Bil and Cora Baird

For over 30 years the name Bil Baird's Marionettes was synonymous with American Puppetry. Even audiences today know them through the charming Lonely Goatherd song in the film The Sound of Music.

The Bairds created hundreds of commercials, specials and guest appearances for television and films, performed numerous times on Broadway, at World's Fairs, and on tour for The US State Department representing American Culture in India, Russia, Turkey, and all over the world. Bil Baird's book, The Art of The Puppet is considered by many to be the definitive book on the history and art of puppetry.





This DVD was made directly from Bil Baird's personal copies of these films. We made some of the transfers with Bil Baird many years ago. Other films were purchased from his private collection at auction, and were directly transferred. This DVD is therefore not a "copy of a copy", but rather made directly from the original prints.

They represent, perhaps, the finest examples of the classic Bil Baird Marionette's style. This style entailed beautifully sculpted and articulated figures, excellent voicing and manipulation, and the trademark use of "interchangeable" heads for almost all characters. This switching of the marionette heads for different scenes allowed for dramatic expression changes not usually possible in live performances.