Wayland Flowers (November 26, 1939–October 11, 1988) in Gulfport, Mississippi) was an American puppeteer. Flowers was best known for his puppet Madame, who was a huge hit with audiences in the 1970s and 1980s.
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Madame
Madame was created by Flowers in the mid-1960s. Flowers' first big break was an appearance on the "Andy Williams Show." The character of Madame is an "outrageous old broad" who entertains with double entendres and witty comebacks. Bedecked in fabulous evening wear and "summer diamonds" ("Some are diamonds; some are not"), Madame's look is based on movie stars such as Gloria Swanson. Madame's many TV appearances have included Laugh-In; a long run on the game show Hollywood Squares (replacing Paul Lynde in The Center Square); as host of Solid Gold; various TV guest spots; and as the star of her own syndicated 1982 sitcom, Madame's Place.
Other puppets
Flowers' other puppets included Crazy Mary (an escapee from Bellevue mental hospital), Jiffy (a Harlem harlot with a heart of brass), Machelheny (a retired Vaudeville comedian). His puppet Smedley worked with Marlo Thomas on Free to Be… You and Me.
Madame's whereabouts
Five weeks after collapsing during a performance, Wayland Flowers died of a complication (cancer) from AIDS. Flowers' estate, including Madame, was left to Wayland's then-manager, Marlena Shell. After many years out of the spotlight, Shell met New York-based puppeteer Joe Kovacs in 2002, and felt Kovacs was an ideal candidate to continue the "Madame" performances. Kovacs presented his first "Madame" show, Madame: A Comeback from Abroad, in 2006. [1]. The show takes a cue from (and spoofs) one-woman shows such as Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and explains where Madame has been for the last decade or so. Madame's most recent game show appearance was in the Tom Bergeron version of Hollywood Squares, where she was a panelist for one week in 2004. The puppet is currently on display in the permanent collection of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. [2]
References
- AP. "Wayland Flowers Dies; Ventriloquist Was 48", The New York Times, October 12 1988. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
