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Dunham brings friends along for new show

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By WALT BELCHER wbelcher

@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2009

Jeff Dunham knows that being a ventriloquist is a tough act to sell.

"It's a dying art that has been dying a slow, painful death since vaudeville," says the 47-year-old comic and puppet-master who stars in "The Jeff Dunham Show," debuting at 9 tonight on Comedy Central.

"Every generation since then has had one or two ventriloquists that became successful, like Edgar Bergen in the 1940s or Paul Winchell or Senor Wences in the 1960s," he said in a recent telephone interview. Other notable ventriloquists in the 1960s and '70s included Willie Tyler, Shari Lewis and Wayland Flowers.

"It's getting harder and harder to make it seem hip," Dunham said.

Dunham, who has been a ventriloquist since he was 8, has been working in show business for more than two decades.

His Comedy Central specials drew impressive ratings. His "Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity" repeats on the network at 8 tonight. His stage act plays to packed concert venues from Las Vegas to Tampa, making him one of the highest-grossing comedy acts.

Dunham said he owes it all to his motley crew of politically incorrect puppets that have no redeeming social value whatsoever. These include Peanut, a demented troll; Walter, a grumpy old man; Bubba J, a rambling redneck; and Achmed, a skeletal corpse of an incompetent suicide bomber. Walter used to be the star of the act but Achmed has become an international sensation, according to Dunham.

For the half-hour TV skit show, the puppets go solo (with Dunham operating them off-camera). In the opening episode, Peanut lands a date with singer Brooke Hogan; Bubba J takes a gun safety class; and Achmed recruits followers at a job fair.

Dunham says Walter was inspired by the late actress Bette Davis. "I saw her with Johnny Carson one night and there was this woman who just said what was on her mind and didn't care what anyone thought," he said.

BARBARA EDEN: Best remembered as the bewitching genie from "I Dream of Jeannie," Barbara Eden, 75, is still acting.

In "Always & Forever," debuting at 9 p.m. Saturday on the Hallmark Channel, she plays a meddling mother who tries to manipulate her daughter's romance. Rena Sofer plays her daughter, a woman torn between a current boyfriend and an old flame who returns after a 20-year absence.

"My character doesn't trust the old flame," Eden said in a telephone interview. "She just wants what she thinks is best for her daughter."

"It was a fun role and I got to work with Max Gail, who plays my husband," she said. "I like to keep busy. I do stage work, touring in 'Love Letters' and I am host of Ballroom with a Twist, a touring show featuring the best ballroom dancers in the world."

Eden said she has fond memories of the 139 episodes of "I Dream of Jeannie" and stays in touch with former co-star Larry Hagman. She says that wherever she travels throughout the world people recognize her as Jeannie. "It's wonderful to have been a part of something that people still love," she said.

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