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Mallory Lewis

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Mallory Lewis
Lewis with Lamb Chop at Kadena Air Base in 2004
Born
Mallory Hurwitz Tarcher

(1962-07-08) July 8, 1962 (age 62)
New York City, U.S.
Other namesMally Lewis
Mally Tarcher
Occupations
Years active1991–present
Spouses
  • Michael Dougherty
  • Brian Cummings[1]
ChildrenJimmy Tarcher Hood
Parents
RelativesJudith Krantz (paternal aunt)
Websitemallorylewisandlambchop.com

Mallory Hurwitz Lewis (née Tarcher; born July 8, 1962) is an American writer, television producer, ventriloquist, and puppeteer. She currently puppeteers Lamb Chop (a sock puppet created by her mother, Shari Lewis).[2][3]

Early life

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Mallory Lewis was born as Mallory Tarcher in New York City into a Jewish family. She is the daughter of Jeremy Tarcher (1932–2015) and Shari Lewis (1933–1998), creator of Lamb Chop.[4] Growing up, Lewis used to sleep with Lamb Chop.[5] She is of Jewish faith.

Career

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Lewis worked closely with her mother as producer of Lamb Chop's Play-Along and The Charlie Horse Music Pizza. Jeremy Tarcher had also been part of Shari Lewis's shows on PBS.[4] After her mother's death in 1998,[3] on the advice of family[6] and family friend the late Dom DeLuise, Tarcher decided that Lamb Chop should live on for her many fans.

In 2009, she started performing with Lamb Chop.[6] During this time, she changed her surname to Lewis, as an homage to her mother.[7] Although Lamb Chop may be described as "sassy",[3] "please" and "thank you" are part of the repertoire.[2] Lewis has the same hand size as her mother.[8]

Lewis said of her decision to take up the puppet: "My mom was one of the world's greatest entertainers. I don't want to challenge that. I don't think it's wise to go there. But I do want to do everything that I can do for Lamb Chop. I'll help keep her going". Lewis had never attempted to imitate Lamb Chop's voice but upon receiving a posthumous award for Shari, Lewis performed with the puppet, discovering that she had her mother's ability to effect the voice without lip movement.[7]

Lewis is also a writer of children's books, some of which star Zoey, a baby orangutan character she also puppeteers.[6]

Lewis performs extensively for military support organizations such as the USO and the Fisher House Foundation, performing arts centers, and at state fairs around the country. In 2002, Lewis helped raise $275,000 for UCLA's Neuro-Oncology Program,[9] as well as being a founder of Jump For The Cause, a women's world record skydiving organization that has raised nearly $2 million for Breast Cancer Research. Lewis is also on the board of the Blue Ribbon.

Lewis was the co-host of the 2014 AMG Heritage Awards with host Billy Gilman and David L Cook. During the broadcast, she accepted the Sandy Hosey Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Artists Music Guild.[10]

Prior to her death, Shari Lewis sold most of the rights pertaining to Lamb Chop to Golden Books Family Entertainment; a series of transactions resulted in these rights being held by Classic Media (now DreamWorks Classics, part of NBCUniversal), though Mallory still owns the live performing rights to Lamb Chop.[11] Lewis wishes one day to put Lamb Chop back on television.[12]

In the same way Lamb Chop was passed down from mother to daughter, the legacy of Lamb Chop has been passed on to Lewis' son, James Abraham Tarcher Hood. James usually travels with his mother as a road manager, working behind the scenes by setting up sound equipment and selling merchandise. And he is the only person aside from Shari and Mallory to have had his hand inside Lamb Chop. "She is so real in his life, as she was in mine," Lewis said.[13]

Awards

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Mallory Lewis has won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series and has been nominated several times.[14][15] She and her mother shared an Emmy Award.[6]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Mallory Tarcher | Additional Crew, Writer, Script and Continuity Department". IMDb.
  2. ^ a b Lisa Chase (September 29, 2007). "Shari Lewis' daughter gives babies a hand with ABC's". Daily News. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Lynne Heffley (September 20, 2007). "Like mom, she's in the family business – Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  4. ^ a b "CNN – 'Lamb Chop' creator Shari Lewis dead at 64 – August 2, 1998". CNN. August 3, 1998. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  5. ^ "Master Puppeteer Shari Lewis & Publisher Jeremy Tarcher: It's Not a Match Between Dummies". People. February 2, 1976. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d Callais, Krystle (February 9, 2015). "Carbondale-Murphysboro airport one of the busiest in Illinois". WPSD Local 6. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  7. ^ a b J.C. Johnson (2005). "SHARI LEWIS: Shari Had a Little Lamb…And Turned a Simple Sock Into a Superstar". TalkingComedy.com. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  8. ^ "Lamb Chop Is Now In The Capable Hands Of Mallory Lewis". Google News. Kentucky New Era. June 1, 2001. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  9. ^ Judi Kaufman (2002). "Art of the Brain UCLA Neuro-Oncology Program". Neoplasia Press Inc. 4 (2). NIH: 181–183. doi:10.1038/sj.neo.7900228. PMC 1550327.
  10. ^ Lewis, Mallory. "Lewis Co-Hosts the 2014 AMG Heritage Awards". American Towns News Organization. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  11. ^ Cordova, Randy. "Shari Lewis' daughter keeps Lamb Chop alive, in Mesa 1/5". azcentral.
  12. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (November 2, 2010). "The return of Lamb Chop, and the woman who brought her back". Oy!Chicago. Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  13. ^ Hammel, Cailley. "Daughter carries on Shari Lewis' Lamb Chop routine". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  14. ^ "Who is Mallory Lewis?". kidsfirst.org. 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  15. ^ "HELP UNLOCK YOUR CHILD'S IMAGINATION!". American Chronicle. January 3, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2010.

References

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