A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature . The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience.
55-508: Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer , known for his Saturday Night Live " TV Funhouse " cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog . He also co-wrote the first two Hotel Transylvania films , You Don't Mess with the Zohan , and Leo , all starring Adam Sandler . Smigel
110-405: A Yiddish name for self-catered boarding houses) flourished. The bungalows usually included "a kitchen/living room/dinette, one bedroom, and a screened porch" with entertainment at the casino, the communal center, being simple: bingo or a movie. The kuchaleyns were often visited by lower middle-class and working-class Jewish New Yorkers. Because of the many Jewish guests, this area was nicknamed
165-429: A cult hit and has screened live at "The Other Network", a festival of un-aired TV pilots produced by Un-Cabaret , featuring live and taped intros by Smigel. Smigel later became the first head writer at Late Night with Conan O'Brien , where he created numerous successful comedy bits, including one where Smigel performed only the lips of public figures which were superimposed on photos of the actual people. (This technique
220-653: A gay mailman in the Adam Sandler film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Yari the Mechanic in the "Mister Softee" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm . He voiced Ray and the Star Wars character, Emperor Palpatine , in the first episode of Robot Chicken: Star Wars , as well as the monster 100 in the episode of the same name of Aqua Teen Hunger Force . Currently living in New York, he co-wrote and co-executive produced
275-658: A golf course. It closed in 2015 and was renovated and turned into the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, which closed in 2018. The property was sold in May 2019 to Hudson Valley Holding Co. LLC. The company did not announce its plans for the hotel. As of the 2010s, the region is a summer home for many Orthodox Jewish families. Some of the hotels have been converted into rehab centers , meditation centers or Orthodox Jewish hotels and resorts. The former Homowack Lodge in Phillipsport
330-652: A puppeteer. Very often, though, the puppeteer assumes the joint roles of puppet-maker, director , designer , writer and performer . In this case a puppeteer is a more complete theatre practitioner than is the case with other theatre forms, in which one person writes a play, another person directs it, and then actors perform the lines and gestures. Puppetry is a complex medium sometimes consisting of live performance, sometimes contributing to stop frame puppet animation, and film where performances might be technically processed as motion capture, CGI or as virtual puppetry. Borscht Belt The Borscht Belt , or Yiddish Alps ,
385-524: A recurring character in the Bill Swerski's Superfans sketches. While on a writers' strike from Saturday Night Live following the 1987–88 season, Smigel wrote for an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Conan O'Brien called Happy Happy Good Show . Smigel co-wrote Lookwell with Conan O'Brien for NBC. The pilot never went to series, but it has become
440-568: A secondary factor: "anti-Semitism declined, so Jews could go other places." Access to the area improved with the opening of the George Washington Bridge and upgrade of old travel routes such as old New York State Route 17 . On the other hand, passenger train access ended with the September 10, 1953 termination of passenger trains on the Ontario and Western Railway mainline from Roscoe at
495-514: A sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the area. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare, and generational changes." As of 2024,
550-438: A single puppet character. The puppeteer's role is to manipulate the physical object in such a manner that the audience believes the object is imbued with life. In some instances, the persona of the puppeteer is also an important feature, as with ventriloquist's dummy performers, in which the puppeteer and the human figure-styled puppet appear onstage together, and in theatre shows like Avenue Q . The puppeteer might speak in
605-495: A statement saying that “Their interviews at the Capitol were authorized and pre-arranged through Congressional aides of the members interviewed," and that "After leaving the members’ offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police.” Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson accused Smigel of " insurrection " and that it
SECTION 10
#1732880655495660-409: A time out of a cast of several. Much work is produced without any speech at all with all the emphasis on movement. In a shadow play , only the shadows of the puppet are seen on a screen positioned between the puppets and the audience. The relationship between the puppeteer and the puppet-maker is similar to that between an actor and a playwright , in cases where a puppet-maker designs a puppet for
715-416: A unique program to place 20 vertical interpretive highway markers strategically sited to tell the story of the Borscht Belt and interpret the specific locations. The markers are enhanced with QR pegs for more in-depth explanations. A self-guided audio tour system is being developed. The markers are double-sided with representative images. All carry an interpretive text about the specific area on one side and
770-444: A writing Emmy for the 2012 broadcast of Night of Too Many Stars . Puppeteer Performing as a puppeteer can be physically demanding. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by their own hands placed inside the puppet or holding it externally or any other part of the body- such as the legs. Some puppet styles require two or more puppeteers to work together to create
825-593: Is a region which was noted for its summer resorts that catered to Jewish vacationers, especially residents of New York City . The resorts, now mostly defunct, were located in the southern foothills of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan and Ulster counties in the U.S. state of New York , bordering the northern edges of the New York metropolitan area . "In its heyday, as many as 500 resorts catered to guests of various incomes." These resorts, as well as
880-561: Is popular in many Central and Eastern European countries and brought by Ashkenazi Jewish and Slavic immigrants to the United States. The alliterative name was coined by Abel Green , then editor of Variety , and is a play on existing colloquial names for other American regions (such as the Bible Belt and Rust Belt ). An alternate name, the Yiddish Alps , was used by Larry King and
935-520: Is satirical: a classic example of borscht belt humor. After the expansion of the railway system including the tracks Ontario and Western as well as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad , the area of the Catskill Mountains became a tourist destination because of the beauty of the landscape, which impressed the painters of American Romanticism , and because of the rising popularity of fly fishing in its trout -rich rivers. As New York City streets would bake in
990-455: The Yiddish Alps or Solomon County (a malapropism of Sullivan County ) by many people who visited there. A sufficient choice of Jewish cuisine was an important feature of the hotels in the Borscht Belt, and "too much was not enough" developed as a notion. Jonathan Sarna wrote: "To understand the emphasis on food, one has to understand hunger. Immigrants had memories of hunger, and in
1045-583: The Doox of Yale , continue to regularly tour the Borscht Belt. Between 2013 and 2018, the decaying state of the abandoned resorts was captured by several ruins photographers : The tradition of Borscht Belt entertainment started in the early 20th century with the Paradise Garden Theatre constructed in Hunter, New York by Yiddish theater star Boris Thomashefsky . A cradle of American Jewish comedy since
1100-454: The 1890s ... Tannersville ... was 'a great resort of our Israelite breathren [ sic ]' ... from the 1920s on [there were] hundreds of hotels." The larger hotels provided "Friday night and holiday services as well as kosher cooking", thus supporting religious families to take a vacation in accordance to their customs. Borscht Belt hotels, bungalow colonies, summer camps, and kuchaleyns (kuch-alein, literally: "Cook it yourself",
1155-447: The 1920s, the Borscht Belt entertainment circuit has helped launch the careers of many famous comedians and acted as a launchpad for those just starting out. Comedians who got their start or regularly performed in Borscht Belt resorts include: Borscht Belt humor refers to the rapid-fire, often self-deprecating style common to many of these performers and writers. Typical themes include: The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project
SECTION 20
#17328806554951210-481: The 1960s. Another source also confirms that "cheap air travel suddenly allowed a new generation to visit more exotic and warmer destinations." More women remained in the workforce after marriage and could not take off for the entire summer to relocate to the Catskills. A Times of Israel article specifies that "the bungalow colonies were the first to go under, followed by the smaller hotels. The glitziest ones hung on
1265-407: The Borscht Belt bungalow colonies, were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s. By the late 1950s, many began closing, with most gone by the 1970s, but some major resorts continued to operate, a few into the 1990s. The name comes from borscht , a soup of Ukrainian origin (made with beets as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color) that
1320-555: The Catskills division of Hatzalah was founded which covers the Borscht Belt and served the needs of a growing Orthodox clientele; as of 2020 a volunteer force of 450 rescue workers and paramedics is operating a fleet of 18 ambulances. Although financially independent from the other chapters, it cooperates in day-to-day business with Central Hatzalah of NYC as the 17. neighborhood and also with State Forces (police, forest rangers, emergency medical services, fire departments). Many Buddhist and Hindu retreat centers have been constructed on
1375-678: The Catskills, the food seemed limitless." The singles scene was also important; many hotels hired young male college students to attract single girls of a similar age. One book on the era contended that "the Catskills became one great marriage broker." Borscht Belt resorts stood in towns such as Liberty , Fallsburg , Mamakating , Thompson , Bethel and Rockland in Sullivan County as well as Wawarsing and Rochester in Ulster County. Such resorts included Avon Lodge, Brickman's, Brown's , Butler Lodge, The Concord , Grossinger's , Granit,
1430-779: The Heiden Hotel, Irvington, Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club , the Nevele , Friar Tuck Inn, the Laurels Hotel and Country Club, the Pines Resort, Raleigh Hotel , the Overlook, the Tamarack Lodge, Shady Nook Hotel and Country Club, Stevensville, Stier's Hotel, and the Windsor. Some of these hotels originated from farms that Jewish immigrants established in the early part of the 20th century. Two of
1485-693: The Program has completed and sited nine markers in Sullivan County - Monticello, Mountain Dale, Swan Lake, Fallsburg, Kiamisha Lake, South Fallsburg, Hurleyville, Bethel, and Woodridge. Loch Sheldrake, Parksville, Livingston Manor, and Ellenville are being prepared for 2025. Six additional markers are planned for 2026. The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project is funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. The Heiden Hotel in South Fallsburg
1540-550: The Temple of Dooom that he joined, later a comedy writer Michelle, and three children. Michelle and Robert serve on the board of NEXT for AUTISM , formerly New York Collaborates for Autism, a non-profit organization founded in 2003 to address the needs of autistic individuals and their families, as their eldest child has autism . Smigel created the Night of Too Many Stars , a biannual celebrity fundraiser to benefit autism education. He won
1595-413: The Zohan in which Smigel played Yosi, an Israeli electronics salesman. Smigel is also one of the executive producers of the film, which is a first for him despite his frequent collaborations with Sandler. It was reported in 2006 that Smigel and Adam Sandler were working on an animated sitcom for Fox called Animals . Fox has not made any official statement regarding the show. Additionally, Smigel played
1650-468: The films Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015), in which he voiced Marty, a fake version of Dracula , and Harry Three-Eye, respectively. In the fifth season of the FX show, Louie , Smigel received a story credit on the episode "Cop Story", as a similar incident as to what appears in the show actually happened to him, down to the cop crying in his apartment while Smigel went out, found
1705-638: The following February. In September 2020, after being brought on to develop the project in 2019, Fox announced that Smigel would executive produce Let's Be Real — a one-off adaptation of the French satirical series Les Guignols . On June 16, 2022, Smigel was arrested for unlawful entry of the Longworth House Office Building in Washington, D.C, along with eight other individuals associated with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . CBS released
Robert Smigel - Misplaced Pages Continue
1760-539: The following common text about the Borscht Belt on the other side: "From the 1920s through the early 1970s, the Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly east coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows and 1,000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided
1815-633: The following summer and would begin airing them on Saturday Night Live under the TV Funhouse banner. Smigel would later claim "My whole career came out of the impulse to do cartoons on The Dana Carvey Show ." Smigel's most famous creation, however, would be the foul-mouthed puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog , who mercilessly mocks celebrities and others in the style of a Borscht Belt comedian. This character debuted on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in February 1997 and would continue to make appearances on
1870-462: The land or in the restored buildings of former camps or resorts to serve adherents in New York City, the establishment of which has then drawn even more temples and centers to the area. This led to the coining of the nicknames "Buddha Belt," " Bhajan Belt" and "Buddhist Belt" to refer to the area's revival. Despite the region's decline as a cultural epicenter, a handful of traveling acts, such as
1925-513: The larger hotels in High View (just north of Bloomingburg ) were Shawanga Lodge and the Overlook. One of the high points of Shawanga Lodge 's existence came in 1959 when it was the site of a conference of scientists researching laser beams . The conference marked the start of serious research into lasers. The hotel burned to the ground in 1973. The Overlook, which offered rooms in the main building as well as bungalows, spiced up with entertainment,
1980-594: The longest" with some continuing to operate in the 1980s and even in the 1990s. Bungalow colonies fell into disrepair or many of the nicer ones have been converted into a housing co-op . The Concord Resort Hotel , which outlasted most other resorts, went bankrupt in 1997 but survived until 1998 and was subsequently demolished for a possible casino site. By the early 1960s, some 25 to 30 percent of Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel visitors were not Jewish, nevertheless it closed in 1986. The Stevensville Hotel in Swan Lake
2035-420: The memory of everyone who died.” The United States Capitol Police released a statement saying that “This is an active criminal investigation, and may result in additional criminal charges after consultation with the U.S. Attorney .” On July 19, it was announced no charges would be filed. Smigel has a wife, who was a lighting technician for the theater in Chicago presenting the comedy troupe All You Can Eat and
2090-641: The missing gun and carried it home, terrified that anyone would notice. Michael Rapaport 's character wasn't based on the man Smigel knew, however, since all Smigel ever told Louis C.K. about was the gun itself. Smigel created, wrote, executive produced, and starred as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in The Jack and Triumph Show , alongside Jack McBrayer in 2015. It was announced in January 2016 that Smigel would be starring as Triumph in Triumph's Election Special 2016 on Hulu
2145-530: The northern edge of Sullivan County, through the Borscht Belt, to Weehawken, New Jersey . A 1940 vacation travel guide published by the railroad listed hundreds of establishments that were situated at or near the railway's stations. The following year, the New York Central ceased running passenger trains on its Catskill Mountain Branch. The area suffered as a travel destination in the late 1950s and especially by
2200-665: The property for $ 2.2 million and began to operate the Satmar Boys Camp , a religious summer school ( yeshiva gedolah ). In 1987, New York City mayor Ed Koch proposed buying the Gibber Hotel in Kiamesha Lake to house the homeless. The idea was opposed by local officials and the hotel instead became the religious school Yeshiva Viznitz. The Granit Hotel and Country Club, located in Kerhonkson, boasted many amenities, including
2255-461: The role of the puppet's character, synchronising the movements of the puppet's mouth. However, there is much puppetry which does not use the moving mouth (which is a lip-sync innovation created originally for television where close-ups are popular). Often, in theatre , a moveable mouth is used only for gestural expression, or speech might be produced by a non-moving mouth. In traditional glove puppetry often one puppeteer will operate two puppets at
Robert Smigel - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-498: The scripts for Little Nicky and The Wedding Singer . Smigel acted alongside fellow SNL writer Bob Odenkirk in Wayne's World 2 as a nerd backstage at an Aerosmith concert. His contributions were uncredited. In 2000, he voiced a sage bulldog named Mr. Beefy in Little Nicky . Smigel, along with Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow , wrote the script for the film You Don't Mess with
2365-567: The show, as well as others, for many years to come. Smigel continued to establish himself on Saturday Night Live by producing short animated segments under the title TV Funhouse , which usually satirizes public figures and popular culture. It spawned a TV show on Comedy Central featuring a mix of puppets, animation, and short sketches, although only eight episodes were aired (during the winter of 2000–2001). Smigel occasionally appears in films (usually alongside SNL veterans such as Adam Sandler ). According to interviews, Smigel helped punch up
2420-418: The summer and air-conditioning was not yet available, people flocked to the Catskills. In the early 1900s, some hotels' and resorts' advertisements refused to accept Jews and indicated "No Hebrews or Consumptives " in their ads. This discrimination led to a need for alternative lodging that would readily accept Jewish families as guests. Visits to the area by Jewish families were already underway "as early as
2475-541: The summer in a bungalow settlement in the Catskills and visits with his son at the nearby The Pines resort. In the second season of the series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–23), both the Weissman and Maisel families spend a summer vacation at Steiner's Resort in the Catskills, depicted by Scott's Family Resort on Oquaga Lake in Deposit, NY . Also, Jason Reitman 's historical dramedy film, Saturday Night (2024), depicts
2530-400: Was "exactly like what happened" in apparent reference to the 2021 United States Capitol attack . Stephen Colbert addressed the incident in his monologue, stating that Smigel had committed "First-Degree Puppetry " and that "Drawing any equivalence between rioters storming our Capitol to prevent the counting of electoral ballots and a cigar-chomping toy dog is a shameful and grotesque insult to
2585-416: Was a fellow student there. Smigel was also a member of the Chicago comedy troupe "All You Can Eat" in the early 1980s. Smigel first established himself as a writer on Saturday Night Live by joining the writing staff when Lorne Michaels returned as executive producer for the 1985–1986 season. Smigel was hired after then- SNL producers Al Franken and Tom Davis saw Smigel in a Chicago sketch show. Smigel
2640-410: Was among the few writers who survived a purge of writers and cast at the conclusion of the "disappointing" 1985–1986 season. This is when Smigel began to write more memorable sketches, including one where host William Shatner urged worshipful attendees at a Star Trek convention to "get a life." Smigel rarely appeared on screen, though he was credited as a featured player in the early 1990s and played
2695-543: Was born in New York City, to Lucia and Irwin Smigel , an aesthetic dentist, innovator and philanthropist. He is Jewish and frequently went to Jewish summer camp . He attended Cornell University , studying pre-dental, and graduated from New York University 's College of Arts and Science in 1983 with a degree in political science. Smigel began developing his comedic talent at The Players Workshop in Chicago, where he studied improvisation with Josephine Forsberg . Bob Odenkirk
2750-690: Was converted into a summer camp for Hasidic girls. Officials of the state Department of Health ordered the property evacuated in July 2009, citing health and safety violations. The Orthodox Jews who flock to the region each summer provide commerce that the area would not have otherwise. The Flagler Hotel, Nemerson, Schenk's and Windsor Hotels in South Fallsburg, and the Stevensville Hotel in Swan Lake, were converted into Jewish religious summer camps. In 1984,
2805-439: Was founded by Marisa Scheinfeld, a noted Borscht Belt historical photographer, author, and Borscht Belt documentarian, in 2022. Scheinfeld had photographed the detritus of the former Borscht Belt hotels, bungalows, and historically important sites. She recognized the complete absence of any historical interpretive roadside markers documenting the sites of the former Borscht Belt. The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project initiated
SECTION 50
#17328806554952860-549: Was located on the shores of an artificial reservoir of the West Branch Mongaup River which fed a tannery since the 1840s. It was commissioned in 1924 and managed by the Dinnerstein and Friehling families until around 1990. It reopened as Swan Lake Resort Hotel in 1999 offering Asian cuisine plus Tennis & Golf facilities but only survived until 2007. In 2015 the ultra-Orthodox Congregation Iched Anash bought
2915-459: Was operated by the Schrier family. The Borscht Belt reached its peak in the 1950s and 60s with over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows, and 1,000 rooming houses but the start of a decline was apparent by the late 1960s. "Railways began cutting service to the area, the popularity of air travel increased, and a younger generation of Jewish-Americans chose other leisure destinations." Another source mentions
2970-489: Was pioneered on the Clutch Cargo cartoon series as a cost-saving measure, and was known as Syncro-Vox .) In 1996, Smigel wrote and performed on the short-lived Dana Carvey Show , a primetime sketch comedy program on ABC . Despite its premature end, the show provided Smigel the opportunity to debut his first cartoon The Ambiguously Gay Duo . Upon the show's cancellation, Smigel continued developing more cartoon ideas
3025-486: Was the film location of the 1987 movie Sweet Lorraine starring Maureen Stapleton . It was destroyed by fire in May 2008 while no longer hosting guests. In the same year, the movie Dirty Dancing replayed the heyday of the Borscht Belt in an upscale resort. The plot was inspired by the screenwriter's experience as a teenager in the summertime community at Grossinger's . In the graphic novel Maus: A Survivor's Tale (1991), Art Spiegelman 's father Vladek spends
#494505