William Britton Baird (August 15, 1904 – March 18, 1987), professional name
Bil Baird, but often referred to as
Bill Baird, was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
puppeteerA puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object—a puppet—in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or her own...
of the mid- and late 20
th century.
One of his better known creations was
CharlemaneCharlemane, the mangy-maned lion, was a hand puppet created and operated by Bil Baird for the CBS's The Morning Show during the 1950's....
the lion. He wrote
The Art of the Puppet (1965) and also provided the puppets for
Dark ShadowsDark Shadows is a Gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis, who tells of a dream he had in which a girl takes a long train ride to visit a large mansion. The story "bible," which was...
. Baird also created the expandable nose
Peter NoonePeter Noone is an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as "Herman" of the successful 1960s rock group Herman's Hermits....
wore as
PinocchioThe Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an animated marionette, and...
in
the 1968 musical adaptationPinocchio is a 90-minute musical adaptation of Carlo Collodi's classic story. It aired on NBC on December 8, 1968 as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series....
of the
Carlo CollodiCarlo Lorenzini , better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was a Florentine children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.-Biography:...
story that aired on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
as a
Hallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television. It has had a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and still continuing today. From 1954 onward, all of their productions have been shown in color, although color television productions were extremely rare in 1954...
special.
William Britton Baird (August 15, 1904 – March 18, 1987), professional name
Bil Baird, but often referred to as
Bill Baird, was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
puppeteerA puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object—a puppet—in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or her own...
of the mid- and late 20
th century.
One of his better known creations was
CharlemaneCharlemane, the mangy-maned lion, was a hand puppet created and operated by Bil Baird for the CBS's The Morning Show during the 1950's....
the lion. He wrote
The Art of the Puppet (1965) and also provided the puppets for
Dark ShadowsDark Shadows is a Gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis, who tells of a dream he had in which a girl takes a long train ride to visit a large mansion. The story "bible," which was...
. Baird also created the expandable nose
Peter NoonePeter Noone is an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as "Herman" of the successful 1960s rock group Herman's Hermits....
wore as
PinocchioThe Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an animated marionette, and...
in
the 1968 musical adaptationPinocchio is a 90-minute musical adaptation of Carlo Collodi's classic story. It aired on NBC on December 8, 1968 as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series....
of the
Carlo CollodiCarlo Lorenzini , better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi, was a Florentine children's writer known for the world-renowned fairy tale novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio.-Biography:...
story that aired on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
as a
Hallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television. It has had a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and still continuing today. From 1954 onward, all of their productions have been shown in color, although color television productions were extremely rare in 1954...
special. Baird's choice of his professional name inspired Termite Terrace cartoon writer
Edward Stacey Pierce IIIEdward Stacey "Tedd" Pierce III , was an American animated cartoon writer, animator and artist. Pierce spent the majority of his career as a writer for the Warner Bros. "Termite Terrace" animation studio, working alongside fellow luminaries such as Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese...
to add a second "D" to his own professional name, calling himself Tedd Pierce.
Life History
Born in
Grand Island, NebraskaGrand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 42,940 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 44,802 in July, 2007....
, Baird grew up in
Mason City, IowaMason City is a city in and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 29,172 at the 2000 census.The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties.-Geography:...
. Baird traced his love of puppets to the moment when his father made him a simple string puppet when he was eight. In 1921, he attended a local performance of the
Tony SargAnthony Frederick Sarg , known professionally as Tony Sarg, was a German American puppeteer and illustrator, described as "America's Puppet Master", andin his biography as the father of modern puppetry in North America....
production of “Rip Van Winkle”, which cemented his interest. By the time he was fourteen, Baird was creating his own puppets and giving performances in the attic of his parent's home.
A graduate of the
University of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public research university located in Iowa City, Iowa. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, he began work with childhood idol
Tony SargAnthony Frederick Sarg , known professionally as Tony Sarg, was a German American puppeteer and illustrator, described as "America's Puppet Master", andin his biography as the father of modern puppetry in North America....
in New York City in 1928.
In 1934, Baird formed his own company, the Baird Marionettes. Their first performance was at the Chicago’s World’s Fair.
In 1951, Baird's Marionettes performed some of the roles in the Broadway musical
FlahooleyFlahooley is a musical with a book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Sammy Fain.The allegorical tale is set in fictional Capsulanti, USA, site of the headquarters for B.G. Bigelow, Incorporated, the largest toy corporation in the world...
, a fantasy about a mass-produced laughing doll who unintentionally threatens the American industrial system.
In a career that spanned over 60 years, Baird and his puppets performed for millions. They toured Russia, appeared in "
The Lonely Goatherd"The Lonely Goatherd" is a show tune from the musical The Sound of Music that makes use of yodelling.This song tells the whimsical story of a goatherd whose yodelling is heard from far off and by passers-by, until he falls in love with a girl who wears a pale-pink coat, with her mother joining in...
" sequence in the film
The Sound of MusicRodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews in the lead role. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical book written by the...
(1965), as well as in the ABC-TV 1958 television special
Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf, graced many
World's FairUniversal Exposition or Expo is the name given to various large public exhibitions held since the mid-19th century. They are the third largest event in the world in terms of economic and cultural impact after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games...
s, and were part of five
Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeThe Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade presented by Macy's Department store. The three-hour event is held in New York City starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving.-History:...
s. During the 1964/65 World's Fair in New York City, Baird's Marionettes hosted "The Show-Go-Round", an elaborate musical exhibit in the Chrysler Pavilion.
Baird was a recipient of a multitude of awards and honors, including the Medal of Achievement -awarded by the
Lotos ClubThe Lotos Club is a gentleman's club founded in 1870 in New York City by a young group of writers and critics. Mark Twain said it was the "Ace of Clubs". In its current operation it has been housed since 1947 in Richard Howland Hunt's house, 5 East 66th Street, built in 1900, commissioned by...
of New York,, Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Iowa, and was honored in 1980 by the Union International de la Marionette and Puppeteers of America at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Bil Baird's children Laura and Peter contracted to sell nearly all of the Bil Baird Marionettes at auction. This 800 lot auction sale was held at The Greenwich Auction Room over 2 days. Jesse Bien was the auctioneer. Peter Baird, Paddy Blackwood and other puppeteers exhibited the marionettes with each pull of a puppet string eliciting another bid from the audience. Marionettes depicting Elsie the Cow and her family were desired by many but sold to a Pennsylvania toy dealer. Prize lot, Olly Oilcan from the 1939 Chicago World's Fair sold for an astonishing $11,000.00.
External links
- The MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa owns and displays a large selection of Bil Baird marionettes, hand puppets, and ephemera including marionettes used in The Sound of Music.