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Harry E. “The Great Lester” Lester

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Harry E. “The Great Lester” Lester Famous memorial

Original Name
Maryan Czajkowski
Birth
Poland
Death
14 Jul 1956 (aged 76)
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Burial
Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA GPS-Latitude: 34.151662, Longitude: -118.320053
Plot
Vale of Peace section, Map #A51, Lot 4887, Single Ground Interment Space 1
Memorial ID
View Source
Vaudeville Ventriloquist. Best known by his stage name The Great Lester. He claimed to have carved his dummy, Frank Byron, Jr. himself when he was young. Coronet cited Frank Marshall of Chicago as his carver. The most likely provenance of Frank Byron Jr., however, indicates that he came from the Chicago workshop of Theo Mack & Son, probably a number of years before Frank Marshall was employed there. Called the "Grandfather of Modern-Day Ventriloquism", Lester claimed to be the first to drink while his dummy spoke; however, Joe Laurie notes that this trick was first performed in 1821. One of Lester's most noted acts was a bit where he called up Heaven and Hell in search of his sister. He was also the first ventriloquist to walk among the audience while his dummy whistled. He was also a noted teacher of the art of ventriloquism, having developed a rigorous program of breathing and speech articulation exercises. Students were encouraged to make tape recordings of their sessions with Lester and as a result, there are many examples of his course to be heard and a number of student recordings have been made available commercially. Edgar Bergen, one of the most famous ventriloquists of all time, was one of the Great Lester's pupils. His main figure, Frank Byron, Jr., now resides at Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.
Vaudeville Ventriloquist. Best known by his stage name The Great Lester. He claimed to have carved his dummy, Frank Byron, Jr. himself when he was young. Coronet cited Frank Marshall of Chicago as his carver. The most likely provenance of Frank Byron Jr., however, indicates that he came from the Chicago workshop of Theo Mack & Son, probably a number of years before Frank Marshall was employed there. Called the "Grandfather of Modern-Day Ventriloquism", Lester claimed to be the first to drink while his dummy spoke; however, Joe Laurie notes that this trick was first performed in 1821. One of Lester's most noted acts was a bit where he called up Heaven and Hell in search of his sister. He was also the first ventriloquist to walk among the audience while his dummy whistled. He was also a noted teacher of the art of ventriloquism, having developed a rigorous program of breathing and speech articulation exercises. Students were encouraged to make tape recordings of their sessions with Lester and as a result, there are many examples of his course to be heard and a number of student recordings have been made available commercially. Edgar Bergen, one of the most famous ventriloquists of all time, was one of the Great Lester's pupils. His main figure, Frank Byron, Jr., now resides at Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

Bio courtesy of: Wikipedia


Inscription

THE GREAT LESTER


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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: NWO
  • Added: Feb 26, 2012
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85760564/harry_e-lester: accessed ), memorial page for Harry E. “The Great Lester” Lester (8 Sep 1879–14 Jul 1956), Find a Grave Memorial ID 85760564, citing Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.