Cora Baird (January 26, 1912 – December 7, 1967; née Eisenberg, stage name Cora Burlar) was an American puppeteer who started her career as an actor on Broadway. She is best known for puppeteering in The Lonely Goatherd segment of The Sound of Music, and for her numerous TV appearances as a puppeteer with her husband Bil Baird.
Early life Baird was born in New York City to Morris and Anne (née Burlar) Eisenberg. She was the youngest of eight children. Baird's parents were both of Jewish descent, and Yiddish was their native language. Morris was from Russia and Anne from Austria. Before marriage, Cora attended Hunter College, studied dance with Martha Graham, and was a member of the Group Theatre in New York.
Stage acting Baird appeared in four Broadway productions under the stage name Cora Burlar from age 19 to 25: +YearProductionBroadway TheaterRoleTypeNotes1931NikkiLongacre TheatreEnsembleMusicalMusical director Jules Lenzberg1934-1935Valley ForgeGuild TheaterLadyHistorical dramaStaged by John Housman1935NoahLongacreSellaFantasy dramaProduced and staged by Jerome Mayer with Pierre Fresnay as Noah1937Dr. FaustusMaxine Elliott's TheatreEnvy puppet voiceTragedyStaged by Orson Welles with Welles as Dr. Faustus. A W.P.A. Federal Theater Project.
Puppeteering Cora Baird met Bil Baird while working on Dr. Faustus. Orson Welles had commissioned Bil to create and manipulate the Seven Deadly Sins puppets, and Cora was hired to voice the Envy puppet. Four weeks after meeting, they married on January 13, 1937. Soon afterwards, they formed the Bil and Cora Baird Marionettes company and worked as a puppeteering team, with Cora as a full partner in puppet design, creation, and performing.
Prior to meeting Cora, Bil Baird had worked with Tony Sarg on the 1928 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, founded Baird Marionettes, nationally toured his puppet show Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves for 40 weeks, and performed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933.
Cora Baird's most famous work was on The Sound of Music (released April 1, 1965), which won five Oscars, including best picture. Both Bairds puppeteered in The Lonely Goatherd song.
Television Baird performed as a puppeteer in over 20 TV productions from 1950 to 1963. The Baird Marionettes were covered in Time magazine on December 29, 1958. YearProductionDetailsSynopsisNotes1950Life with Snarky Parker2 episodes, premier January 9, 1950The adventures of Deputy Sheriff Snarky Parker and his horse Heathcliff in the town of Hotrock in the 1850s. All-marionette, full-color motion picture.Produced and directed by Yul Brynner. One of the early children's programs on network television. The Miami Herald: Probably the most ingenious puppets to be seen anywhere on television.1951The Whistling Wizzard6 episodes, premier January 26, 1952The Spider Lady, a modern villainess, says "Elia Kazan" to cast her spells. Her assistant, Kohlrabi, imitates the voice of Yul Brynner of The King and IAll voices performed by the Bairds. Cora voices the Spider Lady and J.P. The Bairds...achieve a real sense of life-like dimension and actuality by humanizing not only the figures themselves, which is fairly common, but also their production approach to the little characters on strings. The result is to enhance fantasy by adding to its plausibility.1952Christmas Eve Show on WNBT1 show, December 24, 1952Christmas music from 11:15 PM to midnight.Guests: Ezio Pinza, Jane Pickens, Alice Dennis King, and the Bil and Cora Baird Marionettes. Meredith Willson conducted the orchestra and chorus.Danger: Death Pulls the Strings1 episode, December 30, 1952Murder mystery drama (early use of background music)Charles Russell producer, Julian Koenig writer.1953The Arthur Murray Party (ABC)Season 4, episode 37, November 16, 1953Showcased popular party dance stylesPresented by hosts Arthur Murray and Kathryn Murray. Directed by Coby Ruskin, with special guest Groucho Marx.1954The Morning Show with Walter Cronkite (CBS)Weekdays 7 to 9 AMAmongst hard news reports, Walter Cronkite joshed with puppets Humphrey the Hound Dog and Charlemane, the Lion to create comic relief.The Bil and Cora Baird puppets performed four times daily. Cora Baird performed Humphry and Bil Baird performed Charlemane. Their satirical pantomimes of popular songs can be extremely amusing ... the Bairds provide what sparkle there is to The Morning Show.The Today Show (NBC)Weekdays 7 to 9 AMHoliday season special presentation, December 27 to 31.Televised live from the Baird's studio on 334 West Seventieth Street. 1955Babes in Toyland (NBC)TV Movie, December 18, 1954Live treatment of the 1903 Christmas-themed operetta composed by Victor Herbert. A young girl is lost in a department store during Christmas shopping rush. She is comforted by a department store Santa who tells her the tale of Tommy Tucker's love for Jane Piper and the cold-hearted villainy of Silas Barnaby.Produced and directed by Max Liebman. Broadcast in color, but most viewers had black and white TVs at the time. The decided heroes of "Babes in Toyland" were Cora and Bil Baird, the puppeteers. Their animated little figures of toys and animals were the complete embodiment of delightful fantasy-humorous, imaginative and beguiling lifelike. In the familiar "March of the Toys," for instance, the puppet soldiers handled by the Bairds were infinitely more intriguing-and much better drilled-than the complementary corps of humans costumed as soldiers.Studio One, The Prince and the Puppet (CBS)Season 7, episode 47, August 8, 1955A pair of puppeteers seek funds for a tour and do a show for a wealthy man's party with unusual results.Directed by Seymour Robbie, written by Shirley Peterson. Studio One received eighteen Emmy nominations and five wins during its nine-year run. This episode had Betty Furness as commercial spokeswoman.Max Liebman Spectaculars, HeidiSeason 7, episode 47, October 1, 1955Orphan girl left in gruff, hermit grandfather's care, then becomes companion for injured girl.Max Liebman director, adaption writers Neil Simon, Billy Friedberg. Stars Jeannie Carson as young orphan girl, Richard Eastham as grandfather. Other cast: Wally Cox, Elsa Lanchester, Jo Van Fleet, and Natalie Wood.1957The Strange Case of the Cosmic RaysTV Movie: release October 25, 1957Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and Feedor Doestoevski played by Baird MarionettesDirectors Frank Capra and William T. Hurtz, writers Jonathan Latimer and Frank Capra. Nominated for one primetime Emmy.Tonight Starring Jack Paar (NBC)1 show, December 4, 1957Late night talk show appearanceGuests: Bil and Cora Baird and their puppets, comedian Shecky Green and jazz vocalist Blossom Dearie1958Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (ABC)1 show November 30, 1958Comedy specialProducer Burt Shevelove, executive producer John Green, director Dick Feldman, assistant director Edith J. Johnson. Lyrics by Ogden Nash, music by Paul Weston, book by Andy J. Russell. Nominated for three primetime Emmys. Art Carney was the only visible human in the show. Rehearsed with Carney in the Baird's theater. In the back of the room a hive of Baird employees was at work refurbishing old puppets and creating new ones. As Mr. Carney ran through his lines, the sound of sandpaper being applied vigorously against wood provided a rasping accompaniment.
Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (ABC) proved to be one of the most engaging shows ever to be seen on TV... the wonder of the hour-long show was Bil and Cora Baird's 50 animal puppets, who achieved something rare—a fairy tale mixed with true gaiety, a child's world edged by real irony.1959Bell Telephone Hour: Adventures in Music (NBC)Season 1, episode 1, January 12, 1959Maurice Evans narrates Ogden Nash verses of Camille Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals featuring the Baird MarionettesWilliam Nichols producer, Dan Lounsbery executive producer, William Colleran director. Episode stars included Harry Belafonte.Art Carney Meets the Sorcerer's Apprentice (ABC)1 show April 5, 1959Comedy specialOriginal calssic by Paul Dukas. Script by A. J. Russell, composed by Paul Weston, lyrics by Ogden Nash, director Seymour Robbie. The show strove valiantly for the light touch of make-believe but the result was disconcertingly heavy-handed and confused...Bil and Cora Baird manipulated the marionettes with their accustomed skill; the maneuvers of the toy soldiers were particularly fine.Garry Moore Show (CBS)1 show November 24, 1959Jack and Jill (the Bairds puppets) are interviewed by Durward Kirby (in the role of Edward R. Kirby) on People to PeopleEven the puppets are satirizing flesh-and-blood television performers. Bil and Cora Baird have a character called Edward R. Bow-wow, a chain-smoking airedale.Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (ABC)1 show November 29, 1959Comedy special rerunSponsored by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. Described as an enchanting hour for children and adults.1960Shirley Temple's Storybook, Winnie-the-PoohSeason 2, episode 3; October 2, 1960Musical. Pooh stories: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Eeyore Loses a Tail, Winnie the Pooh in the Rabbit Hole, Tigger, and A Birthday Party for Eeyore. All Pooh characters played by Baird marionettes.Starring Shirley Temple (as Mother), Teddy Eccles (as Christopher Robin), Faz Fazakas (as Pooh voice). Kanga voice by Baird.1961Bell Telephone Hour, A Trip to Christmas (NBC)Season 4, episode 6, December 22, 1961Baird Marionettes: Night Before Christmas segmentJane Wyatt as hostess.The Chevy Show: O'Halloran's Luck (NBC)March 12, 1961A musical adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benet's story about an Irish immigrant who becomes a U.S. railroad tycoon with the assistance of a displaced leprechaun. Art Carney Stars. Book by A. J. Russell, lyrics by Dianne Lampert and Pete Farrow. The leprechaun Rory and his friends are portrayed by the Baird Marionettes. 1963Bell Telephone Hour (NBC)December 24, 1963A program of Christmas music and dance. Donald Voorhees conducts the Bell Telephone Orchestra. Guests are Jane Wyatt, Phyllis Curtin, Lois Hunt, Earl Wrightson, Bil and Cora Baird Marionettes, Kirsten Simone and Henning Kronstam, the Columbus Boy-choir, and the Buster Davis Singers. Broadway Baird was a puppeteer in eight Broadway theater productions from 1943 to 1959. She was credited variously as Cora Baird, Bil and Cora Baird Marionettes, Baird Marionettes, or Bil Baird Marionettes. YearProductionBroadway TheaterBaird RoleTypeShows (#)Notes1943 - 1944Ziegfeld Follies of 1943Winter Garden TheatrePerformerMusical review553Music by Ray Henderson, lyrics by Jack Yellen, featuring Milton Berle, Ilona Massey, and Arthur Treacher1951FlahooleyBroadhurst TheatreMirabelleMusical40Bil and Cora Baird performed the opening song You Too Can Be a Puppet, which lampooned McCarthy era politics. The original cast recording was released by Capitol Records. The puppets themselves are generally superb and in some instances are fit to be ranked, in their boisterous way, of course, even with those of Teschner for sheer puppet excellence.1955Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and ReviewPhoenix Theater Sideshow seriesThe Spider Lady, othersMusical11Special Christmas week attraction, part of Sideshow. Ali Baba music by George Kleinsinger, lyrics by Joe Darion, script by Bil Baird and Allan Stern. Review included Heathcliff, the talking horse; Bubbles LaRue, stripteaser extraordinaire; Groovy, a rabbi disk-jockey, and The Spider Lady, who casts spells with such utterances as "Elia Kazan."