Otto was a ventriloquist who worked the streets. As one comedian put it, “He’s vulgar, but hysterical. I don’t know who else can make a comic laugh.”

But things don’t always go smoothly for Otto. One day he was playing to a street crowd with a puppet on his arm when a drugged person came up to him and started talking roughly to the puppet.

“Otto was just unable to resist the opportunity. ‘Come on! Come on! You got a problem, tough guy? Come on!’

“‘Oh, yeah? How do you like this?’ The guy pulls a knife.

“Otto thinks he’s playing along. ‘Oh, yeah? What are you going to do with that? Oh, a pussy with a knife! You don’t have the balls to use it!’

“Then Otto goes, ‘Awwwww!’ and slumps. The guy had stabbed the puppet, and got Otto in the arm. Then the crowd jumped him.”