A number of folks have written me with their suspicion that Poncho the Singing Parrot, seen in today's video link with Johnny Carson, is a fraud. They suspect the guy holding him is a ventriloquist. I actually met Poncho and his handler when we had them on That's Incredible! and if it was a trick, it sure fooled me…and I know a little about ventriloquism. So, come to think of it, did Johnny Carson who actually was one early in his career. I don't think he'd have gone along with a hoax.
Yes, the gent holding Poncho does have a frozen ventriloquist grin on his face when Poncho is singing but Poncho does make noises while the human talks…and the sound seems consistent with the sound Poncho makes when allegedly singing. There's also the matter of Poncho's beak not being notably out of step with the lyrics. If he's lip-syncing — make that beak-syncing — he's better than Britney Spears.
Also, there's this. If you go to YouTube and search for "poncho singing parrot," you'll find a number of videos of performances over the years. It's the same act and the same songs and almost certainly the same bird…but I count at least four other handlers holding him. One man could conceivably learn how to do that voice without moving his lips…but four? I don't think so. Let's not go Alex Jones on this…