Burr Tillstrom

Burr Tilstrom (October 13, 1917 in Chicago, Illinois - December 6, 1985 in Palm Springs, California) was a puppeteer and the creator of "Kukla, Fran and Ollie."

Related Topics:
October 13 - 1917 - Chicago - Illinois - December 6 - 1985 - Palm Springs, California - Kukla, Fran and Ollie

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tillstrom was born in Chicago and attended the University of Chicago. He turned his attention to puppetry in the early 1930s and created Kukla in 1936. Kukla remained nameless until the Russian ballerina Tamara Toumanova referred to him as kukla, the Russian term for doll.

Related Topics:
University of Chicago - 1930s - Kukla - 1936 - Russian - Tamara Toumanova

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other famous puppets from the group included Oliver J. Dragon, Beulah Witch, and Fletcher Rabbit.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1939, he was invited to present his "Kuklapolitan Players" at the New York World's Fair. The following year, RCA sent him to Bermuda to perform on the first ship-to-shore broadcast.

Related Topics:
1939 - New York World's Fair - RCA - Bermuda

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From 1948 through 1957, Tillstrom was involved with the "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" show which starred his puppets and Fran Allison. It is widely regarded as being the first children's show to appeal to both children and adults. With only a few exceptions, all of the shows were improvised.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~