'Lamb Chop' doc highlights Shari Lewis feminism, glass ceiling

UPI

9 hours ago

1 of 5 | Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop are the subject of "Shari & Lamb Chop," in theaters Friday. Photo courtesy of Kino Lorber
LOS ANGELES, July 16 (UPI) -- The documentary Shari & Lamb Chop, in theaters Friday, tells the story of ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her most famous character, the puppet Lamb Chop.
Her daughter, Mallory Lewis, who has performed as Lamb Chop and other characters since her mother's death in 1998, appreciates filmmaker Lisa D'Apolito showing the woman behind the characters.
When Shari first got into ventriloquism, she was shut out by the male-dominated industry. In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Mallory said women remain the minority in ventriloquism, even decades after Shari.
"There's always been a glass ceiling for women and there continues to be one," Mallory said. "Nina Conti is one of my favorites but she's a comic as well."
Shari and Lamb Chop also raised awareness for political issues that remain relevant today. A black and white clip from 1953 shows Lamb Chop asking Shari why there hasn't been a female president.
"It is telling that in 1953 Lamb Chop said, 'Why isn't there a woman president? 32 men have been president and they've done it all wrong,'" Mallory said.
Shari performed live television shows with Lamb Chop and other characters like Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy and Wing Ding. Mallory said her mother's strength was distinguishing each of her characters.
"You never felt that it was Mom putting on an affect," Mallory said. "Lamb Chop would not say the same thing Charlie would say. Lamb Chop would be horrified at injustice and Charlie Horse would be rooting for the bad guy. Hush Puppy would just want everyone to stop fighting. Then Mom would come in and explain the ethical issues and suggest a moral outcome."
The documentary shows how live children's shows like Shari's got pushed off the air by animated series. The animated shows were designed to advertise the toys that inspired the series.
Shari and Lamb Chop even testified before Congress in 1993 to advocate for moral children's television.
"Mom, of course, sold Lamb Chop toys but the show was not about the toys," Mallory said. "The show was moral stories. They learned be nice, be inclusive, don't be mean. I don't know why those are now radical concepts."
Lamb Chop did work blue in a Las Vegas act Shari performed. Shari & Lamp Chop includes clips of that show.
"People have a very narrow image of Mom as a nice little lady who played with puppets," Mallory said. "Mom did not have a dark side, but she was a feminist. She was an activist. She was a businesswoman back when women weren't businesswomen. She was a wife. She was a mother. She was actually a fully formed human being."
Shari also had many other endeavors that did not make it into Shari & Lamb Chop, such as her appearances on Hollywood Squares, or the Season 3 Star Trek episode she wrote with her second husband, Jeremy Tarcher.
"Mom created this place called Memory Alpha which was the repository of all the knowledge in the universe," Mallory said. "They still use Memory Alpha as the Wikipedia name [for Star Trek]."
In the documentary, Shari says she found herself in Lamb Chop. Mallory has a similar relationship with Lamb Chop, with one difference.
"Mom was Lamb Chop's mom," Mallory said. "I am Lamb Chop's sister so we have a different relationship. She has a great deal less respect for me than she did for Shari but we are besties."
Mallory said she is still using the same Lamb Chop puppet Shari used.
"I never did the puppets until Mom died," Mallory said. "Mom was a major part of my world but the rest of that was Lamb Chop. I couldn't let it all go away. I put her on, I never had to learn how to not move my lips. I never had to learn her voice. She just continued."
She even gives Lamb Chop a voice in interviews, as Lamb Chop weighed in on life after Shari.
"I miss Shari every day but I'm so grateful that Mallory is here because she's my sister and my bestie," Lamb Chop said.
Mallory, her husband, Lamb Chop and the gang moved to Portugal this year. They perform at political rallies and charity events, often held at the Cascais Jazz Club.
"I am a firm believer in the power of Lamb Chop to raise money," Mallory said. "We have raised millions of dollars over the years together, she and I. So we are hosting charity events regularly in Cascais and the expats have been very kind and generous."
Lamb Chop and Mallory also appear daily on TikTok and respond to fans. Charlie Horse has even made appearances by request.
"TikTok is where the artists are," Mallory said. "You can just ignore all the ads to buy stuff. Just keep scrolling."