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Jillie on the Street
Jillie The Queen of Fremont Street
The Puppet

Freddie Spencer is a master puppeteer, and his creation, Jillie, a pole dancing marionette, was initially added to his adult puppet revue as a new act. Once Jillie showcased her skills, she quickly rose to stardom, performing at prestigious venues like Birdland in New York, nightclubs in Utah, puppet slams in Los Angeles, and Fremont Street in Las Vegas. Jillie is a hit wherever she goes. This funny yet endearing pole dancing act, expertly brought to life by Freddie the Puppet, has captivated audiences.

Sometimes a puppet takes on a life of its own, and Jillie is Freddie's Charlie McCarthy, Kermit the Frog, Lamb Chop and Achmed the Dead Terrorist —though she's a bit more upfront with her sex appeal. Like she always says, it took alot of screws to put this act together!

 
 
 
 

THE GONG SHOW                                                 

My journey to the Gong Show began when I was recruited through AFTRA. Chuck Barris had reached out to agents all over Los Angeles, seeking unusual variety acts for a pilot he was putting together. My agent got the call, and Chuck’s description of what he wanted sparked something in her. She knew about a marionette I’d been performing with for years and suggested that I bring her in for the audition.
Fred Spencer, (now known as Freddie Spencer) has been passionate about puppetry since he was 7 years old. In 1964, he joined Sid & Marty Krofft for their hit show “Le Poupee De Paris” at the 64-65 World’s Fair. It was an incredible experience that inspired me to create a new act featuring a stripper marionette. That’s how Trixie Nice was born. 

The Audition 

When I took Trixie to the audition, she was in her usual outfit—or lack thereof. Trixie was nude, wearing only pasties and tassels. She’d been performing like that for years in nightclubs, on cruise ships, and in hotels throughout the Catskills. After moving to Atlanta in 1970, Trixie became a regular part of my puppet act. However, I admit, I got a bit sidetracked with too much partying. After the clubs closed we didn't. We hosted after-hours parties at a big house I rented with four other guys. Trixie would make an appearance at those parties, and soon she’d lost her costume completely. She performed nude, and that’s how she stayed until I got picked for The Gong Show pilot.

For the show, they asked me to adjust the act. Instead of just nude dancing, they wanted Trixie to do a striptease to stretch the performance to about 90 seconds. I had a costume made and worked hard to perfect her routine. Milton Delugg’s band played “Satin Doll” for her, which was the perfect choice. After the audition, Milton and I discussed different songs, but “Satin Doll” was definitely the right pick.I ended up performing Trixie on the pilot, as well as on the daytime and nighttime shows. Although I never won first prize, I did come in second, and it was an absolute blast.

Trixie Nice made history as the first marionette to perform a striptease on network TV!

 

 

 

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