Better known as “Señor Wences”, the ventriloquist was a well-known fixture on the popular Ed Sullivan Show, speaking with a Spanish accent to his hand puppet, Johnny, and the popular “puppet-in-a-box”, Pedro, created when one of his puppets was damaged in transit and only the head survived. Their banter — with Wences asking “S’OK?” and Pedro answering “S’awright!” — was a catchphrase with Sullivan audiences during the 1950s and ’60s.
Johnny really was a hand puppet: he consisted only of Wences’ hand with a drawn-on mouth and a tiny wig over the top of his fist. But what a talented hand: Wences would give Johnny a puff from a cigarette and Johnny would blow smoke rings. In addition to his many appearances with Sullivan, Wences toured with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and often played in Las Vegas. Wences, who was born in Penarada, Spain, died April 20 at his home in New York City. He was 103.