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Ventriloquist Dummy Has Leg Amputated, Gets Flesh Prosthetic LAS VEGAS (DPI) -- When ventriloquist Dale Rainey began noticing his little partner, Chip, was failing to deliver his punchlines and displaying an overall sluggishness in his performance, Rainey knew something was wrong. After finishing their second set at the Ramada Tiki Lounge, he took Chip to a well-respected arborist, who confirmed their worst fears. "The doctor told me I had the Big T -- termites," Chip recalled. "I thought it was just a moisture problem or maybe a varnish infection, but when he said I would lose my leg, my jaw almost dropped off its hinges. I thought I was scared when my eye fell off at that birthday party in Reno, but a little Super Glue and 'on with the show.' But with the loss of a leg, Dale and I thought our act would no longer float." The duo altered the act to use the misfortune to their advantage, but the dance routine became sloppy and the amputation jokes didn't seem to generate the laughs they had hoped for. "Chip became depressed, then suicidal," said Dale. "One day I found him standing beside a shredder ready to leap in. I knew we had to do something." That's when Dr. Marc Stewart offered to fit Chip with a flesh-and-bone prosthetic leg barely distinguishable from wood and metal. Stewart has worked with marionettes, dummies and life-sized Barbies, restoring them to productive lives after accidents with car doors, dogs and big brothers. After several months of therapy, Chip was back on the lap and pleasing crowds in several lesser-known Las Vegas hotels. "I was so pleased to get back to work, and my new leg seems so fake that sometimes I forget it's real," said Chip. "I come from a show business family. My father was a piano bench and my mother was several pairs of drumsticks. You could say that show business is in my sap. If I couldn't have Dale's arm stuck up my rear end, I don't know what I would do." The Chip and Dale act is now better than ever and has a new outlook on life. "We are going to be just fine as long as we don't have another medical scare, knock on wood," said Rainey. Chip spoke while his partner took a long drink of water. "One good thing came out of losing my leg," he said. "After they sawed it off, I was able to count the rings and finally find out how old I am." (Reported by Buddy Fisher)

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