In 1938, filmmaker Douglas Fisher produced an instructional film documenting Waldo Lanchester’s process of creating a marionette. The film demonstrates each stage of construction, including the design, carving, assembly, costuming, and stringing of the puppet. Close‑up shots capture the detailed craftsmanship involved, such as joint construction, carving techniques, and painting, alongside the making of the costume by Lanchester’s wife, Muriel. The film concludes with the completed marionette, along with a second replica, being manipulated to showcase how the precision of the making process translates into expressive movement. The puppets were slightly smaller than Lanchester’s usual 18‑inch figures at 15 inches, adapted to meet the practical constraints of filming.
