could also see. Jim Henson would adopt and alter this technique by having his puppeteers hold their puppets above their heads, which became a key component of Muppet performance.
- Tillstrom took-over the role of 'Ned' in the original Broadway production of the musical revue Side By Side By Sondheim. Of course being a puppeteer he formed the the role with puppets.
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