This puppet, a 28-inch marionette in the image of an exotic South American beauty, was designed and built by Hazelle Hedges Rollins in 1935. She created it under the tutelage of the renowned Tony Sarg, a major figure in twentieth-century puppetry. The puppet’s name, The Latin From Manhattan, was inspired by the title of the song, “She’s a Latin From Manhattan” by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, which was introduced by Al Jolson in the 1935 Warner Bros. film, Go Into Your Dance. This eighteen-string marionette is barefoot, has brown wavy hair, and wears a black and gold dress with brocade and sequins along the neck, hips, legs, and ankles. A fringe of gold and black bugle beads surrounds the hips.
Hazelle Hedges Rollins (1910-1984), a native of Kansas City, Missouri, parlayed her skills at puppetry into a successful business. With her husband, J. Woodson Rollins, she created Hazelle, Inc., the world’s largest exclusive puppet manufacturing company.
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