Wayland Flowers
Encyclopedia
Wayland P. Flowers, Jr. was an American puppeteer
. He was born and raised in Dawson, Georgia. Flowers was best known for the puppet act he created with his puppet Madame. His performances as "Wayland Flowers and Madame" were a major national success on stage and on screen in the 1970s and 1980s.
. The character of Madame is an "outrageous old broad" who entertains with double entendre
s and witty comebacks. Bedecked in fabulous evening wear and "summer diamonds" ("Some are diamonds; some are not"), Madame's look is based on movie stars such as Gloria Swanson
. Madame is rumored to be based on a Washington, DC gay icon
, waitress and restaurant hostess Margo MacGregor.
Madame's many TV appearances included Laugh-In
; a long run on the game show Hollywood Squares
(replacing Paul Lynde
in The Center Square); as recurring co-host of Solid Gold; a regular on ABC's short-lived summer replacement show called Keep on Truckin, various TV guest spots; and as the star of her own syndicated 1982 sitcom, Madame's Place
.
Flowers and Madame were in the center square on the final NBC
episode of Hollywood Squares in June 1980; host Peter Marshall asked Madame the final game question of the daytime series, which was: "Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss lived in the same place. Where did they all live?" Madame's "comic" answer: "At the YMCA!" Then her "serious" answer: Germany. (The correct answer: Austria.)
Five weeks after collapsing during a performance, Wayland Flowers died in his hometown of Dawson of AIDS-related cancer, at the age of 48. Flowers's estate was left to Wayland's then-manager, Marlena Shell.
Ten years after Flowers's death, Madame returned to the stage with entertainer Rick Skye. After appearances on several television shows, performances of "It's Madame with an E" began November 15, 2008 at Resorts Atlantic City
. During 2010, the show also toured the US.
Madame is currently on display in the permanent collection of the Center for Puppetry Arts
in Atlanta, Georgia
.
mental hospital), Jiffy (a Harlem
harlot with a heart of brass), Machelheny (a retired Vaudeville
comedian). His puppet Smedley worked with Marlo Thomas
on Free to Be… You and Me
.
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
. He was born and raised in Dawson, Georgia. Flowers was best known for the puppet act he created with his puppet Madame. His performances as "Wayland Flowers and Madame" were a major national success on stage and on screen in the 1970s and 1980s.
Madame
Madame was created by Flowers in the mid-1960s. Flowers's first big break was an appearance on the The Andy Williams ShowThe Andy Williams Show
The Andy Williams Show is a television variety show which ran from 1959 to 1971 , and a short-lived run in syndication, beginning in the fall of 1976...
. The character of Madame is an "outrageous old broad" who entertains with double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s and witty comebacks. Bedecked in fabulous evening wear and "summer diamonds" ("Some are diamonds; some are not"), Madame's look is based on movie stars such as Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
. Madame is rumored to be based on a Washington, DC gay icon
Gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is embraced by many within :lesbian, :gay, :bisexual and :transgender communities...
, waitress and restaurant hostess Margo MacGregor.
Madame's many TV appearances included Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In is an American sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC...
; a long run on the game show Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
(replacing Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde
Paul Edward Lynde was an American comedian and actor. A noted character actor, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie...
in The Center Square); as recurring co-host of Solid Gold; a regular on ABC's short-lived summer replacement show called Keep on Truckin, various TV guest spots; and as the star of her own syndicated 1982 sitcom, Madame's Place
Madame's Place
Madame's Place is an American sitcom that featured the misadventures of Madame, a puppet in the form of a bawdy old movie star with a naughty sense of humor....
.
Flowers and Madame were in the center square on the final NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
episode of Hollywood Squares in June 1980; host Peter Marshall asked Madame the final game question of the daytime series, which was: "Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss lived in the same place. Where did they all live?" Madame's "comic" answer: "At the YMCA!" Then her "serious" answer: Germany. (The correct answer: Austria.)
Five weeks after collapsing during a performance, Wayland Flowers died in his hometown of Dawson of AIDS-related cancer, at the age of 48. Flowers's estate was left to Wayland's then-manager, Marlena Shell.
Ten years after Flowers's death, Madame returned to the stage with entertainer Rick Skye. After appearances on several television shows, performances of "It's Madame with an E" began November 15, 2008 at Resorts Atlantic City
Resorts Atlantic City
Not to be confused with the Las Vegas, Nevada based casino/resort operator Resorts International Holdings.Resorts Casino Hotel is a hotel and casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Resorts was the first casino hotel in Atlantic City, becoming the first legal casino outside of Nevada in the United...
. During 2010, the show also toured the US.
Madame is currently on display in the permanent collection of the Center for Puppetry Arts
Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The Center focuses on three areas: performance, education and museum. It is one of the only puppet museums in the world. The Center is located in Midtown, the city's arts...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Other puppets
Flowers' other puppets included Crazy Mary (an escapee from BellevueBellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center, most often referred to as "Bellevue", was founded on March 31, 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the United States. Located on First Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Bellevue is famous from many literary, film and television...
mental hospital), Jiffy (a Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
harlot with a heart of brass), Machelheny (a retired Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
comedian). His puppet Smedley worked with Marlo Thomas
Marlo Thomas
Margaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas is an American actress, producer, and social activist known for her starring role on the TV series That Girl . She also serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
on Free to Be… You and Me
Free to Be… You and Me
Free to Be… You and Me, a project of the Ms. Foundation for Women, is a record album and illustrated book first released in November 1972 featuring songs and stories sung or told by celebrities of the day including Alan Alda, Rosey Grier, Cicely Tyson, Carol Channing, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross...
.