Mollie Falkenstein

In 1906, Mollie Peck was born in England and moved to Canada when she was six years old{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}} where she began training in ballet.{{Cite news |date=1922-01-29 |title=Little dancer prevented panic |pages=4 |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102131708/little-dancer-prevented-panic/ |access-date=2022-05-19}} In 1922 she moved to Los Angeles{{Cite news |date=1922-05-27 |title=Miss Mollie Peck to study at Los Angeles |pages=2 |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102131748/miss-mollie-peck-to-study-at-los-angeles/ |access-date=2022-05-19}} and became a professional dancer{{Cite news |date=1925-11-19 |title=Scores success |pages=14 |work=The Vancouver Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102131817/scores-success/ |access-date=2022-05-19}} performing in “Rio Rita” in 1927,{{Cite news |last=Faulkner |first=Jean |date=1927-03-20 |title=Local Girl Joins The Follies |pages=44 |work=The Province |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102131400/local-girl-joins-the-follies/ |access-date=2022-05-19}} before landing a job as a ballerina for Rio Rita on Broadway.{{Cite book |last=Dircks |first=Phyllis T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VVQd4UD7k40C&dq=%22Mollie+Falkenstein%22&pg=PA81 |title=American Puppetry: Collections, History and Performance |date=2004-09-14 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-1896-1 |pages=81 |language=en}} Falkenstein got involved with puppets when her daughter, Jan, was in elementary school and she made a set of puppets and a story to accompany the puppets. This grew over time as the group of children performed in puppet shows with Falkenstein performing as the Chiquita Puppeteers.{{Cite news |date=1959-12-17 |title=Ebell party to feature puppets |pages=117 |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102131943/ebell-party-to-feature-puppets/ |access-date=2022-05-19}}

Falkenstein also performed a one-woman show with finger puppet ballerinas that would eventually become known as the “dancing ballet.” The ballet puppet dancers had molded legs attached to Falkenstein’s fingers and a head and arms controlled by strings.{{Cite news |last=Brouhard |first=Milt |date=1964-10-01 |title=Workshop to stress the art of string-pulling |pages=111 |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102128487/workshop-to-stress-the-art-of/ |access-date=2022-05-19}} This technique was later called “Ballerette”.{{Cite book |last=Latshaw |first=George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mh5uoMTWtRgC&q=falkenstein |title=The Complete Book of Puppetry |date=2012-04-30 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-15699-6 |language=en}}

Falkenstein also worked on puppetry for the community and founded a puppetry guild in Orange County in 1961. Then, in 1964, she was invited to serve as the General Secretary for Union Internationale de la Marionnette - International Puppetry Association (UNIMA).{{Cite news |last=Driscoll |first=Marjorie |date=1969-11-10 |title=Show goes on-even for Mollie's puppets |pages=80 |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102127654/show-goes-on-even-for-mollies-puppets/ |access-date=2022-05-19}} Mrs. Falkenstein attended UNIMA IX Munich 1966, as the USA delegate and then founded the American Chapter of Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA-USA) in 1966 and began editing the chapter’s magazine APROPOS. Falkenstein would also serve as vice president of UNIMA-USA from 1976-1980.{{Cite book |last=Latshaw |first=George |url=http://archive.org/details/puppetryultimate00lats |title=Puppetry : the ultimate disguise |date=1978 |publisher=New York : Richards Rosen Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-8239-0363-4}}

Falkenstein passed away in 1992 and, after her death, an exhibit including marionettes, shadow figures, and hand and rod puppets was held at the John Wayne Airport called “Puppets for Mollie” to honor Falkenstein.{{Cite news |last=Berg |first=Mary Helen |date=1992-11-26 |title='For Mollie' airport exhibit is memorial to puppeteer |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102127878/for-mollie-airport-exhibit-is/], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102127949/] |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102127878/for-mollie-airport-exhibit-is/ |access-date=2022-05-19}}

In 1978 Falkenstein received the Trustee’s Award from the Puppeteers of America.{{Cite web |title=Puppeteers of America - Awards |url=https://www.puppeteers.org/resources/Documents/pofa-full-awards-history.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506040556/https://www.puppeteers.org/resources/Documents/pofa-full-awards-history.pdf |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |access-date=2021-12-06 |website=www.puppeteers.org |language=en}} UNIMA-USA presented her with a citation of excellence in 1983,{{Cite web |title=Special Citations |url=https://www.unima-usa.org/special-citations |access-date=2021-12-06 |website=UNIMA-USA |language=en-US}} and she was named an honorary member of UNIMA.{{Cite web |title=MEMBERS OF HONOR |url=https://www.unima-usa.org/members-of-honor |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=UNIMA-USA |language=en-US}}

{{reflist}}

• {{YouTube|id=pj-6ZXBRNHA|title=Mollie Falkenstein; Her Life & Puppets}}, Puppeteers of America, posted March 24, 2020

• {{Cite book |last=Menegus |first=Kevin |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1198604726 |title=A century of California puppetry : or "How the West was strung!" |date=2020 |others=Randal J. Metz, Tony Urbano, Danalynne Wheeler Menegus |isbn=978-0-921845-54-6 |location=Garden Bay, BC, Canada |oclc=1198604726}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkenstein, Mollie}}

Category:1906 births

Category:1992 deaths

Category:American puppeteers

Category:Dancers from California

Category:UNIMA

Category:Female puppeteers