Nice post about Tony Kemeny, whose harrowing story of how he went from concentration camp survivor to popular puppeteer at Knott's is a fascinating one, as told in his autobiography, "A Puppet No More", which I am fortunate to have a signed copy of.
Great post! What I wouldn't give to start the day with a 2 dollar "Miner Struck It Rich" breakfast and a free stroll through ghost town circa 1958. It seems that there was so much more to do and see back in the "free" days of ghost town. Kind of Ironic that it now costs so much and what's left is truly a ghost town stripped of the businesses and people that gave it life. I guess the best things in life truly are (were) free.
My family would frequently visit Knots Berry Farm in the 60's. We became friends with Tony the puppeteer. He would use my brother Alan, about 2 at the time, in his shows. Alan had a big felt hat like the one that Haus Cartwright wore in Bonanza. He did not want to take it off. Tony's puppets would try and take Alan's hat and Alan would bop them on the head with a little rubber bat. I was always so worried that Alan would break Tony's hand. That routine was a big hit with the crowds.
Saturday, 13 September, 2014
Joseph said...
I remember my dad and Tony sharing past wartime experiences after one of his shows. My dad was in the OSS and in Hungary during the war. I remember a bond between the two as a kid at Knotts.
Saturday, 12 December, 2020
This post is a shout out to Chris Merritt's new Website "Knott's Preserved". Yes I'm about three weeks behind in letting you know about it, that's about how far I'm behind on my email... Anyway, if you haven't already seen his new site, be sure and check it out.
This undated flyer is probably from the early 1960's. Is it just me or does Tony look eerily like Lee Harvey Oswarld?
[Image]
This Knott's Berry Farm Ghost Town Grill placemat came with the Tony flyer and is also undated.
[Image]
posted by Vintage Disneyland Tickets at 12:25 AM on Jan 12, 2010
7 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formI had a monkey puppet that looked just like the one Tony is holding! I think it might have been a Steiff puppet, but I'm not sure.
I guess that since the arena is still pictured on that small map, we can at least say that the placemat is pre-1960...
Tuesday, 12 January, 2010
Nice post about Tony Kemeny, whose harrowing story of how he went from concentration camp survivor to popular puppeteer at Knott's is a fascinating one, as told in his autobiography, "A Puppet No More", which I am fortunate to have a signed copy of.
Tuesday, 12 January, 2010
wow, you have some really cool stuf here posted..
Tuesday, 12 January, 2010
The map (and hence, probably the placemat) is from 1958.
Wednesday, 13 January, 2010
Great post! What I wouldn't give to start the day with a 2 dollar "Miner Struck It Rich" breakfast and a free stroll through ghost town circa 1958. It seems that there was so much more to do and see back in the "free" days of ghost town. Kind of Ironic that it now costs so much and what's left is truly a ghost town stripped of the businesses and people that gave it life. I guess the best things in life truly are (were) free.
Wednesday, 13 January, 2010
My family would frequently visit Knots Berry Farm in the 60's. We became friends with Tony the puppeteer. He would use my brother Alan, about 2 at the time, in his shows. Alan had a big felt hat like the one that Haus Cartwright wore in Bonanza. He did not want to take it off. Tony's puppets would try and take Alan's hat and Alan would bop them on the head with a little rubber bat. I was always so worried that Alan would break Tony's hand. That routine was a big hit with the crowds.
Saturday, 13 September, 2014
I remember my dad and Tony sharing past wartime experiences after one of his shows. My dad was in the OSS and in Hungary during the war. I remember a bond between the two as a kid at Knotts.
Saturday, 12 December, 2020