Marionette Theatre Presents 'A Career in Photographs', 11/6

 

As a part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, the first event of an exciting new series, "Conversations with Bob Baker", will be given at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater on Saturday, November 6 at 4:30pm. These special events will be moderated by puppeteer and Hollywood historian Gregory Paul Williams, author of "The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History" USA Book News winner Best Books 2007.
 
The first event, entitled "The Beginning" will focus on Baker's formative years - his first puppets and puppet theater; and the influences on him at the time by famous Hollywood personalities.  The slideshow will feature pictures that offer details into Bob's life and career.
 
Tickets for "Conversations with Bob Baker" are $20, and can be purchased online at www.bobbakermarionettes.com <http://www.bobbakermarionettes.com> , by calling the Box Office at 213-250-9995 or in person at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA on the day of the event.  Reservations can be made during the week from 10 am to 4 pm.

These events are made possible by the scanning and re-organization of Bob Bakers's photo files and memorabilia. The programs will all feature slide show presentations created by Williams. Bob's commentary on the slides will be recorded as part of an ongoing documentation of his career, with the ultimate goal of creating a book on Bakers 's work, with his commentary during the programs recorded as part of the Bob Baker Book Project. The events will conclude with refreshments served in the party room where guests can personally greet Bob Baker.

At each event, a high-quality book featuring photos from the presentation shown that day will be offered for sale as print on demand. The books will offer a fascinating look at not only the art of puppetry, but of Los Angeles' social history as well.
All proceeds from the events and book sales go directly to support the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

In addition to these special events, The Bob Baker Marionette Theater's anniversary season at the theater continues with "Bob Baker's Halloween Hoop-De-Do,"(October 2-31) and just in time for the holidays, "Bob Baker's Nutcracker" (November 6 - January 16). 

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater in downtown Los Angeles is the oldest of its kind in the United States and has been entertaining children of all ages since its inception in 1960. At that time, Bob Baker and his business partner Alton Wood turned a scene shop in Los Angeles into the family entertainment landmark that it is today.
 
Jennifer Steinhauer of The New York Times has described Baker's shows as "a staple of a Los Angeleno childhood. It is the cultural equivalent of the annual march by the nation's third graders to the neighborhood firehouse." On June 3, 2009, The Bob Baker Marionette Theater was declared an historic cultural monument by the city of Los Angeles.

"We have had fifty amazing years right here on First Street, and here's to fifty more!" says Bob Baker, commenting on the occasion of the theater's Golden Anniversary.
The 50th Anniversary season kicked off with "Fiesta," one of Bob Baker's most requested productions first presented at the theater in 1964, followed by  "It's A Musical World," "Something to Crow About!" and "Bob Baker's Halloween Hoop-De-Doo" (playing now through October 31.) The season will come to a close with the holiday classic, "Bob Baker's Nutcracker," playing November 6 through January 16, 2011. This marionette version of the legendary ballet has been one of Bob's most requested holiday productions since it was first presented in 1965.

More About Bob Baker
Bob Baker first became interested in puppetry at the age of five, and has since become an innovator, artist, puppet master, and top-notch animator with credits in television and film.
 
His marionettes have entertained thousands of children and adults worldwide over the years. Mr. Baker has a current inventory of over three thousand puppets, with just about everything from robots that light up, to dancing frogs, to egg laying chickens.
 
Bob began to learn the magic of puppetry at the early age of eight. He trained with several different local companies and put his skills to work with his first professional performance for director Mervyn LeRoy.

While attending Hollywood High School, Bob began manufacturing toy marionettes that sold both in Europe and the United States. Fifty of the finest department stores in the country carried his line including Bullocks Wilshire, Saks Fifth Avenue, Niemen Marcus, FAO Schwarz, and Marshall Fields. After graduation at the age of eighteen, he began his extensive career in animation at the George Pal Studios. He began as an apprentice and soon became a head animator of "Puppetoons" a year later.

After WWII, Bob served as an animation advisor at many film studios including Walt Disney.

As a puppeteer his prestigious credits include the films: "A Star Is Born", "G.I. Blues," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Escape to Witch Mountain," and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", as well as work on countless television series and projects. Baker has performed with the likes of Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, and Angela Lansbury.
 
Aside from running the theater, Baker maintains an active role in the company's traveling shows. Bob has taken his marionettes to countless fairs, puppet festivals, and of course, birthday parties. The Bob Baker Marionettes have entertained audiences in Las Vegas, Toronto, New York, Germany, and have even performed on Navy ships and submarines.
 
Mr. Baker is the former president of the Los Angeles Puppet Guild and Governor of the Television Arts & Sciences Animation Branch and currently sits on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His dream of establishing a school began with the formation of the non-profit group "The Academy of Puppetry and Allied Arts." Although his goal of a refurbished theater complex complete with training facilities is still a long way off, Bob Hopes with the aid of civic leaders and corporate sponsors, his academy will one day be a reality.

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