Shields and Yarnell
Shields and Yarnell is a mixed-gender mime duo formed in 1972. It consists of Robert Shields (b. March 26, 1951 in Los Angeles) and Lorene Yarnell (b. March 21, 1948 in Los Angeles).
At the age of 18, Robert Shields had developed a resilient character while working as a street mime. He was performing at the Hollywood Wax Museum when he was seen by Marcel Marceau. Marceau was so impressed he offered Shields a full scholarship to his school of mime. Shields' apprenticeship with the French master was short, however; he decided to perfect his own style in his own environment.[1] The place he chose was Union Square, San Francisco, California. There he became one of the city's top tourist attractions. Lorene Yarnell was a tap dancer and actress in television shows and off-Broadway musicals when she met the clown, Shields.
The Shields and Yarnell comedy act originated in their partnership. Their specialty was taking on the personae of robots, with many individual, deliberate motions (as opposed to normal smooth motion) stereotypical of robots and early animatronics, enhanced by their ability to refrain from blinking their eyes for long stretches of time.
Their dance and mime performances were featured in 1977-78 on their own CBS television comedy-variety program, The Shields and Yarnell Show. They appeared on 400 national television shows in the US, including The Red Skelton Show, The Muppet Show (1979) and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. They performed in the unsuccessful Broadway Follies in New York, but career highlights included shows for two American Presidents and Queen Elizabeth II, and a tour of China with comedian Bob Hope.
The 1978 Shields and Yarnell Show episode "with John Aylesworth" was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Best Direction of a Comedy-Variety Series category.[2] Their TV special Toys On The Town, written by Shields, earned an Emmy.[3]
They won an award as Las Vegas "Entertainer of the Year," dual Georgies for "Rising Stars of the Year" and "Special Attraction of the Year" from the American Guild of Variety Artists].
Shields and Yarnell were married in 1972 and divorced in 1986. Shields opened a jewelry and art business in Sedona, Arizona, and Yarnell is based in Norway. They still reunite periodically to tour with their act.
Shields married Laurie Burke, a widely renowned singer-songwriter, on September 25, 2006. However, his new wife died seven months later, after a brief illness.[4]
Shields and Yarnell expect to wrap up their "Farewell Reunion Tour" in November 2007.[5]
In Popular Culture
- On an episode of That '70s Show, Kitty imagines what it would be like if her family did their own variety show, like The Brady Bunch Hour. In this daydream, Eric's sister Laurie is accused of making out with the male half of Shields and Yarnell. Laurie storms in, yelling, "That's a lie!", even with white makeup having rubbed off on her face. Ironically, Robert Shields, in real life, went on to marry a woman named Laurie.
- In the Futurama episode Love and Rocket, when their spaceship is being attacked Fry says: "Incoming torpedoes. Shields at maximum Yarnell."
References
- ^ "Brief biography of Robert Shields".
- ^ "Past Winners Database".
- ^ "Description of The Shields and Yarnell Show".
- ^ "Remembering Lauire Burke Shields: Songwriter traveled the world". North County Times/The Californian. May 3, 2007.
- ^ ""Shields and Yarnell Farewell Reunion Tour" Schedule 2006-2007".
External links
- Robert Shield's website, featuring images from S&Y's career
- Robert Shields' page at the Internet Movie Database
- Lorene Yarnell's page at the Internet Movie Database
- About Shields and Yarnell (Scott Stander and Associates)