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Philosophy
The Dancing
Duckman roving puppet show is founded on the notion that 
there is something very special about being a little kid.
It is a time of freedom to be one's self and open to new things,
no matter how silly, simple, or common in material, and effort.
It’s about a period of time full of hope, eagerness,
and the joy of life. We
adults need entertainment that remind us too of this place
within our hearts.
If, through the art of puppetry and the spirit
of pretend, combined with great music
and meaningful stories, we can create a place for little kids
to dream, it will be a job well done.
It is the mission of this act to establish and preserve
an entertainment environment and activities that nurture these
ideals.
Biography:
Jerry
Luther was raised in a small courtyard apartment in North
Hollywood, California. Jerry was an only child whose mother
died early in his childhood leaving him a latchkey kid who
spent the 1950s watching puppet shows like 'Beany,"
and "Howdy Doody," and westerns like "Bonanza."
He lived blocks from Universal Studios, and many of his
friends, and their parents, worked in the movies and TV.
Jerry did puppetry and told stories, some of which were
regarded as rather "tall."
Jerry
put in his military time trained in communications and jumping
out of perfectly good airplanes with the 82nd Airborne.
He holds the distinction of having the most jumps with a
stuffed dog "Brandy" in his ammo pouch and using
a rubber tipped blow gun to harass the cadre by sticking
darts to their helmets. He also created an entire street
full of potato suds while on KP (kitchen duty).
He studied business communication systems and was corporately
trained in Hollywood, California, as a presenter, trainer
and public speaker. He gained wide popularity using his
comedic inclinations and mixing them with dry technical
material. In 1973, at age 30, he left California and joined
the Pacific Northwest back-to-the-land movement.
In
Spokane, Washington he took up woodworking, created a street
performing character called "The Hooeyman," and
partnered with a smallish marionette duck, named Bruce.
Together they roamed the Pacific Northwest, selling hooey
sticks with a medicine show routine reminiscent of the early
1900s. Jerry also combined the medicine show with traditional
puppet theater.
Teaming
up with his wife Becky and son Travis, they formed the Hooeyman’s
Medicine Show that made and sold duck marionettes at art
and craft festivals throughout the Northwest. Between 1975
and 1991 the family made, demonstrated, and sold and taught,
kids how to use and untangle close to 5,000 marionette duck
puppets. The Dancing Duck Review has performed over 1,000
30-minute roving sets. The family made a wide range of fine
wood items besides toys and received several awards.
The Duckman no longer sells puppets, but has continued to
dance ducks as a performing artist in local events and Canadian
children’s festivals. The Dancing Duck Review has appeared
in several TV news articles, event commercials, and as a
featured artist in the State of Idaho’s centennial
video series The Spirit of Idaho. Mayor Miller of
the City of Sandpoint recently proclaimed the Duckman as
its "Good
Will Ambassador" .
Jerry recently retired from MultiLingual Computing, Inc.,
where he held the position of Senior Research Editor
Sandpoint
Magazine article
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