You’ll have to bear with me. I am particularly sensitive about the things that made a major, lasting impact in my life and the people who created them. Gene Roddenberry’s Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship Enterprise. George Lucas and his galaxy far, far away. Jim Henson and his beloved creations, the Muppets. 16 years ago today Jim Henson died all too suddenly at the age of 53. A good, caring person who never wanted to be a burden to anyone, he waited too long to tell anyone that he was sick and died from pneumonia. I remember the day very well and I remember feeling very sad and somewhat numb. I was still fairly newly married (1 year, 3 days) and in many ways was essentially still a kid. And here one of my childhood heroes was dead. I had only recently fell under the spell of Labyrinth which brought with it a whole wave of Muppet nostalgia and the heart and soul of the entire thing was gone. The loss of one whose work I treasure effects me that way. I’m sorry.
The anniversary reminds me of that sadness. If you grew up in my generation Jim Henson most likely affected your imagination profoundly. Whether it was through his Sesame Street creations, the vaudevillian brilliance that was The Muppet Show, the wise “do or do not, there is no try” Jedi Master Yoda or any combination of the above, Jim Henson left an indelible mark on your childhood. Through his groundbreaking puppetry and the creation of the Jim Henson Creature Shop the genius and heart of Jim Henson continues to touch our lives today.
Back in August, Disney released the first of what will hopefully be all 5 seasons of The Muppet Show. I have coveted the season one collection for some time and in anticipation of this anniversary I decided to give in to my wants last week and I finally purchased this set.
Season One contains all 24 episodes of that first year and I cannot begin to tell you how fun it is to sit and relive parts of my childhood. Some of these episodes I haven’t seen since I was a kid. Some I don’t remember at all. There are characters that I know, remember, and love and some that I had forgotten about. In addition to some wonderful extras on of the greatest things is the ability to turn on “Muppet Morsels”, which is pop-up facts about different aspects of the show as you are watching it. This is The Muppet Show in all its glory. Season One includes the original, slightly less plump-faced Miss Piggy:
and we get to witness her first punch and later karate chop of her dear, froggy paramour.
We get the very worst of bad jokes from Fozzie Bear:
The Great Gonzo and his doomed acts of death defying entertainment, the moralizing and high-mindedness of Sam the Eagle,
the early manipulation by Scooter, the bad jokes on the ballroom floor, tunes from Dr. Teeth and Electric Mayhem…its all there. All there and more! There are scenes that were only available when these aired in the UK that were cut from the US episodes. There are wonderful guest stars who today make you feel like you are watching old Love Boat reruns. And there is the trademark corny, pun-filled humor that endeared me to Jim Henson from the very start. I was never more entertained than when Fozzie, or anyone else, was being heckled by Statler and Waldorf.
Statler: “Speaking of lunch, I wonder what the Swedish Chef has up his sleeve.”
Waldorf: “A summons from the board of health, I’d wager”.
In addition it is great to watch all the Muppet firsts. The introduction of the aforementioned Swedish Chef, the first Veterinarians’ Hospital sketch, the Muppet Newsflashes, the first episode with a running gag throughout, Marvin Suggs and the Muppaphones. As we watch I am anxiously awaiting the first Pigs in Space sketch. It is also fun to catch the adult humor that I no doubt missed when viewing these episodes as a child. And Henson and company just made so many memorable characters who I remember being so fascinated with as a child. In addition to the ones mentioned there were Dr. Bunson Honeydew and Beaker, Lew Zealand, Janice, Floyd Pepper, the Mad Bomber, Wayne and Wendy…and the whole Muppets performing a variety show for other Muppets gave the characters life.
It is so great for Mary and I to watch these with fond memories while sharing them with Tori for the first time.
Jim Henson was not only a creative innovator in the world of television and film but more importantly was a genuinely good person who believed that fundamentally we were all okay and that we should use our time to be nice to one another and to enjoy those around us. This spirit translated itself into the work that he did. Because of who he was and his passion for his work Jim Henson was able to draw wonderful, talented people around him who created characters so real that people often talked directly to the puppets even when the creators were right there in view. On one of the extras it is mentioned that Rowlf, in his early incarnation in Jimmy Dean commercials, was so well performed that the cue card holder in the commercials would often hold up the cards to the Muppet rather than the performer.
Jim Henson had what has to be one of the coolest and most touching funerals ever. The crowd was filled not only with the flesh and blood people who had been touched by the life of Jim Henson but by his creations as well. Some of Henson’s favorite songs were sung by the Muppet Performers including a very upbeat song “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady” from a very hilarious Kermit number in the second ever Muppet Show broadcast. In his DVD commentary for the movie Love Actually, writer/director Richard Curtis said, “At the end of (the funeral)…Frank Oz was talking and he suddenly lifted up Kermit’s puppet and started to sing this song called ‘One Voice’. And it turned out that all the guys in the memorial service had brought their puppets with them, and they lifted them up, and when you turned around and looked backwards there were fifty puppets all singing. And Big Bird walked down the aisle of Saint Paul’s Cathedral, and they all came forward and just this massive chorus of puppets all singing…It was an extraordinary thing…” I can’t imagine how powerful that memorial service must have been.
In the end I could be written off as being silly and sentimental about a bunch of puppets. But if you feel that way you have forgotten about the things in your childhood that were magical to you. For me that weekly airing of The Muppet Show was indescribably exciting and wonderful and the exposure to that kind of humor and creativity has stayed with me to this day. I miss Jim Henson. I look at Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal and can only imagine what he would have done if he was still alive today. There would no doubt be more classic Muppet films touching new generations today. The legacy of Jim Henson is a powerful one and I am happy to honor him today just by saying a heartfelt, sincere ‘thank you’ for the impact you have had on my life. You are truly missed.
