Shari Lewis' daughter keeps Lamb Chop alive, in Mesa 1/5

Candice Bergen tells horrifically weird stories about her father, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, showering more attention on dummy Charlie McCarthy than on her.

You won't hear any such tales from Mallory Lewis. Her mom, the late puppeteer Shari Lewis, created the wonderfully feisty sock puppet Lamb Chop and was a mainstay on TV for more than four decades.

Mallory's upbringing "was great," she enthuses. "I got to travel all over the world. I got to go to the White House. I knew it was fun. The key is really the opportunities Lamb Chop brings. She's just fun to be related to."

Sassy, wisecracking Lamb Chop was "born" in 1956 but is eternally 6 years old and speaks with a broad New York accent. Lewis introduced the character on an episode of "Captain Kangaroo," then Lamb Chop broke out through NBC's "The Shari Lewis Show" in the '60s. The character had a rebirth in the '90s with "Lamb Chop's Play Along," which ran for five seasons on PBS and won six Emmys.

Shari Lewis, by all accounts, was a dynamo. She was also a symphony conductor and created the characters Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy, reaching both children and adults in a long career. She died in 1998 at age 65. Mallory wrote for Lamb Chop with her mom; after her mom's death, she took over doing the character.

"It made me very feel happy, because it was like a part of my mom was still alive," Lewis recalls. "It did bring up a lot of emotions, but not in a bad way."

During a phone conversation, Lewis' speaking voice sounds a lot like her mother's. And when she slips into Lamb Chop's Noo-Yawk squawk, it's like hearing the voice of a long-lost friend.

"A lot of it is genetic, pure and simple," Lewis says of the uncanny vocal resemblance. "My vocal cords are the same shape as my mom's, but I have my dad's legs. My dad comes from a good-legged family, by the way. But with my mom, I lived with her my whole life. To me, I don't 'do' Lamb Chop. She simply speaks through me. I don't have to think about it."

Because of that natural instinct, there is no script on how to play Lamb Chop. Lewis didn't leave behind a manual full of Lamb Chop do's and don't's. Then again, she's more like a big (or little) sister.

"It sounds ridiculous, but when you have a sibling, you simply know them. That's the way I know Lamb Chop. You know what your sister would say in certain situations, and your mom didn't have to leave you notes about how to handle your sister."

Lewis is bringing Lamb Chop and Lewis' other creations to Mesa for a comedic performance designed for nostalgic adults, though it is definitely family friendly. The show features video footage of the puppet's greatest moments: Who knew Lamb Chop once danced with Fred Astaire?

She would love to see Lamb Chop return to that kind of prominence, but says a TV comeback may not be in the cards. Due to a deal her mom made, DreamWorks own the rights to Lamb Chop as an "intellectual property." Lewis has the live-performance rights.

"It's nothing I have any control over, which is the best answer I can give," Lewis says.

Speaking of Lamb Chop's future, Lewis doesn't have a voice-in-waiting to take over the character one day. She has one child, a son, and he hasn't expressed any interest in carrying on in the family business.

"Boys don't do Lamb Chop," she says. "My son wants to get into the Air Force Academy. I would be a little disturbed if he wanted to take over Lamb Chop. Maybe if he marries and his wife wanted to take over, but I don't think so... It's personal to me. It's family. She's mine."

Reach the reporter at randy.cordova@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8849. Twitter.com/randy.cordova.

Mallory Lewis and Lamb Chop

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Where: Val Vista Villages Resort, 233 N. Val Vista Drive, Mesa.

Admission: $15-$30.

Details: 480-832-2550, cal-am.com.