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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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[harp music playing]
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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You know, I'm an idea man.
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I spend a lot of time thinking.
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Thoughts are funny things.
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They can lead to ideas.
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There's one now.
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["II B.S." playing]
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Now, when you get an idea,
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you have to look at it
from every direction.
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[roars]
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- [gunshot]
- [glass shatters]
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{\an8}Help.
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[children giggling]
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{\an8}- [screams]
- [groans]
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{\an8}Then along comes a new, fresh idea.
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[shouts]
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And this gives you other ideas,
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which gives birth to other ideas.
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And finally the whole thing crystallizes
into one gloriously marvelous,
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great, big, beautiful idea.
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[music ends]
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{\an8}[crew chattering]
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{\an8}- [Seeff] Looks fantastic.
- [shutter clicks]
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{\an8}[Seeff] Stand up. There's, uh--
There's a little rectangle on the floor.
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Stand up.
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I think he looks so good this way
that I'm--
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It's just it's so graphic an image.
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Great.
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- Yeah.
- I don't do this for a living.
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- [Rockwell] You got a great face.
- [Seeff] Oh.
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[Rockwell] Oh, yeah.
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[Seeff] How would you define yourself now,
as a puppeteer or a filmmaker or...
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- [stammers] Any of those.
- [Seeff] Yeah, right.
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- And all of the above?
- Yeah. Sure.
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Do you get a lot of fear wondering
whether your perceptions are correct?
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[Jim] Uh, when you're running a whole,
you know, several-hundred-person unit,
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uh, you have to keep
everybody else enthusiastic.
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- [Seeff] Uh-huh.
- You can't really express
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grave doubts and stuff,
whether or not your--
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this whole thing is a good idea or not.
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[Seeff] Yeah.
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- [shutter clicks]
- Is this a nine-to-five job?
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No, it's sort of... [chuckles]
...an all-the-time job.
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- [laughs]
- [Seeff] Yeah.
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It's every-- "every moment of one's life"
kind of a job, I suppose.
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[Oz] I met Jim when I was 17.
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And it took about ten years
to get to the point
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where we could sense each other's rhythms.
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[shutter clicks]
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I was the mainstay performer
with Jim for 35 years.
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{\an8}Jim created out of innocence.
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He was a very rare, rare creature.
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He was so internal and quiet
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that his inner life
must have been sparkling.
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He had so many ideas
and so many things he wanted to do.
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And so the idea of time, I think,
was very much on Jim's mind always.
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[clock ticking]
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[Rockwell] I was what they called
a "creative assistant,"
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{\an8}an assistant that would travel with Jim
and shadow him 24-7.
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You should be much more active.
You need to be running around.
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[ticking continues]
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His ideas came from excitement in him.
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[Rockwell] He said to me
that from a very early age,
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he had the feeling that he was here
for a purpose and a reason.
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And that was largely what drove him.
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{\an8}I feel like he came onto this planet, and
he knew he had a mission and a calling.
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He's like,
"Gotta get it done. Gotta get it done."
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[Rockwell] His schedule was so packed.
New York to London to Toronto to LA.
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His drive was superhuman.
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Uh, we have to keep going,
and you get to go home.
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[Goelz] It was a restlessness.
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{\an8}He was always doing, always creating.
And he was urgent about it.
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Wrap it up and get to the ending.
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[Jim] I've always operated
doing a few things at the same time.
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And I find it very exciting.
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{\an8}It's just an incredibly busy life
with a shocking amount of things
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{\an8}that got done in every year.
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[Oz] Why he kept going so much,
I don't know.
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There's no real one answer.
That's the trouble, you know?
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[creaking]
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Muppets, they're superstars.
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250 million people enjoy them every week.
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And just because they're so popular,
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we may neglect to notice
that Muppetry is also an art.
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Sitting beside me here is
the Muppet master himself.
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There's only one word for Jim.
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He's a genius.
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Think of Rasputin as an Eagle Scout.
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[audience laughs]
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And in the chair next to him,
and, indeed, seldom far from him,
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is Jim's close associate and friend,
a man who truly fits his name.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. Frank Oz and Mr. Jim Henson.
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[applause]
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Let's get this on the record.
How did you start?
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So when I started, it was, like,
just out of high school,
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and I just heard
about a television station
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that was looking for a puppeteer.
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And so I made puppets and auditioned
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because I really wanted
to work in television.
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I don't recall ever seeing
a puppet show when I was a kid.
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You never saw a puppet?
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No. And I never played with puppets.
I never had any to play with.
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[Lisa] He grew up in rural Mississippi.
Leland, Mississippi,
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on a Department of Agriculture
research station.
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His mother was a Christian Scientist,
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{\an8}and his father agreed to be
Christian Science because he loved her.
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His older brother was his best friend.
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{\an8}They would spend a lot of time outside,
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a lot of time exploring.
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If you imagine the peacefulness...
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{\an8}he really had that kind of childhood
where your mind is allowed to fill in.
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[Jim] When I was fairly young,
we just got a television set.
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Television was in its early days,
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and I thought it was
such an exciting thing.
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This television picture
that was happening in one place,
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and you could see
what was going on somewhere else.
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{\an8}From the first time he saw a television,
I think that's where he wanted to go.
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[Cheryl] You think of a guy
growing up in Mississippi.
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A television set
could bring the world into your home.
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Like, that's just like, boom,
mind-blowing.
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- [static]
- His name is Jim Henson,
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the most famous name
in the whole history of puppetry.
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And you're telling us
that you went into puppetry
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just as a way to get into television?
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Yes, because I wanted to work
in this field. I-I loved it.
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- [scoffs]
- [audience laughs]
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[Jim] Throughout,
I'd get all the credit and so forth.
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But back in the early days,
it was my wife, Jane.
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Actually, she wasn't my wife
when we started working.
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She and I were the whole thing
for the first, oh, five, seven years.
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My mom had a wicked sense of humor.
She was really, really funny.
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She was very, very artsy,
but she was also extremely earthy.
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{\an8}She was a painter and a ceramicist,
and her art was very important to her.
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{\an8}I met Jim in a puppetry class.
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{\an8}It was my senior year,
and he was a freshman.
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When he was young, everything was
absolutely intriguing to him,
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and he just couldn't wait
to get on to the next thing.
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The puppetry class really was the first
thing he did with the university.
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It was a senior class,
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and Jim was coming in as a freshman.
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He started writing all the scripts,
designing the puppets,
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and he pretty much took over the class.
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And he had
that boy-genius quality about him.
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His skin wasn't perfect.
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He wanted to take care of his acne,
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and his mother didn't want
to have him go to a doctor.
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So as soon as he could grow a beard,
he just wanted to have one.
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[Lisa] He thought of himself
as a pimply-faced, skinny teenager,
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and then carried that with him
for a long time.
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When they first met,
she was much worldlier on multiple levels.
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She came from New York.
She had had other boyfriends.
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She was more socially adept than him.
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{\an8}They both had a sophisticated appreciation
of nonsense and absurdity.
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That's probably what pulled them together.
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[Jane] He already had some puppets on TV
'cause he started in high school.
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And it was in that spring semester
that Jim asked me to help him at WRC.
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{\an8}Jim was an artist.
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He wanted production design,
but he was fascinated by television.
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[crew] Action.
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I heard of a TV station
that was looking for a puppeteer.
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So I painted the scenery
and I built the puppets,
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and wrote the materials
and auditioned and got a job.
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{\an8}And that's kind of how it all started.
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{\an8}I did this thing
that was called Sam and Friends.
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It was late at night. It was on at 11:30,
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which was a strange kind of time
for a puppet show.
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- [audience laughing]
- But, uh--
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But, at the time,
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we never thought of ourselves
as being particularly for children.
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{\an8}Going now to two of the best people
in the world, I think.
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They're Jim and Jane Henson.
And they have two friends.
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They call 'em Muppets
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because they're neither puppets
or marionettes, but kind of a combination.
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They invented them.
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Here we go to Washington
and Jim and Jane Henson.
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♪ Yes!
We have no bananas ♪
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♪ We have no bananas today ♪
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[Jane] It almost always started
with some kind of a musical piece,
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and do his visual interpretations.
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Jim would pick a record,
and he would build puppets to go with it.
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And I would help perform.
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♪ ...old-fashioned tomato ♪
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[Juhl] Sometimes it was a sort of
sophomoric, uh, record pantomimes.
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Other times,
it was completely zany sketch comedies.
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The truth is out!
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[Juhl]
And it attracted this huge following
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in Washington D.C., of all places,
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where everybody watched the news.
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[Jane] Everything was live.
Nothing was taped.
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Whatever you did,
went out over the air as you did it.
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And our style of puppetry,
we didn't even try to be sophisticated.
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Television was very new,
and really, Jim went to play.
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[record scratches]
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[Oz] There's so many things that
Jim did at that time to explore puppetry.
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♪ Old black magic has me in its spell ♪
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♪ Old black magic that you weave so well ♪
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What Jim did is
he took the first proscenium away,
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and made the TV set the stage.
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♪ Like a leaf caught in a tide ♪
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♪ I should stay away
But what can I do? ♪
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Not only that,
but he worked with the close-up.
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Most shows at that time
didn't have close-ups of puppets.
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♪ The old black magic called love ♪
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[music ends]
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[applause]
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[presenter] Oh, that's marvelous.
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Jim and Jane, I'm--
I'm glad that you run the lady's part.
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- Oh.
- [chuckles]
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- [Jane] This is Kermit.
- It's Kermit.
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And this is Sam. Some of our characters
change sex very easily...
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- [Jane chuckles]
- ...with the addition of a wig.
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[presenter] Kermit--
Uh, yeah, I see. Okay.
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{\an8}[Brian] To start with, my dad just had
sort of a-- a troupe of puppets that--
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that he had designed.
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And they were very different
from each other.
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And Kermit was just one of them.
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[harmonizing]
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♪ So deep in my heart ♪
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Dad was still trying to, like,
find what he felt was the right look
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for-- for puppets for him.
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In the very early experimentation,
Kermit was right there.
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Kermit wasn't a frog then.
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Keep your shirt on, King.
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[narrator] Said the little green guy.
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[Lisa] Initially,
it was just one of the troupe.
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My mother puppeteered it sometimes.
[chuckles]
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Kermit wore a wig at times.
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♪ I've grown accustomed to your face ♪
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[audience laughs]
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♪ You almost make the day begin ♪
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[host] Where were you first born, Kermit?
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The first-- The first me actually
came from, uh-- I was a, uh--
235
00:13:56,002 --> 00:13:58,505
I was a coat that belonged to, uh,
Henson's mother there.
236
00:13:58,505 --> 00:14:00,840
- Actually was. Yeah.
- [host] That's how you began?
237
00:14:02,884 --> 00:14:05,470
[Jim] It was my mother's coat
and a Ping-Pong ball, you know,
238
00:14:05,470 --> 00:14:07,555
which I cut in half to make the eyes.
239
00:14:13,937 --> 00:14:16,398
[Lisa] He was sort of sitting vigil
240
00:14:16,398 --> 00:14:18,608
{\an8}with his grandfather,
who was very, very ill.
241
00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:24,948
The story is he used Kermit to entertain
his grandfather as he was dying.
242
00:14:26,991 --> 00:14:31,579
My mom thought there was a little bit
of a spiritual connection to the puppet.
243
00:14:32,372 --> 00:14:35,625
It was a way of bringing lightness
and bringing humor.
244
00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:41,673
My dad always felt like humor was
an antidote, that it was a saving grace.
245
00:14:42,882 --> 00:14:45,468
[Brian] Kermit was one
of the more generic of the puppets,
246
00:14:45,468 --> 00:14:47,637
but it fit his hand really well.
247
00:14:47,637 --> 00:14:49,931
He could puppeteer really well through it.
248
00:14:49,931 --> 00:14:51,349
[no audible dialogue]
249
00:14:51,349 --> 00:14:54,310
He was learning that
a really simple puppet, like Kermit,
250
00:14:54,310 --> 00:14:58,606
could be very expressive just by
using the fabric and letting it distort,
251
00:14:58,606 --> 00:15:01,568
but controlling the distortion
so that they become expressions.
252
00:15:01,568 --> 00:15:04,529
- Give me a dozen eggs.
- How about a loaf of Claussen's bread?
253
00:15:04,529 --> 00:15:05,739
Nah, just give me the eggs.
254
00:15:05,739 --> 00:15:06,906
Give him the eggs!
255
00:15:07,532 --> 00:15:09,117
He'll learn to buy Claussen's.
256
00:15:09,909 --> 00:15:15,415
The fact that the puppet is so simple,
and it really almost exposes the hand,
257
00:15:15,415 --> 00:15:17,667
makes it very close to him.
258
00:15:17,667 --> 00:15:24,341
And, over time, he really imbued
that character with more of himself.
259
00:15:25,091 --> 00:15:27,844
[Jim] Kermit is--
is more outgoing than I am, certainly.
260
00:15:27,844 --> 00:15:31,264
I am more laid back.
I-- I don't do outrageous.
261
00:15:31,264 --> 00:15:33,808
I-- I do his outrageous things.
That's true.
262
00:15:34,309 --> 00:15:35,560
[shouts]
263
00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:37,937
[screaming]
264
00:15:39,189 --> 00:15:40,190
[eggshell cracks]
265
00:15:40,982 --> 00:15:43,568
I guess it's close
to an alter ego of some sort.
266
00:15:44,152 --> 00:15:45,653
How's that for happily ever after?
267
00:15:45,653 --> 00:15:46,738
- Yeesh.
- [laughter]
268
00:15:46,738 --> 00:15:47,822
[water splashes]
269
00:15:49,532 --> 00:15:51,326
Oh, Harry, we're blocking
some people's view.
270
00:15:51,326 --> 00:15:53,703
Oh, excuse me. I sure don't want
to keep anybody from seeing
271
00:15:53,703 --> 00:15:55,955
this gorgeous Esskay bacon package.
272
00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:57,957
It's a very tasty package.
273
00:15:57,957 --> 00:16:00,377
[Jane] Jim was doing
Sam and Friends daily shows.
274
00:16:01,044 --> 00:16:03,755
Even though it was fun,
he was very confined.
275
00:16:06,341 --> 00:16:10,095
[Cheryl] He was particularly sensitive
to being boxed in.
276
00:16:11,096 --> 00:16:12,681
[Lisa] He wanted to be an artist.
277
00:16:12,681 --> 00:16:14,182
He was interested in filmmaking.
278
00:16:14,182 --> 00:16:17,435
He was interested in television,
not strictly puppetry.
279
00:16:18,561 --> 00:16:21,731
He was figuring out
what he wanted to do next in his life.
280
00:16:22,857 --> 00:16:25,443
[Jim] I was going through
those sort of early times in one's life.
281
00:16:25,443 --> 00:16:27,028
I was breaking up with a girl.
282
00:16:27,654 --> 00:16:29,864
[Jane] We were kind of dating other people
and everything.
283
00:16:29,864 --> 00:16:32,283
We had life going on
during Sam and Friends.
284
00:16:33,410 --> 00:16:37,414
[Brian] Well, he clearly had
a moment of self-doubt.
285
00:16:39,416 --> 00:16:41,209
Here's a track.
I could stay on this track,
286
00:16:41,209 --> 00:16:42,961
but is this the track I want?
287
00:16:44,838 --> 00:16:46,464
[Jim] So I decided to go away and paint.
288
00:16:47,382 --> 00:16:48,383
Then I went to Europe.
289
00:16:59,519 --> 00:17:00,353
{\an8}[horn honks]
290
00:17:06,818 --> 00:17:07,944
[shutter clicks]
291
00:17:07,944 --> 00:17:09,320
[Jim] I wandered around.
292
00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:10,655
[chattering]
293
00:17:10,655 --> 00:17:12,866
Then I met a lot of other puppeteers.
294
00:17:15,035 --> 00:17:18,955
[Cheryl] He could see that puppetry
was taken more seriously in Europe.
295
00:17:20,081 --> 00:17:23,543
I mean, they got funded.
They had companies. They had theaters.
296
00:17:27,088 --> 00:17:30,425
[Oz] He started to believe
that puppetry was an art form,
297
00:17:30,425 --> 00:17:33,595
and could express things
that humans couldn't express.
298
00:17:34,512 --> 00:17:36,264
[Jim] In the course of that little trip,
299
00:17:36,264 --> 00:17:38,850
I found that people were doing
interesting things,
300
00:17:38,850 --> 00:17:42,979
and it was something that,
uh, you could get into and develop
301
00:17:42,979 --> 00:17:45,440
and-- and turn into something else.
302
00:17:46,024 --> 00:17:47,525
That's what you did, all right.
303
00:17:53,823 --> 00:17:55,909
[Jim] I came back from that trip
all fired up.
304
00:17:56,576 --> 00:17:59,662
[Jane] He really had it in his mind.
"This is what we're gonna do."
305
00:17:59,662 --> 00:18:02,499
We're gonna do this with the puppets,
and then we're gonna get married.
306
00:18:04,834 --> 00:18:07,212
Falling in love is
a kind of a funny way of putting it
307
00:18:07,212 --> 00:18:09,381
because, I don't know,
we were just with each other,
308
00:18:09,381 --> 00:18:11,508
and we were very fond
of being with each other.
309
00:18:13,593 --> 00:18:17,430
He and my mom founded
a company called Muppets, Inc.
310
00:18:20,684 --> 00:18:24,229
[Jane] But as soon as it was incorporated,
that's when we settled on the 60-40,
311
00:18:24,229 --> 00:18:26,398
which it kind of always was from then on.
312
00:18:27,816 --> 00:18:31,069
It was around October or so
that we decided to get married.
313
00:18:31,069 --> 00:18:32,987
[applause]
314
00:18:32,987 --> 00:18:36,157
But I don't know at that time
we knew what the future would be.
315
00:18:41,913 --> 00:18:45,083
{\an8}[Lisa] My mom sometimes said
that they got married too young.
316
00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:51,131
She was aware that he was maybe too young
to settle down for the rest of his life,
317
00:18:51,131 --> 00:18:52,382
having gotten married at 23.
318
00:18:52,382 --> 00:18:54,592
Now, that was probably
not too young for her though.
319
00:18:55,343 --> 00:18:57,595
[Jane] Right about that time,
we got that local Emmy.
320
00:19:00,849 --> 00:19:03,685
I do remember Jim getting it
from Richard Nixon,
321
00:19:03,685 --> 00:19:05,729
and you have to stand there
having your picture taken.
322
00:19:05,729 --> 00:19:07,313
You have to say something, right?
323
00:19:07,313 --> 00:19:11,067
But I do remember Jim came up
and he said, "Nixon said to me,
324
00:19:11,067 --> 00:19:13,820
'I knew a man in the navy
with a beard.'" [chuckles]
325
00:19:16,406 --> 00:19:19,075
[Brian] At that time, he was
holding it all together with my mother.
326
00:19:19,075 --> 00:19:21,536
[chuckling] Just the two of them
figuring it all out.
327
00:19:23,121 --> 00:19:25,582
[Jane] Then we had a baby in May of '60.
328
00:19:26,666 --> 00:19:31,463
And then in August '61, we went
to Puppeteers of America Festival.
329
00:19:34,841 --> 00:19:37,427
Jim was anxious to know other puppeteers,
330
00:19:37,427 --> 00:19:39,512
and also to look for somebody
to work with him.
331
00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:43,600
He really was in search
of putting together a team.
332
00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:45,685
[audience laughing]
333
00:19:46,478 --> 00:19:48,897
Jim started asking around for someone.
334
00:19:48,897 --> 00:19:50,273
And everybody was saying,
335
00:19:50,273 --> 00:19:53,151
"You really should see
a very young man named Frank Oznowicz."
336
00:19:54,736 --> 00:19:57,781
{\an8}[Oz] I was 17. I hadn't finished
high school when Jim saw me.
337
00:19:57,781 --> 00:20:01,034
{\an8}I had worked for four or five years doing
puppet shows all around the Bay area.
338
00:20:01,534 --> 00:20:03,453
I think Jim could sense
that feeling and timing
339
00:20:03,453 --> 00:20:06,539
I learned through all those years
of doing all those shows.
340
00:20:06,539 --> 00:20:09,417
And I could hold an audience.
I think that was the key thing.
341
00:20:12,045 --> 00:20:13,713
[Lisa] Frank Oz was, initially,
342
00:20:13,713 --> 00:20:18,134
a very mischievous son
of a very serious puppeteer.
343
00:20:18,885 --> 00:20:22,097
{\an8}[Oz] My dad and mom escaped
from Antwerp, Belgium
344
00:20:22,097 --> 00:20:23,848
{\an8}at the beginning of the war.
345
00:20:23,848 --> 00:20:27,102
{\an8}My father was a window dresser
and a sign painter.
346
00:20:27,102 --> 00:20:31,272
And, to the degree that I know,
he carved puppets out of wood.
347
00:20:32,023 --> 00:20:35,443
Then when he met my mom,
she made the characters' clothes.
348
00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:40,407
{\an8}They really took the art of puppetry
so seriously
349
00:20:40,407 --> 00:20:43,493
{\an8}that Frank could never take
the art of puppetry seriously.
350
00:20:46,705 --> 00:20:48,665
Frank and I met Jim
351
00:20:48,665 --> 00:20:50,166
{\an8}at exactly the same time.
352
00:20:50,166 --> 00:20:52,168
{\an8}In fact, Frank and I
were doing a show together.
353
00:20:52,168 --> 00:20:55,380
[Oz] Jerry was asked by Jim to join him.
354
00:20:56,297 --> 00:20:59,592
I probably never would have had the job
except that Frank was too young...
355
00:20:59,592 --> 00:21:01,845
[chuckles] ...to-- to leave home.
356
00:21:01,845 --> 00:21:04,514
{\an8}[Jane] Jerry Juhl came in '61.
357
00:21:04,514 --> 00:21:07,017
{\an8}I was pregnant with Cheryl, and Jim felt
358
00:21:07,017 --> 00:21:09,477
{\an8}that I was no longer dependable.
[chuckles]
359
00:21:10,103 --> 00:21:12,897
{\an8}[Juhl] Shortly thereafter,
Don Sahlin joined the team
360
00:21:13,565 --> 00:21:16,234
and became
the genius builder of the Muppets.
361
00:21:16,860 --> 00:21:20,447
He was this quiet,
very funny, obsessed man.
362
00:21:21,906 --> 00:21:25,952
{\an8}[Oz] I completed high school,
and that's when he asked me to come on.
363
00:21:26,870 --> 00:21:29,039
{\an8}[Juhl] That was the core group
for quite a while.
364
00:21:31,541 --> 00:21:37,172
I arrived at 53rd and Second Avenue,
and there were two rooms.
365
00:21:37,922 --> 00:21:40,759
One room was a little cubicle
for a secretary,
366
00:21:40,759 --> 00:21:43,094
and then there was a workshop
for Don Sahlin.
367
00:21:43,094 --> 00:21:45,555
And he had the gerbils running around.
368
00:21:46,514 --> 00:21:49,809
[Juhl] Don took a basketball one day
and cut it in half.
369
00:21:51,811 --> 00:21:53,813
And that became the basis of Rowlf's head.
370
00:21:55,982 --> 00:21:58,401
[Jane] And, of course,
Rowlf became the big star.
371
00:21:58,401 --> 00:21:59,778
- Howdy.
- Was that him?
372
00:21:59,778 --> 00:22:00,904
- Yep.
- Howdy.
373
00:22:00,904 --> 00:22:02,405
- Is that all he says?
- He's a star.
374
00:22:02,405 --> 00:22:04,449
- Any more and we have to pay him.
- Howdy.
375
00:22:06,034 --> 00:22:09,871
{\an8}[Jane] Immediately, Jim and Frank
started performing together.
376
00:22:10,497 --> 00:22:15,001
{\an8}And almost the first thing that Frank did
was to play the extra hand of Rowlf.
377
00:22:15,627 --> 00:22:18,546
He then had a weekly spot
on Jimmy Dean's show.
378
00:22:18,546 --> 00:22:20,298
{\an8}- You're on the other side.
- I'm on the other side.
379
00:22:20,298 --> 00:22:21,716
{\an8}- Now, Rowlf--
- I got water in my ear.
380
00:22:21,716 --> 00:22:24,386
{\an8}[audience laughs]
381
00:22:24,386 --> 00:22:26,471
{\an8}- Okay. Now I'm running again.
- All right. Now you're running.
382
00:22:26,471 --> 00:22:28,056
{\an8}- Now you're going faster and faster.
- Faster.
383
00:22:28,056 --> 00:22:29,641
- Lickety-split.
- I'm lickety-split.
384
00:22:29,641 --> 00:22:31,601
- [grunts]
- What's the matter?
385
00:22:31,601 --> 00:22:34,354
- I think I just split my lickety.
- [audience laughs, applauds]
386
00:22:34,354 --> 00:22:37,691
[Oz] My part was basically an apprentice.
387
00:22:37,691 --> 00:22:40,026
I didn't do anything, you know,
except the right hand.
388
00:22:40,026 --> 00:22:42,487
- All right, Jimbone.
- [laughs]
389
00:22:42,487 --> 00:22:48,243
[Jane] Frank always had such a emotionally
loaded relationship with puppets.
390
00:22:49,327 --> 00:22:53,039
Jim could relate to that a lot, too,
'cause he didn't intend to be a puppeteer.
391
00:22:53,039 --> 00:22:55,500
And here was Frank,
who didn't intend to be a puppeteer,
392
00:22:55,500 --> 00:22:58,253
but Jim very quickly picked up on that.
393
00:22:58,253 --> 00:23:01,923
Frank also wanted to do things
really, really good.
394
00:23:01,923 --> 00:23:03,925
And that was really their bond.
395
00:23:03,925 --> 00:23:08,013
♪ That's right
It's friendship, friendship ♪
396
00:23:08,013 --> 00:23:10,265
♪ Just a perfect blendship ♪
397
00:23:11,016 --> 00:23:13,643
[Jane] You do it great,
and I'll do it great.
398
00:23:13,643 --> 00:23:15,311
We'll do it great together.
399
00:23:15,311 --> 00:23:16,688
[vocalizes]
400
00:23:16,688 --> 00:23:18,940
- Woof, woof, woof.
- [laughs]
401
00:23:21,901 --> 00:23:23,903
[applause]
402
00:23:28,700 --> 00:23:32,954
[Jim] This is what it looks like when
we're doing a television show backstage.
403
00:23:32,954 --> 00:23:36,416
We stand up here.
The four of us, we're working this one.
404
00:23:37,125 --> 00:23:40,670
We're watching a television set here
while we're doing the show.
405
00:23:40,670 --> 00:23:43,298
We'll play back a little bit of the show
so that you can see
406
00:23:43,298 --> 00:23:46,384
what it looked like from backstage
while we were doing that last skit.
407
00:23:46,885 --> 00:23:51,931
"Okay. Now, once upon a time,
there was a lovely girl named Cinderella."
408
00:23:51,931 --> 00:23:54,726
Cinderella, come here, you wretched girl.
409
00:23:54,726 --> 00:23:57,979
Oh, no. It's Gretel,
and she's back from the moon.
410
00:23:57,979 --> 00:24:00,065
- [slide whistle plays]
- [piano plays]
411
00:24:01,274 --> 00:24:02,942
I shall kiss you on the nose.
412
00:24:05,445 --> 00:24:07,238
[Rowlf] That's a magical transformation.
413
00:24:07,238 --> 00:24:08,323
Three bowls of porridge.
414
00:24:08,323 --> 00:24:13,119
[Jim] Using the television monitor,
you can perform and see your performance
415
00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:15,038
exactly as the audience does.
416
00:24:15,038 --> 00:24:18,041
And so, as we're performing,
we're also editing.
417
00:24:18,041 --> 00:24:19,417
We're framing the shots.
418
00:24:21,002 --> 00:24:23,088
It's a magical transformation.
419
00:24:23,088 --> 00:24:27,342
[Oz] At the end of the day,
what that monitor is, is life.
420
00:24:28,927 --> 00:24:32,097
{\an8}Purina Dog Chow
will really make a hit with your dog.
421
00:24:32,097 --> 00:24:33,723
{\an8}Are you sure it'll make a hit?
422
00:24:34,307 --> 00:24:35,141
{\an8}Positive.
423
00:24:35,141 --> 00:24:37,811
{\an8}[Oz] During that time,
we were making a lot of commercials.
424
00:24:37,811 --> 00:24:42,774
But the amazing thing with Jim was,
even though he had to do something
425
00:24:42,774 --> 00:24:44,776
that he didn't really want to do,
426
00:24:44,776 --> 00:24:48,154
he always made it fun
for himself and for us.
427
00:24:48,738 --> 00:24:52,367
I'm gonna convince everybody
to buy nothing but Claussen's bread.
428
00:24:52,367 --> 00:24:53,535
What's the club for?
429
00:24:54,452 --> 00:24:56,204
To get their attention.
430
00:24:57,205 --> 00:25:00,834
We had 6.5 seconds of audio in which
to sell a product and tell a joke.
431
00:25:00,834 --> 00:25:03,545
{\an8}What do you mean Taystee bread
is baked while you sleep?
432
00:25:03,545 --> 00:25:04,629
{\an8}I'm awake.
433
00:25:05,255 --> 00:25:07,507
{\an8}Like I said,
Taystee is baked while you sleep.
434
00:25:08,425 --> 00:25:11,177
[Jim] In the old days,
a lot of our stuff was very violent.
435
00:25:12,387 --> 00:25:16,766
It was before we even started
talking about violence on television.
436
00:25:16,766 --> 00:25:19,519
Uh, or maybe they were talking about it,
but I didn't hear it.
437
00:25:19,519 --> 00:25:20,603
- Uh...
- [laughter]
438
00:25:23,314 --> 00:25:24,149
{\an8}That's a lot of--
439
00:25:24,149 --> 00:25:25,066
Well, I'm gonna go.
440
00:25:26,067 --> 00:25:27,485
What do you have against Jim Henson?
441
00:25:27,485 --> 00:25:28,486
Nothing.
442
00:25:28,987 --> 00:25:30,613
What do you have against me?
443
00:25:30,613 --> 00:25:31,740
Nothing.
444
00:25:31,740 --> 00:25:33,658
What do you have against Wilson's Meats?
445
00:25:33,658 --> 00:25:35,243
Well, actually, I'm a vegetarian.
446
00:25:37,954 --> 00:25:39,122
[chattering]
447
00:25:39,122 --> 00:25:41,458
[Juhl] Doing commercials
was a practical matter for Jim.
448
00:25:43,209 --> 00:25:46,671
It allowed him to build
a-a small team of people
449
00:25:46,671 --> 00:25:49,466
that would be able to move on
and do bigger things.
450
00:25:49,466 --> 00:25:50,884
[laughing]
451
00:25:50,884 --> 00:25:54,304
Jim created a big dollar bill like this
that hung on the wall,
452
00:25:54,888 --> 00:25:59,476
and it was all made with coins and money,
and that was the altar to money.
453
00:26:00,185 --> 00:26:02,937
It was an awareness that, damn it,
454
00:26:02,937 --> 00:26:06,149
we have to-- we've got to
pay attention to that. [laughs]
455
00:26:06,149 --> 00:26:09,778
♪ I want that green ammunition
That's the stuff of which I'm wishing ♪
456
00:26:09,778 --> 00:26:13,281
♪ Fill my closets with deposits
I'm a demon at addition ♪
457
00:26:13,281 --> 00:26:16,743
♪ Give me shekels, give me pesos
Let me see their smiling face-ohs ♪
458
00:26:16,743 --> 00:26:19,704
♪ Give me money, money
Money, money, money ♪
459
00:26:19,704 --> 00:26:20,622
[cackles]
460
00:26:20,622 --> 00:26:24,250
You could see how conflicted
he was about advertising,
461
00:26:24,250 --> 00:26:26,628
and just selling for the sake of selling.
462
00:26:26,628 --> 00:26:29,464
I want you to get out there
and sell, sell, sell.
463
00:26:29,464 --> 00:26:30,924
{\an8}Merely spray it...
464
00:26:30,924 --> 00:26:33,093
Quick-cooked in dragon fire.
465
00:26:34,552 --> 00:26:36,971
What else do you do besides just puppets?
466
00:26:36,971 --> 00:26:39,557
Well, I've been into filmmaking
for a while.
467
00:26:43,561 --> 00:26:46,690
Jim was an experimental filmmaker.
That's what he really, really was.
468
00:26:46,690 --> 00:26:49,776
{\an8}[drums playing]
469
00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,620
[Jane] Jim wasn't a musician himself,
but he thought like a musician.
470
00:27:01,705 --> 00:27:05,417
He was just always rather intrigued
with the idea of music
471
00:27:05,417 --> 00:27:08,003
and time being measured out in beats.
472
00:27:09,295 --> 00:27:10,296
Heartbeats.
473
00:27:11,381 --> 00:27:12,841
[Brian]
Everything he did was experimental.
474
00:27:12,841 --> 00:27:15,135
And that's the way my dad
approached everything.
475
00:27:16,052 --> 00:27:18,138
He was such an ambitious guy,
476
00:27:18,138 --> 00:27:20,724
{\an8}he'd do a little shoot
for his home movies.
477
00:27:22,892 --> 00:27:24,978
[Lisa] He was doing stop-motion,
478
00:27:26,354 --> 00:27:28,189
experimental television...
479
00:27:30,275 --> 00:27:32,152
{\an8}experimental film.
480
00:27:32,652 --> 00:27:34,112
- Moms.
- [both] Dads.
481
00:27:34,112 --> 00:27:35,530
[all] Kids.
482
00:27:36,031 --> 00:27:37,949
{\an8}♪ Flapsole Sneakers hit the spot ♪
483
00:27:39,826 --> 00:27:41,703
{\an8}[both] Vita-Juice. Let's have a shot.
484
00:27:41,703 --> 00:27:43,079
- [gunshot]
- [glass shatters]
485
00:27:44,664 --> 00:27:46,958
[actors] Tippy Toys for a happy tot.
486
00:27:48,084 --> 00:27:50,253
[actor] Boo-boo Band-Aids help you clot.
487
00:27:53,548 --> 00:27:56,134
I have a short film that I made
I called Time Piece.
488
00:27:56,134 --> 00:27:57,719
- [bell rings]
- [film projector whirs]
489
00:27:59,929 --> 00:28:02,265
{\an8}It's just a study
of contemporary man sort of thing.
490
00:28:02,265 --> 00:28:03,892
{\an8}You know, kind of a fun look at it.
491
00:28:09,731 --> 00:28:12,150
[heart beating]
492
00:28:15,945 --> 00:28:16,863
[shutter clicks]
493
00:28:16,863 --> 00:28:18,948
[ticking]
494
00:28:24,496 --> 00:28:27,999
So if you want to know my dad,
watch Time Piece and then go from there.
495
00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:31,836
[Jim] It's a film that's made of a lot
of little short segments chopped together,
496
00:28:31,836 --> 00:28:34,756
and it's a way of editing
that I was enjoying doing at the time.
497
00:28:34,756 --> 00:28:35,840
[bell dings]
498
00:28:37,217 --> 00:28:39,636
It's sort of, like,
kind of train of thought editing.
499
00:28:39,636 --> 00:28:42,722
[drums playing]
500
00:28:42,722 --> 00:28:44,808
- [phone rings]
- [register clicks, dings]
501
00:28:45,558 --> 00:28:46,643
Help.
502
00:28:47,352 --> 00:28:52,023
[Brian] The idea was mixing seemingly
unrelated images in quick sequence
503
00:28:52,023 --> 00:28:54,567
in order to communicate one feeling,
one thought.
504
00:28:54,567 --> 00:28:55,985
- [gasps]
- [gunshot]
505
00:28:55,985 --> 00:28:56,903
[glass shatters]
506
00:28:58,697 --> 00:29:00,532
[Oz] We did that on weekends.
507
00:29:00,532 --> 00:29:02,158
We'd make commercials,
508
00:29:02,158 --> 00:29:04,244
and then we'd have enough money
to shoot on the weekend.
509
00:29:04,244 --> 00:29:07,539
And that's how we shot Time Piece
for a year with an old Rackover 35.
510
00:29:07,539 --> 00:29:08,498
[gulping]
511
00:29:10,875 --> 00:29:12,210
Help.
512
00:29:16,423 --> 00:29:19,134
[chiming]
513
00:29:20,051 --> 00:29:23,471
For my dad, time was ticking all the time.
514
00:29:24,472 --> 00:29:28,560
Because he wanted to do more
than is humanly possible,
515
00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:30,478
there was never gonna be enough time.
516
00:29:30,478 --> 00:29:31,646
Help.
517
00:29:32,772 --> 00:29:35,775
[flushes]
518
00:29:37,027 --> 00:29:39,696
[Brian] That idea that time could run out,
519
00:29:39,696 --> 00:29:42,615
I'm sure came
with the death of his brother.
520
00:29:50,707 --> 00:29:54,377
{\an8}It was huge. It was huge.
Losing his brother was huge to him.
521
00:29:55,754 --> 00:30:00,467
{\an8}[Brian] They were inseparable.
Like, they were brothers and best friends.
522
00:30:01,009 --> 00:30:04,512
{\an8}And my father was, uh,
two or three years younger than him.
523
00:30:07,515 --> 00:30:10,518
{\an8}He died in a car accident
at the army base.
524
00:30:11,686 --> 00:30:12,771
{\an8}He was very young.
525
00:30:16,566 --> 00:30:19,569
It was a huge shock to the family.
526
00:30:21,488 --> 00:30:23,490
Absolutely shattered my dad's world.
527
00:30:29,079 --> 00:30:32,582
[Cheryl] The whole family
had a really difficult time.
528
00:30:33,208 --> 00:30:35,251
He saw his mom get really depressed.
529
00:30:35,251 --> 00:30:37,671
He saw his mom, like, start to give up.
530
00:30:38,630 --> 00:30:40,799
And he wasn't gonna do that.
531
00:30:40,799 --> 00:30:42,217
He was gonna keep going.
532
00:30:48,431 --> 00:30:51,434
["I'm a Man" playing]
533
00:30:59,859 --> 00:31:03,071
[Oz] In the 1960s,
Jim was excited to create work
534
00:31:03,071 --> 00:31:05,407
that reflected everything
that was going on in the country.
535
00:31:08,993 --> 00:31:11,871
I think part of it is shocking, and
I think part of it is very interesting.
536
00:31:13,206 --> 00:31:15,500
He did this show called Youth 68.
537
00:31:15,500 --> 00:31:18,920
{\an8}I think it's finally getting down to
the nitty-gritty of artistic expression.
538
00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:21,631
{\an8}[Cheryl] It was very much
about the generational divide.
539
00:31:21,631 --> 00:31:25,010
It was about the music. It was about
the politics. It was about the protests.
540
00:31:25,010 --> 00:31:28,096
It was about
what is happening in the world.
541
00:31:28,096 --> 00:31:30,223
- Well, I think it's garbage.
- I love it.
542
00:31:30,223 --> 00:31:32,392
- I don't understand it.
- I think it's wonderful.
543
00:31:32,392 --> 00:31:34,561
Yeah, sure.
It's always more exciting. Then what?
544
00:31:34,561 --> 00:31:37,355
[music continues]
545
00:31:37,355 --> 00:31:39,024
[Jim] How can you do a program like this
546
00:31:39,024 --> 00:31:40,734
where you could take
all these people's statements
547
00:31:40,734 --> 00:31:44,362
and you could re-- rearrange it,
you could reedit the film
548
00:31:44,362 --> 00:31:46,865
so that, uh, one person
comes out saying something
549
00:31:46,865 --> 00:31:48,992
they really never intended to say?
550
00:31:48,992 --> 00:31:51,327
This is no way
to make a television program.
551
00:31:52,996 --> 00:31:54,539
Jim was not into drugs or anything,
552
00:31:54,539 --> 00:31:57,667
but he-- he loved
the expression that was going on.
553
00:32:00,211 --> 00:32:05,300
You know, I've learned to walk around
inside my own head.
554
00:32:06,092 --> 00:32:07,427
That may sound silly to you,
555
00:32:07,427 --> 00:32:11,014
but it's been very, very helpful to me.
556
00:32:13,641 --> 00:32:16,227
[Oz] Jim wanted to do
more than just the Muppets.
557
00:32:16,227 --> 00:32:17,312
He wanted to experiment.
558
00:32:19,105 --> 00:32:23,026
One of the things he did
during that time was called The Cube,
559
00:32:23,026 --> 00:32:26,529
which was about a man
who was trapped in an alternate reality.
560
00:32:27,322 --> 00:32:29,741
{\an8}What is this place? What's it for?
561
00:32:29,741 --> 00:32:32,243
{\an8}We ask that question
ourselves once in a while.
562
00:32:37,874 --> 00:32:43,129
[Oz] But what Jim was most excited about
was creating a discotheque called Cyclia,
563
00:32:44,005 --> 00:32:46,841
which would have, like,
24 projectors all over the ceiling
564
00:32:46,841 --> 00:32:49,594
with different angles of white.
565
00:32:49,594 --> 00:32:53,932
And then he would project
all this 16 millimeter film
566
00:32:53,932 --> 00:32:55,308
while the music was going on.
567
00:32:56,017 --> 00:32:58,603
[Lisa] He didn't really care
that it was gonna be a nightclub.
568
00:32:58,603 --> 00:33:01,690
It was all about
what is technically possible.
569
00:33:03,149 --> 00:33:06,319
He was always excited about the next idea.
570
00:33:07,195 --> 00:33:09,489
[clock ticking]
571
00:33:09,489 --> 00:33:12,325
He wasn't sure that
puppetry would be his thing.
572
00:33:14,035 --> 00:33:19,416
And, in some ways, he was starting
to drift away from the family.
573
00:33:24,921 --> 00:33:27,590
But then he got this invitation.
574
00:33:28,925 --> 00:33:30,385
[no audible dialogue]
575
00:33:30,385 --> 00:33:32,804
[Stone] Children were watching
a tremendous amount of television.
576
00:33:32,804 --> 00:33:34,055
Forty, 50 hours a week.
577
00:33:34,055 --> 00:33:36,349
Some of it bad television.
578
00:33:37,267 --> 00:33:39,227
Joan Cooney had the notion that
579
00:33:39,227 --> 00:33:41,104
if you're going to watch
that much television,
580
00:33:41,104 --> 00:33:44,149
{\an8}why don't we find out what it is
they like to watch on television?
581
00:33:45,150 --> 00:33:48,445
Then go out and find out
what preschool children ought to know,
582
00:33:48,445 --> 00:33:49,988
and put those two things together.
583
00:33:49,988 --> 00:33:51,156
[chattering]
584
00:33:51,156 --> 00:33:56,036
So Joan found seasoned television
professionals and said,
585
00:33:56,036 --> 00:33:59,122
"Do your thing and we're gonna teach you
how to be educators."
586
00:34:01,583 --> 00:34:05,587
Joan had seen Jim's work and knew
how valuable he would be to the program.
587
00:34:05,587 --> 00:34:08,048
I knew Jim very well,
and I had worked with him.
588
00:34:08,048 --> 00:34:10,467
So I could call him up and say,
"Come on over and talk to us."
589
00:34:11,843 --> 00:34:14,429
[Oz] But Jim wasn't sure
he wanted to do that.
590
00:34:16,056 --> 00:34:18,558
And we weren't into children's shows.
We never did children's stuff.
591
00:34:18,558 --> 00:34:22,437
But there's also a part of him
that sensed the value of the show.
592
00:34:25,690 --> 00:34:28,777
Because he always sensed
that television could do more.
593
00:34:30,278 --> 00:34:33,990
[Stone] Jim latched on to the idea
that we could create a television show
594
00:34:33,990 --> 00:34:37,702
that would really do some good
for a very specific audience
595
00:34:37,702 --> 00:34:39,788
that needed good done for it.
596
00:34:41,164 --> 00:34:44,042
[Jim] I think that television is
such a huge influence on children.
597
00:34:44,042 --> 00:34:47,295
I think it's the next most important
influence to the family,
598
00:34:47,295 --> 00:34:49,005
or the church or the school.
599
00:34:49,005 --> 00:34:50,048
[no audible dialogue]
600
00:34:50,048 --> 00:34:54,052
As an industry, we don't generally
face up to that responsibility,
601
00:34:54,052 --> 00:34:57,931
and I think we need to be
a great deal more responsible
602
00:34:57,931 --> 00:34:59,224
to what we put on the medium.
603
00:35:00,058 --> 00:35:03,853
[Lisa] He had four kids,
all kind of Sesame Street age at home,
604
00:35:04,437 --> 00:35:05,730
and another on the way.
605
00:35:06,481 --> 00:35:08,024
{\an8}My younger brother John
606
00:35:08,024 --> 00:35:12,278
{\an8}had learning difficulties
and was not speaking yet.
607
00:35:13,780 --> 00:35:20,203
So the whole idea of "How do kids learn?"
was really personal to him.
608
00:35:23,039 --> 00:35:24,290
[door creaks]
609
00:35:24,290 --> 00:35:28,795
But he didn't think that educating
children was anything he was good at.
610
00:35:30,296 --> 00:35:31,297
[door creaks]
611
00:35:31,297 --> 00:35:32,966
- Can you sing the alphabet, Joey?
- Yes.
612
00:35:32,966 --> 00:35:37,053
♪ A, B, C, D, E, F, G ♪
613
00:35:37,053 --> 00:35:41,433
♪ H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P ♪
614
00:35:41,433 --> 00:35:43,643
- ♪ Q, R, S ♪
- ♪ Q, R, Cookie Monster ♪
615
00:35:43,643 --> 00:35:45,729
[giggles]
616
00:35:48,356 --> 00:35:51,526
Cookie Monster isn't a letter
of the alphabet. It goes...
617
00:35:51,526 --> 00:35:54,946
- ♪ Q, R, S, T, U, V ♪
- ♪ R, S, T, U, Cookie Monster ♪
618
00:35:54,946 --> 00:35:57,157
[giggles]
619
00:35:57,157 --> 00:35:59,159
[scoffs] You're-- You're just teasing me.
620
00:35:59,159 --> 00:36:02,454
♪ W, X, Y and Z ♪
621
00:36:02,454 --> 00:36:05,790
- ♪ Now I know my A, B, Cs ♪
- ♪ Now I sung my A, Cs ♪
622
00:36:05,790 --> 00:36:08,126
- ♪ Won't you-- ♪
- ♪ Next time Cookie Monster ♪
623
00:36:08,126 --> 00:36:10,420
Next time Cookie Monster
can do it with you.
624
00:36:10,420 --> 00:36:11,671
I'm leaving. Whoo!
625
00:36:12,630 --> 00:36:13,715
I love you.
626
00:36:14,758 --> 00:36:16,926
- I love you too.
- Thanks.
627
00:36:19,554 --> 00:36:21,723
[Jim] Sesame Street is
one of those interesting things
628
00:36:21,723 --> 00:36:24,976
where the time was right
for that particular idea.
629
00:36:24,976 --> 00:36:27,812
{\an8}Here's one half
of my chicken salad sandwich.
630
00:36:27,812 --> 00:36:30,148
{\an8}Where's the other half? It's gone.
631
00:36:30,148 --> 00:36:33,193
{\an8}Egad, the hunt's afoot. Show me the clues.
632
00:36:34,319 --> 00:36:37,697
[Brian] I think Sesame Street
was almost the most unlikely thing,
633
00:36:37,697 --> 00:36:39,657
probably, in terms of his life plan.
634
00:36:41,868 --> 00:36:45,205
[Cheryl] The fact that he did Sesame
Street instead of a series of nightclubs,
635
00:36:45,205 --> 00:36:49,876
{\an8}yay. Like I-- [chuckles]
I think everybody was like, "Phew!"
636
00:36:54,881 --> 00:36:58,635
{\an8}♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven
Eight, nine, ten, 11, 12 ♪
637
00:36:59,386 --> 00:37:04,015
One of the ways they lured him
into doing the show was to say,
638
00:37:04,015 --> 00:37:05,934
"You can do a lot of experimental films."
639
00:37:05,934 --> 00:37:08,269
♪ Seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, 12 ♪
640
00:37:09,479 --> 00:37:11,231
[Lisa] He did one set of number films
641
00:37:11,231 --> 00:37:14,484
that has the syncopated animation
of Time Piece.
642
00:37:15,068 --> 00:37:16,277
[actors] Two.
643
00:37:17,570 --> 00:37:22,117
[Lisa] And then ten other films,
which was the most exciting to him of all,
644
00:37:22,117 --> 00:37:23,368
where he could do whatever he wanted.
645
00:37:23,368 --> 00:37:26,955
{\an8}[fanfare playing]
646
00:37:26,955 --> 00:37:29,416
♪ I'm the King of Eight,
And I'm here to state ♪
647
00:37:29,416 --> 00:37:31,584
♪ That everything here
Has to total eight ♪
648
00:37:31,584 --> 00:37:33,545
♪ The guards, for instance, by the gate, ♪
649
00:37:33,545 --> 00:37:35,714
♪ Must always number exactly eight ♪
650
00:37:35,714 --> 00:37:39,968
[actors] One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight.
651
00:37:42,554 --> 00:37:45,557
[Lisa] They weren't coming at it
from how to teach preschoolers.
652
00:37:45,557 --> 00:37:49,686
{\an8}Like, they were all about doing
the coolest, funniest, fun show.
653
00:37:49,686 --> 00:37:52,022
One wedding cake.
654
00:37:52,022 --> 00:37:53,106
[exclaims]
655
00:37:55,316 --> 00:38:01,906
[children] ♪ And that's our song of one ♪
656
00:38:03,074 --> 00:38:06,661
[Stone] In the summer of '69,
we did some test shows.
657
00:38:06,661 --> 00:38:09,539
And the original concept
was the street would be real,
658
00:38:09,539 --> 00:38:11,249
and everything else would be fantasy.
659
00:38:13,209 --> 00:38:15,462
{\an8}The result was the street was deadly dull.
660
00:38:16,629 --> 00:38:20,383
So we realized we had to populate
the street with some interesting puppets.
661
00:38:23,386 --> 00:38:24,512
[pencil scraping]
662
00:38:24,512 --> 00:38:28,600
[Jim] I had in mind that
we would do this large, silly character
663
00:38:30,185 --> 00:38:31,936
who would represent the child.
664
00:38:34,939 --> 00:38:36,441
Oh, good morning.
665
00:38:39,361 --> 00:38:42,280
[Stone] It's possibly
the world's most magnificent puppet.
666
00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:43,198
[yawns]
667
00:38:43,198 --> 00:38:45,033
[snoring]
668
00:38:45,700 --> 00:38:49,537
He's also a very highly technical puppet,
which a lot of people don't realize.
669
00:38:50,372 --> 00:38:52,290
And it was Jim's design, top to bottom.
670
00:38:53,625 --> 00:38:56,336
[Jim] Caroll Spinney was one of the few
that had not worked with us before.
671
00:38:56,336 --> 00:39:00,674
I met him at a puppet festival and
I described this very large, yellow bird.
672
00:39:00,674 --> 00:39:02,759
[chattering]
673
00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:07,389
I'm sure he'd had no idea
what he was in for.
674
00:39:07,931 --> 00:39:08,932
[crew] Caroll.
675
00:39:10,392 --> 00:39:11,476
There we are.
676
00:39:12,018 --> 00:39:14,437
Ah... [speaks German]
677
00:39:15,522 --> 00:39:19,192
Jim offered it to Frank Oz
but he'd already done the La Choy Dragon.
678
00:39:19,192 --> 00:39:21,319
He says, "You're not getting me
into one of those things again."
679
00:39:21,319 --> 00:39:24,698
And so Jim said, "Whatever
you want to develop, it's all yours."
680
00:39:25,740 --> 00:39:27,826
[Oz] And then he asked Caroll
to do Oscar also.
681
00:39:28,827 --> 00:39:31,287
Ta-da! Hey, that was rotten.
682
00:39:31,871 --> 00:39:35,875
[Heather] I think that having
both Oscar and Big Bird on the street
683
00:39:36,584 --> 00:39:38,420
sort of brought the street to life.
684
00:39:38,420 --> 00:39:40,005
[crew] Here we go. Rolling sound.
685
00:39:40,005 --> 00:39:42,507
[laughing, chattering]
686
00:39:43,216 --> 00:39:44,384
Yay!
687
00:39:44,968 --> 00:39:47,053
[Stone] The puppets,
from the very beginning,
688
00:39:47,053 --> 00:39:49,931
were an integral part
of our whole concept of the show.
689
00:39:49,931 --> 00:39:51,266
[no audible dialogue]
690
00:39:51,266 --> 00:39:53,601
There would be no Sesame Street
without the Muppets.
691
00:39:53,601 --> 00:39:55,395
What's the big one, Big Bird?
692
00:39:55,395 --> 00:39:56,479
Oh, what's the big one?
693
00:39:56,479 --> 00:39:59,858
Oh, that's a picture of me
when I was little.
694
00:40:00,608 --> 00:40:03,486
Wasn't I cute? [chuckles]
695
00:40:03,486 --> 00:40:06,489
Characters have come about
from many different ways.
696
00:40:06,489 --> 00:40:10,410
Some of the characters were puppets
that we had before Sesame Street,
697
00:40:10,410 --> 00:40:13,204
and they took on a personality.
698
00:40:13,204 --> 00:40:15,498
Uh, Cookie Monster certainly was that.
699
00:40:15,498 --> 00:40:17,167
I will count them.
700
00:40:17,167 --> 00:40:18,626
- No, me eat them.
- Count.
701
00:40:18,626 --> 00:40:21,046
- Eat. Eat, eat, eat.
- No, count. Count, count.
702
00:40:21,046 --> 00:40:22,213
- Wait.
- What?
703
00:40:22,213 --> 00:40:25,884
- Why don't we cooperate?
- Ah!
704
00:40:25,884 --> 00:40:28,887
[Oz]
The Count was invented for Jerry Nelson.
705
00:40:29,763 --> 00:40:31,931
Grover was closest to my heart.
706
00:40:31,931 --> 00:40:33,183
Oh, they're coming!
707
00:40:33,183 --> 00:40:37,103
- Which way? Which way? Which way?
- That way. [giggles] That way.
708
00:40:37,103 --> 00:40:40,065
[Oz] Guy Smiley was invented
on the show and he was brilliant.
709
00:40:40,065 --> 00:40:42,984
Jim was absolutely brilliant with him.
God, he was so funny.
710
00:40:42,984 --> 00:40:44,736
Wonderful. I'm Guy Smiley.
711
00:40:44,736 --> 00:40:48,907
They call me Guy Smiley because
I changed my name from Bernie Liederkranz.
712
00:40:48,907 --> 00:40:51,493
- [audience cheering]
- Yes, thank you. Yes.
713
00:40:51,493 --> 00:40:55,580
Some of his absolute best performances
took place on Sesame Street
714
00:40:55,580 --> 00:40:58,333
because he didn't have
to be watching the budget.
715
00:40:58,333 --> 00:41:00,418
He didn't have to be producing.
716
00:41:00,418 --> 00:41:02,712
He was just there to perform.
717
00:41:05,131 --> 00:41:06,800
- [crew] Quiet, please.
- [coughs]
718
00:41:08,093 --> 00:41:10,428
[Jim] Performing the Ernie
and Bert pieces with Frank
719
00:41:10,428 --> 00:41:13,807
has always been one
of the great joys of-- of doing this show.
720
00:41:13,807 --> 00:41:14,891
[director] Action.
721
00:41:15,684 --> 00:41:18,103
- [Bert] Good night, Ern. [groans]
- Good night, Bert.
722
00:41:18,103 --> 00:41:19,813
- Bert?
- [Bert] What?
723
00:41:19,813 --> 00:41:22,065
Oh no, I'm not saying this to you.
I'm sorry, this is to me.
724
00:41:22,065 --> 00:41:24,067
- [Bert] Oh, I didn't hear that.
- Hmm.
725
00:41:24,067 --> 00:41:26,361
This is where I could use that close-up,
Jimmy. If you wanted to.
726
00:41:26,361 --> 00:41:27,987
- [Bert] Oh, you want a close-up now.
- Oh.
727
00:41:27,987 --> 00:41:31,074
I remember in the very beginning,
we-- we first built these characters,
728
00:41:31,074 --> 00:41:33,368
and then we were trying to decide
who should do which.
729
00:41:33,368 --> 00:41:36,955
And I remember trying Bert,
and Frank tried Ernie for a while.
730
00:41:36,955 --> 00:41:40,291
[Oz] We were in front of the mirror
and he was Bert and I was Ernie,
731
00:41:40,291 --> 00:41:41,501
and that wasn't working.
732
00:41:43,461 --> 00:41:45,380
I mean, Jim didn't even have
to make the decision.
733
00:41:45,380 --> 00:41:49,718
It was obvious that Ernie was more of Jim
because Jim was very playful.
734
00:41:49,718 --> 00:41:51,428
Wubba, wubba, Bert.
735
00:41:51,428 --> 00:41:52,762
- You're it, Bert.
- No, I'm not.
736
00:41:52,762 --> 00:41:54,514
Yes, you are, Bert. Bert's it!
737
00:41:57,392 --> 00:41:58,476
Bert is it.
738
00:41:58,476 --> 00:42:01,563
And Bert was me because
I was uptight and neurotic at that time.
739
00:42:01,563 --> 00:42:05,316
Ernie, I am not going to play this game.
740
00:42:05,316 --> 00:42:07,152
- Mmm.
- Angry, right?
741
00:42:07,152 --> 00:42:08,903
Yes, I am angry!
742
00:42:08,903 --> 00:42:11,239
I knew it. Very good.
That's one for Ernie.
743
00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:13,742
[Jim] In the beginning,
Frank didn't like Bert.
744
00:42:13,742 --> 00:42:16,953
In the beginning, Bert--
he-- he felt Bert was too dull.
745
00:42:16,953 --> 00:42:20,290
[Oz] And then I realized, okay,
I'll make the negative a positive.
746
00:42:20,290 --> 00:42:23,918
And then I created the character
who just want to be left alone and read.
747
00:42:23,918 --> 00:42:26,838
And that allowed for the comic impulses
of Jim to interrupt me.
748
00:42:27,422 --> 00:42:31,843
Twenty-two. Oh, the red one.
Twenty-three. [stammers] Twenty-four.
749
00:42:31,843 --> 00:42:37,599
- Bert. Bert, Bert. Cut, cut. Bert.
- [laughing]
750
00:42:37,599 --> 00:42:41,353
Jim is somebody if he's on the river,
he will pull his paddles in,
751
00:42:42,062 --> 00:42:44,230
and he'll allow the river
to take the boat.
752
00:42:45,357 --> 00:42:49,152
Me, I get in the boat and I go upstream.
[chuckles]
753
00:42:49,152 --> 00:42:51,988
So, we're so different in that area.
754
00:42:51,988 --> 00:42:55,742
And one of the best things about comedy,
from Abbott and Costello on,
755
00:42:55,742 --> 00:42:57,994
is that the characters are opposites.
756
00:42:57,994 --> 00:42:59,704
Pretend like you didn't hear
any of that stuff.
757
00:42:59,704 --> 00:43:01,581
- That was just fine.
- All that stuff you just heard,
758
00:43:01,581 --> 00:43:03,249
- you didn't hear that.
- We were kidding around.
759
00:43:03,249 --> 00:43:05,293
[Jim] About half the time
when Frank and I are working,
760
00:43:05,293 --> 00:43:07,045
we decide not to use the script.
761
00:43:07,045 --> 00:43:09,839
And so we're really working spontaneously,
762
00:43:09,839 --> 00:43:11,675
and just sort of
playing off of each other.
763
00:43:11,675 --> 00:43:13,385
And it's a lot of fun.
764
00:43:13,385 --> 00:43:16,221
The opposite of stop is go, Bert.
765
00:43:16,221 --> 00:43:17,972
Go, Bert, go.
766
00:43:17,972 --> 00:43:18,973
Go, Bert!
767
00:43:18,973 --> 00:43:22,310
- Bert, Bert, the opposite of stop--
- [laughing]
768
00:43:25,146 --> 00:43:26,147
At first--
769
00:43:26,147 --> 00:43:30,193
When I came, I was 19,
and I think I used Jim as a father figure.
770
00:43:31,820 --> 00:43:32,904
I was unfair to him.
771
00:43:32,904 --> 00:43:36,032
I was dependent and it took a while.
772
00:43:36,032 --> 00:43:38,201
And the more independent I became,
773
00:43:38,201 --> 00:43:40,286
the more we came closer.
774
00:43:40,912 --> 00:43:44,249
- Grover, is that you?
- Mm-hmm. That's right, Froggy. It's me.
775
00:43:44,249 --> 00:43:45,792
[stammers] You're a salesman?
776
00:43:45,792 --> 00:43:48,628
Uh, you know, you got to do something
to pay the cookie bill.
777
00:43:48,628 --> 00:43:50,964
[Oz] He was my boss. I worked for him.
778
00:43:50,964 --> 00:43:55,343
He paid me, but, I mean,
he never acted like a boss.
779
00:43:55,343 --> 00:43:57,345
Why am I doing it and you're not?
780
00:43:57,345 --> 00:43:59,431
- Because I'm just doing the words now.
- Okay.
781
00:43:59,431 --> 00:44:02,142
[Oz] So it really was a partnership.
782
00:44:04,227 --> 00:44:06,229
Eventually, it was like brothers.
783
00:44:06,229 --> 00:44:08,732
- That's-- that's--
- [growls]
784
00:44:08,732 --> 00:44:11,568
- Good. Good. That's good. That's good.
- [growls] Yeah?
785
00:44:11,568 --> 00:44:12,485
[growls] Yeah?
786
00:44:12,485 --> 00:44:15,822
- [Oz] A little higher. To the left.
- [chuckles] That's awful.
787
00:44:17,699 --> 00:44:18,950
[Jim] During the '70s,
788
00:44:18,950 --> 00:44:22,287
I suppose, the whole country felt
it was slightly in a depression.
789
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:25,749
Emotional type of depression.
790
00:44:28,335 --> 00:44:30,962
And when you were working
for the preschool kids,
791
00:44:30,962 --> 00:44:32,380
you can't be depressed about that.
792
00:44:32,380 --> 00:44:34,382
I mean, you know,
this is such a wonderful age,
793
00:44:34,382 --> 00:44:37,719
and it's this wonderful innocence
that you're dealing with.
794
00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:39,637
["1-2-3 Sesame Street" playing]
795
00:44:39,637 --> 00:44:42,140
[vocalizing]
796
00:44:42,140 --> 00:44:46,603
{\an8}- ♪ One, two, three ♪
- ♪ Sesame Street ♪
797
00:44:47,103 --> 00:44:49,272
{\an8}- ♪ A, B, C and... ♪
- ♪ Sesame Street ♪
798
00:44:49,272 --> 00:44:52,484
{\an8}[Cheryl] The fact that Sesame Street
was such a giant hit
799
00:44:52,484 --> 00:44:55,528
{\an8}was a big surprise to everybody.
800
00:44:55,528 --> 00:44:59,991
- ♪ One, two, three ♪
- ♪ Sesame, Sesame Street ♪
801
00:44:59,991 --> 00:45:03,161
[Lisa] It was beloved
immediately on every level.
802
00:45:03,995 --> 00:45:07,999
♪ Sesame Street ♪
803
00:45:07,999 --> 00:45:11,753
{\an8}♪ Sesame Street ♪
804
00:45:11,753 --> 00:45:16,132
[Lisa] The success of Sesame Street
meant he did have to expand at that point
805
00:45:16,132 --> 00:45:17,967
bringing new people into the company.
806
00:45:23,306 --> 00:45:24,808
[Brill]
There was an ad in the paper saying
807
00:45:24,808 --> 00:45:29,896
that Jim Henson was looking
to train puppeteers for a television show.
808
00:45:30,522 --> 00:45:33,817
I was an actress.
I had just come to New York.
809
00:45:33,817 --> 00:45:37,153
{\an8}I met with Jim and Frank.
810
00:45:38,154 --> 00:45:42,534
The next thing was him asking me
if I wanted to do Sesame Street.
811
00:45:42,534 --> 00:45:45,412
[no audible dialogue]
812
00:45:45,412 --> 00:45:49,708
Fran Brill was a friend of a friend,
and she called and said,
813
00:45:49,708 --> 00:45:52,127
"Jim Henson is looking
for a costume designer."
814
00:45:52,127 --> 00:45:55,547
I wasn't sure what to expect
when I went in to meet Jim.
815
00:45:55,547 --> 00:45:59,759
There were all these people working using
foam rubber and all kinds of materials.
816
00:45:59,759 --> 00:46:03,513
And I was fascinated, and that was
the beginning of a whole new life.
817
00:46:05,056 --> 00:46:07,058
[Oz] He chose people really well.
818
00:46:07,058 --> 00:46:09,436
{\an8}People that had the same spirit.
819
00:46:09,436 --> 00:46:12,731
{\an8}This affectionate anarchy.
That was the culture.
820
00:46:14,190 --> 00:46:15,984
[Goelz] I was working in Silicon Valley.
821
00:46:15,984 --> 00:46:20,405
One day, I'm sitting in my cubicle,
phone rings and it's Jim Henson.
822
00:46:20,405 --> 00:46:21,948
Sounds like Ernie.
823
00:46:21,948 --> 00:46:24,034
[imitating Ernie]
"Hi, Dave. This is Jim Henson."
824
00:46:24,659 --> 00:46:26,494
[normal voice]
And I thought, "Oh, my God."
825
00:46:27,078 --> 00:46:31,291
[Frith] I was an editor and illustrator
working with Dr. Seuss,
826
00:46:31,291 --> 00:46:33,543
but I was fascinated with Sesame Street.
827
00:46:33,543 --> 00:46:36,296
With the books,
we could reach hundreds of thousands.
828
00:46:36,296 --> 00:46:38,590
But with television,
we could reach millions.
829
00:46:38,590 --> 00:46:42,510
So, I said goodbye to Dr. Seuss
and hello to the Muppets.
830
00:46:43,845 --> 00:46:47,307
It's probably the best group of people
I ever could have walked into.
831
00:46:47,307 --> 00:46:51,811
It was Jim finding these people,
putting them together,
832
00:46:51,811 --> 00:46:54,356
and trusting them
to do what he thought they could do.
833
00:46:54,356 --> 00:46:55,440
It was amazing.
834
00:46:58,568 --> 00:47:00,320
[Jim] All right, guys. Here we go.
835
00:47:03,073 --> 00:47:05,992
[Cheryl] I don't think
he really liked advertising,
836
00:47:05,992 --> 00:47:10,205
and Sesame Street gave him
a really good reason to drop out of it.
837
00:47:10,205 --> 00:47:12,457
He didn't have to do it
to make money anymore.
838
00:47:13,083 --> 00:47:14,167
Ribbit. Ribbit.
839
00:47:15,126 --> 00:47:18,380
[Brian] It was a very,
very creative period for him
840
00:47:18,380 --> 00:47:21,883
the early year or two of Sesame Street.
841
00:47:21,883 --> 00:47:24,969
But then,
definitely the box closed hard around him.
842
00:47:25,595 --> 00:47:28,723
[clock ticking]
843
00:47:30,934 --> 00:47:33,019
[Oz] After a year of Sesame Street,
he felt,
844
00:47:33,019 --> 00:47:35,230
"Oh, my God. I-- I made a big mistake."
845
00:47:36,231 --> 00:47:39,901
[Brian] He was suddenly
America's favorite preschool entertainer,
846
00:47:40,694 --> 00:47:42,445
and that didn't sit comfortably with him.
847
00:47:43,988 --> 00:47:46,991
He had all these ideas,
and then when he became successful,
848
00:47:48,076 --> 00:47:49,077
now was the opportunity.
849
00:47:50,578 --> 00:47:53,164
[Brian] If he had wanted
to do two more kids shows,
850
00:47:53,164 --> 00:47:54,582
it would have been no problem.
851
00:47:54,582 --> 00:47:56,251
He would have sold them in a second.
852
00:47:56,251 --> 00:47:57,335
But he didn't.
853
00:48:02,757 --> 00:48:04,634
[Juhl] He had plans for Broadway shows.
854
00:48:04,634 --> 00:48:08,388
He had plans for ballets.
He had plans for amusement parks.
855
00:48:08,388 --> 00:48:10,306
Lots of things in lots of directions.
856
00:48:11,474 --> 00:48:13,059
[wind whistling]
857
00:48:17,397 --> 00:48:18,648
{\an8}[Heather] He had a great ambition,
858
00:48:18,648 --> 00:48:22,485
and he really wanted to contribute
to the world in a huge way.
859
00:48:24,821 --> 00:48:25,989
One more time.
860
00:48:26,990 --> 00:48:30,118
I don't think Jim was ever afraid
of anything creatively.
861
00:48:34,330 --> 00:48:36,332
[Lisa] He kept on trying stuff.
862
00:48:36,332 --> 00:48:39,169
He did Hey, Cinderella, The Frog Prince
863
00:48:39,169 --> 00:48:43,256
and, uh, one that hardly anybody's seen
called the Musicians of Bremen.
864
00:48:43,256 --> 00:48:47,093
And those productions
were where he would work out
865
00:48:47,093 --> 00:48:50,347
a lot of cool, new ideas in his mind,
866
00:48:50,347 --> 00:48:55,143
whether it was figuring out
how to puppeteer the frogs in water,
867
00:48:55,143 --> 00:48:59,064
or how to build puppets
with a different look and feel.
868
00:49:00,648 --> 00:49:03,485
He would work two days on a trot
sometimes without sleeping.
869
00:49:03,485 --> 00:49:04,986
He would do that regularly.
870
00:49:05,779 --> 00:49:07,739
And that was normal for Jim. Normal.
871
00:49:08,531 --> 00:49:12,285
I think it was Jerry Juhl who said
that Jim had a whim of steel.
872
00:49:12,869 --> 00:49:14,871
He was very thin,
and he looked vulnerable,
873
00:49:15,497 --> 00:49:17,290
but he was the toughest one of the bunch.
874
00:49:18,500 --> 00:49:20,502
He was the strongest man I've ever known,
875
00:49:21,252 --> 00:49:25,590
both with integrity,
but also that skinny body.
876
00:49:25,590 --> 00:49:28,009
He would just work and work
and work and work.
877
00:49:28,009 --> 00:49:29,511
["A Song Without a Reason" playing]
878
00:49:29,511 --> 00:49:35,100
♪ Well, you don't need rhyme or reason
To sing a happy song ♪
879
00:49:35,100 --> 00:49:38,186
[vocalizing]
880
00:49:41,815 --> 00:49:44,067
♪ This is a song without a reason ♪
881
00:49:44,067 --> 00:49:45,735
[intercom buzzing]
882
00:49:45,735 --> 00:49:46,820
- [player clicks]
- [music ends]
883
00:49:46,820 --> 00:49:47,904
[Jim clears throat]
884
00:49:48,905 --> 00:49:49,906
Hello.
885
00:49:51,032 --> 00:49:54,619
[Heather] He loved the work. He relished
in the work and he thrived in the work.
886
00:49:54,619 --> 00:49:56,705
But it did mean that
he was doing the work all the time.
887
00:49:56,705 --> 00:49:58,665
[chuckling] You know?
888
00:49:58,665 --> 00:50:00,750
Like even on vacation,
he's bringing his work.
889
00:50:00,750 --> 00:50:02,377
It wasn't really a vacation.
890
00:50:04,963 --> 00:50:06,881
[birds chirping]
891
00:50:11,636 --> 00:50:14,556
[Oz] So I think what happened
was that Jane didn't foresee
892
00:50:14,556 --> 00:50:16,725
how popular things would come.
893
00:50:17,308 --> 00:50:20,478
And she didn't always want it
to grow bigger.
894
00:50:20,478 --> 00:50:22,480
She wanted her husband home more.
895
00:50:23,481 --> 00:50:25,483
[no audible dialogue]
896
00:50:28,236 --> 00:50:31,031
[Brian] They were the cofounders
of the company.
897
00:50:31,031 --> 00:50:34,200
And then my mother started
having babies very quick.
898
00:50:34,200 --> 00:50:37,454
It was very hard for them
to be cofounders of the Muppets
899
00:50:37,454 --> 00:50:39,706
and have five kids at the same time.
900
00:50:41,666 --> 00:50:43,918
[Cheryl] My mom was an anarchist.
901
00:50:43,918 --> 00:50:45,545
My mom was a creative thinker.
902
00:50:45,545 --> 00:50:49,049
My mom was strong and-- and dynamic,
903
00:50:49,049 --> 00:50:54,220
and she was often rebelling
against the concept of the perfect wife.
904
00:50:54,846 --> 00:50:58,391
And my dad had some
traditional expectations
905
00:50:58,391 --> 00:51:01,353
of how things are supposed to be done.
906
00:51:01,353 --> 00:51:03,438
[Brian] It was when it came down
to talk about the company.
907
00:51:03,438 --> 00:51:07,359
I'm sure all of my siblings will say
they remember the friction often
908
00:51:07,359 --> 00:51:10,779
at the dinner table
because my father wanted to know
909
00:51:10,779 --> 00:51:12,614
how-- how was my math quiz,
910
00:51:12,614 --> 00:51:15,533
and how-- how did the science project
work out with my sister.
911
00:51:15,533 --> 00:51:18,370
But my mother only wanted to--
my father to talk about the company,
912
00:51:18,370 --> 00:51:20,622
which was the last thing
he wanted to talk about.
913
00:51:20,622 --> 00:51:23,124
{\an8}[Jane] Jim certainly
had respect for women.
914
00:51:23,124 --> 00:51:27,295
{\an8}He assumed that I was either interested
in what the children were doing,
915
00:51:27,295 --> 00:51:30,465
{\an8}or I was interested in what he was doing,
and that was what wives do.
916
00:51:39,974 --> 00:51:45,730
I probably just kept it inside
for so long until I made a declaration.
917
00:51:45,730 --> 00:51:47,482
"Hey, look. I have a life too.
918
00:51:47,482 --> 00:51:50,068
It's just not about you and your career.
919
00:51:50,068 --> 00:51:51,403
It's about me too."
920
00:51:54,072 --> 00:51:56,282
[Cheryl] What is
a declaration of independence?
921
00:51:56,282 --> 00:51:58,410
It's a cry for recognition.
922
00:51:59,911 --> 00:52:01,371
[Lisa] She felt left out.
923
00:52:01,371 --> 00:52:05,875
{\an8}She loved the creative collaboration,
and I think it was hurtful to her
924
00:52:05,875 --> 00:52:08,962
that the collaboration
could keep going without her.
925
00:52:11,589 --> 00:52:16,511
She wasn't thinking of ending the marriage
because she didn't believe in divorce.
926
00:52:16,511 --> 00:52:20,348
She continued to be
a very good talent scout.
927
00:52:20,348 --> 00:52:24,436
She discovered a lot of the puppeteers,
particularly the young ones.
928
00:52:24,436 --> 00:52:27,772
She would say that she was the
first person who discovered Jim Henson.
929
00:52:31,317 --> 00:52:33,987
[Cheryl] No matter what happened
in my parents' relationship,
930
00:52:33,987 --> 00:52:37,866
my mom was always supportive
of my dad as an artist.
931
00:52:39,576 --> 00:52:41,828
[Brian] I think my mother
would've been super happy
932
00:52:41,828 --> 00:52:45,290
if he did just stay on Sesame Street.
933
00:52:45,290 --> 00:52:47,959
'Cause my mother always wanted
to dedicate her life to kids.
934
00:52:47,959 --> 00:52:50,295
My father never wanted to do that.
935
00:52:56,009 --> 00:53:02,307
He had this idea for a Muppets variety
show that predated Sesame Street.
936
00:53:05,143 --> 00:53:06,394
[phone rings]
937
00:53:07,145 --> 00:53:09,773
He had been selling it for years.
938
00:53:09,773 --> 00:53:11,941
That was gonna be the ultimate show.
939
00:53:12,734 --> 00:53:15,278
He tried to pitch it
to every single network.
940
00:53:15,278 --> 00:53:16,571
Anyone who would listen.
941
00:53:16,571 --> 00:53:17,489
[no audible dialogue]
942
00:53:17,489 --> 00:53:20,825
[Oz] In the beginning,
Jerry and me and Jim and Don Sahlin,
943
00:53:20,825 --> 00:53:23,828
we'd have the puppets in these big boxes,
944
00:53:23,828 --> 00:53:30,210
and we would go to ABC or CBS or whatever,
to try and get them interested.
945
00:53:31,211 --> 00:53:33,421
And, invariably, what would happen was
946
00:53:33,421 --> 00:53:37,217
they'd say either, "Oh, no.
They're puppets," or "Kids' stuff. No."
947
00:53:37,217 --> 00:53:40,637
Or they'd say, "Well, it's interesting,
but I'm not the guy to see.
948
00:53:40,637 --> 00:53:43,056
You should see Bill."
And, of course, Bill's on vacation,
949
00:53:43,056 --> 00:53:44,849
and we gotta come do it all over again
in two weeks.
950
00:53:44,849 --> 00:53:46,476
[no audible dialogue]
951
00:53:46,476 --> 00:53:50,730
[Brian] My dad was very confident that
The Muppet Show was going to be great.
952
00:53:52,023 --> 00:53:56,236
But the effort he had to go to
to convince the industry
953
00:53:56,236 --> 00:53:57,278
was almost superhuman.
954
00:53:58,405 --> 00:54:01,825
[Lisa] People were saying, "Well,
the Muppets are for preschoolers."
955
00:54:01,825 --> 00:54:07,163
So, then he overreacted by creating a show
called Sex and Violence with the Muppets.
956
00:54:07,163 --> 00:54:08,873
{\an8}[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
957
00:54:08,873 --> 00:54:13,461
{\an8}presenting the end of sex
and violence on television.
958
00:54:14,462 --> 00:54:16,464
[laughing]
959
00:54:18,717 --> 00:54:21,886
{\an8}Ladies and gentlemen,
it's The Muppet Show.
960
00:54:21,886 --> 00:54:24,264
["Love Ya to Death" playing]
961
00:54:28,643 --> 00:54:32,480
{\an8}Well, I might be able to get you a job
on an educational show for kids.
962
00:54:33,273 --> 00:54:35,358
Incidentally,
this show has been prerecorded.
963
00:54:36,985 --> 00:54:40,071
{\an8}I mean, it was really strange,
because I couldn't sell the Muppets
964
00:54:40,071 --> 00:54:43,533
{\an8}who have now done Sesame Street,
and were a huge hit.
965
00:54:45,243 --> 00:54:47,454
So he put together a new presentation.
966
00:54:48,204 --> 00:54:52,125
{\an8}Friends, the United States of America
needs The Muppet Show.
967
00:54:52,125 --> 00:54:54,085
{\an8}And you should buy this show.
968
00:54:54,085 --> 00:54:55,670
{\an8}Now, we're not pulling any punches here.
969
00:54:55,670 --> 00:54:57,922
{\an8}I mean, there's nothing subtle
about this pitch.
970
00:54:57,922 --> 00:55:01,885
So buy the show and put it on the air,
and we'll all be famous.
971
00:55:01,885 --> 00:55:04,763
The Muppets will be famous,
and CBS will be famous
972
00:55:04,763 --> 00:55:06,931
because we'll have a hit show
on our hands.
973
00:55:06,931 --> 00:55:09,225
And we'll all get temperamental
and hard to work with,
974
00:55:09,225 --> 00:55:12,562
but you won't care
because we'll all make a lot of money.
975
00:55:12,562 --> 00:55:14,564
And Schlatter and Henson will be happy.
976
00:55:14,564 --> 00:55:15,732
And you will be happy.
977
00:55:15,732 --> 00:55:17,567
And Kermit's mother will be happy.
978
00:55:18,485 --> 00:55:20,653
And God will look down on us
979
00:55:20,653 --> 00:55:25,825
{\an8}and smile on us and he will say,
"Let them have a 40 share."
980
00:55:31,414 --> 00:55:32,624
I-- I couldn't sell it.
981
00:55:33,249 --> 00:55:34,250
Help.
982
00:55:34,250 --> 00:55:35,752
It was passed on by everybody.
983
00:55:35,752 --> 00:55:37,379
It was enormously frustrating.
984
00:55:39,339 --> 00:55:42,592
[Lisa] The idea for a Muppets variety show
985
00:55:42,592 --> 00:55:45,887
was quickly replaced
by other things to be busy with.
986
00:55:45,887 --> 00:55:48,640
[theme song playing]
987
00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:50,934
[announcer] NBC's Saturday Night.
988
00:55:53,144 --> 00:55:55,438
With Jim Henson's Muppets.
989
00:55:57,065 --> 00:55:59,776
[Brian] The most adult show
that has ever been made... [chuckles]
990
00:55:59,776 --> 00:56:03,029
...is the way Saturday Night Live was being
set up. And he was like, "I want in."
991
00:56:03,905 --> 00:56:04,906
{\an8}Scred?
992
00:56:04,906 --> 00:56:08,743
{\an8}Yes, oh, High Supreme Mucky-Muck, sir.
993
00:56:08,743 --> 00:56:10,328
Scred, I'm hungry.
994
00:56:10,328 --> 00:56:13,915
Ah, what would please your flatulence?
995
00:56:13,915 --> 00:56:15,041
[groans]
996
00:56:15,041 --> 00:56:20,797
{\an8}That was a great example of
two completely different groups of people
997
00:56:20,797 --> 00:56:25,552
{\an8}with completely different styles
of comedy clashing together.
998
00:56:25,552 --> 00:56:27,595
We weren't allowed
to write our own material.
999
00:56:27,595 --> 00:56:28,847
[groans]
1000
00:56:28,847 --> 00:56:30,932
It was their show,
and we were taking up time.
1001
00:56:30,932 --> 00:56:34,728
{\an8}Michael O'Donoghue could not say
a good thing about the Muppets.
1002
00:56:34,728 --> 00:56:38,773
{\an8}He despised them.
"I hated writing for that felt."
1003
00:56:38,773 --> 00:56:41,401
We were all pretty sorry
to hear you guys got canceled, Scred.
1004
00:56:41,401 --> 00:56:43,028
But, uh, you know, that's show business.
1005
00:56:43,028 --> 00:56:46,406
It was not a happy experience.
It really wasn't.
1006
00:56:47,574 --> 00:56:51,036
It was halfway through that season
that he got a call from London.
1007
00:56:53,705 --> 00:56:54,956
[phone rings]
1008
00:56:54,956 --> 00:56:57,250
So one of the last two
Saturday Night Live shows we did,
1009
00:56:57,250 --> 00:56:58,960
Jim pulled me over and say,
1010
00:56:58,960 --> 00:57:02,047
"Hey, listen. We just got
24 half-hour guaranteed shows."
1011
00:57:03,131 --> 00:57:06,593
{\an8}Lew Grade had ATV Studios in London,
which was empty.
1012
00:57:06,593 --> 00:57:09,220
He wasn't shooting anything there,
so he needed something to shoot there.
1013
00:57:10,138 --> 00:57:14,142
[Brian] It was two of
the most ambitious men on the planet,
1014
00:57:14,142 --> 00:57:17,103
and they come from
two completely different universes.
1015
00:57:17,103 --> 00:57:19,773
[Oz] Lew used to be a Charleston dancer.
1016
00:57:19,773 --> 00:57:23,485
Then he became
this very successful producer.
1017
00:57:23,485 --> 00:57:28,490
He was absolutely
the greatest financial sponsor
1018
00:57:28,490 --> 00:57:31,826
that my dad could have had
because he gave him so much freedom.
1019
00:57:31,826 --> 00:57:32,952
Lew would always say,
1020
00:57:32,952 --> 00:57:35,246
"Okay, if it felt right, let's do it.
Here's the money."
1021
00:57:35,246 --> 00:57:37,540
As opposed to today,
you go to a committee.
1022
00:57:37,540 --> 00:57:40,710
It was just visceral for Lew,
and he trusted himself.
1023
00:57:41,628 --> 00:57:44,839
[Brian] Lew was very bullish
about this plan
1024
00:57:44,839 --> 00:57:48,510
of selling back into little,
local TV channels across the country.
1025
00:57:49,469 --> 00:57:52,722
So we said, "Okay, well,
that's a way to get it on the air anyhow."
1026
00:57:52,722 --> 00:57:54,724
And so we went over to England.
1027
00:57:57,936 --> 00:58:00,939
[military band playing]
1028
00:58:03,525 --> 00:58:05,694
[Lisa] The whole crew went over there,
1029
00:58:05,694 --> 00:58:09,781
and they were working with
British directors, with British writers.
1030
00:58:09,781 --> 00:58:11,408
It was a big collaboration,
1031
00:58:11,408 --> 00:58:14,035
and nobody really knew
what was gonna come out of it.
1032
00:58:14,035 --> 00:58:15,328
[chattering]
1033
00:58:15,328 --> 00:58:18,832
[Juhl] We started frantically trying,
grasping around,
1034
00:58:18,832 --> 00:58:22,127
trying to find characters
and ideas and concepts
1035
00:58:22,127 --> 00:58:25,088
that would fit with this basic shape
that Jim had put to the show.
1036
00:58:29,509 --> 00:58:32,178
We knew we wanted a comedian,
and that he was gonna be a bear.
1037
00:58:32,178 --> 00:58:33,930
That's about all we knew about him.
1038
00:58:33,930 --> 00:58:35,515
And we knew that Gonzo the Great
1039
00:58:35,515 --> 00:58:38,518
was a guy who thought that
eating a tire to music was great art.
1040
00:58:41,396 --> 00:58:45,567
Jim gradually hit upon this idea
based on old English music hall.
1041
00:58:45,567 --> 00:58:47,360
[piano playing]
1042
00:58:47,360 --> 00:58:50,697
I mean, there's a lot of influence,
the way that theater looks.
1043
00:58:52,407 --> 00:58:55,827
{\an8}All we were doing is taking a chance
with 24 episodes.
1044
00:58:56,411 --> 00:59:02,250
{\an8}I had no idea that it would be
such an extraordinary, phenomenal success.
1045
00:59:02,250 --> 00:59:03,543
[applause]
1046
00:59:03,543 --> 00:59:07,088
♪ It's time to play the music
It's time to light the light ♪
1047
00:59:07,630 --> 00:59:10,717
♪ It's time to meet the Muppets
On The Muppet's Show tonight ♪
1048
00:59:11,801 --> 00:59:15,805
♪ It's time to put on makeup
It's time to dress up right ♪
1049
00:59:16,389 --> 00:59:18,141
♪ It's time to get things started ♪
1050
00:59:18,141 --> 00:59:20,477
♪ Why don't you get things started? ♪
1051
00:59:20,477 --> 00:59:22,479
♪ It's time to get things started ♪
1052
00:59:22,479 --> 00:59:27,192
♪ On the most sensational, inspirational
Celebrational, Muppetational ♪
1053
00:59:27,192 --> 00:59:34,074
♪ This is what we call The Muppet Show ♪
1054
00:59:34,574 --> 00:59:35,658
[trumpets playing]
1055
00:59:35,658 --> 00:59:38,078
[audience laughs, cheers]
1056
00:59:38,078 --> 00:59:39,162
Thank you, thank you!
1057
00:59:39,162 --> 00:59:41,748
Hello, everybody.
And welcome to The Muppet Show.
1058
00:59:41,748 --> 00:59:44,042
[Oz] Everything evolved
in that first season.
1059
00:59:44,042 --> 00:59:46,711
- ♪ Mahna Mahna ♪
- ♪ Do doo be-do-do ♪
1060
00:59:46,711 --> 00:59:48,963
- ♪ Mahna Mahna ♪
- ♪ Do do-do do ♪
1061
00:59:49,589 --> 00:59:51,758
- ♪ Mahna Mahna ♪
- ♪ Do doo be-do-do ♪
1062
00:59:51,758 --> 00:59:55,512
♪ Do do do, do do do
Do do do, do do do, do do do ♪
1063
00:59:55,512 --> 00:59:57,013
Tonight, ladies and gentlemen,
1064
00:59:57,013 --> 01:00:02,936
I will eat this rubber tire to the music
of the "Flight of the Bumblebee."
1065
01:00:02,936 --> 01:00:04,396
- Music, maestro.
- [music playing]
1066
01:00:04,396 --> 01:00:05,897
- Frog of my heart...
- Yes.
1067
01:00:05,897 --> 01:00:09,442
...you will just wait
until I say the word "here."
1068
01:00:09,442 --> 01:00:13,571
When you hear me say the word "here,"
you will rush up to me and say,
1069
01:00:13,571 --> 01:00:16,199
"Good grief, the comedian's a bear."
1070
01:00:16,199 --> 01:00:18,535
- Good grief, the comedian's a bear.
- Check.
1071
01:00:19,119 --> 01:00:20,578
- When you say the word "here."
- Right.
1072
01:00:20,578 --> 01:00:21,496
- Gotcha.
- Okay.
1073
01:00:21,496 --> 01:00:24,416
He's doing it. He's eating a tire.
1074
01:00:24,416 --> 01:00:26,543
- Boring.
- [audience member boos]
1075
01:00:26,543 --> 01:00:29,713
Hiya, hiya, hiya!
You're a wonderful-looking audience.
1076
01:00:29,713 --> 01:00:31,131
It's a pleasure to be here.
1077
01:00:31,131 --> 01:00:32,882
- Good grief, the comedian's a bear!
- I--
1078
01:00:32,882 --> 01:00:33,967
Not yet!
1079
01:00:35,093 --> 01:00:37,721
- You just said "here."
- That was the wrong "here."
1080
01:00:37,721 --> 01:00:40,056
- Which is the right "here"?
- The other "here."
1081
01:00:40,056 --> 01:00:40,974
Sure.
1082
01:00:40,974 --> 01:00:42,267
- Stomachache, check.
- Mmm.
1083
01:00:42,851 --> 01:00:44,019
[screams]
1084
01:00:47,105 --> 01:00:50,775
- [shouting, indistinct]
- [audience laughing]
1085
01:00:50,775 --> 01:00:54,362
Hey, hey, folks.
This is a story you're gonna love to hear.
1086
01:00:54,362 --> 01:00:57,198
- Good grief, the comedian's a bear!
- Will you stop it?
1087
01:00:57,198 --> 01:00:58,867
- But you said "here."
- Not that "here."
1088
01:00:58,867 --> 01:01:00,618
- Well, which "here"?
- Another "here."
1089
01:01:00,618 --> 01:01:03,163
- How am I gonna know?
- You'll know when you hear!
1090
01:01:03,163 --> 01:01:05,331
- Good grief, the comedian's a bear!
- Not--
1091
01:01:05,331 --> 01:01:06,958
[audience laughing]
1092
01:01:09,919 --> 01:01:13,757
[Oz] The concept was these bizarre people
trying to put on a show every week
1093
01:01:14,341 --> 01:01:15,175
[screams]
1094
01:01:15,175 --> 01:01:18,970
Next on stage, Prince Rudolph
and His Invisible Cheeseburger.
1095
01:01:18,970 --> 01:01:22,724
I'm sorry, guys. I've got a full show.
I cannot use a jug band number tonight.
1096
01:01:22,724 --> 01:01:23,808
[clamoring]
1097
01:01:23,808 --> 01:01:26,728
Way to go, samurai.
To your dressing-- [shouts]
1098
01:01:26,728 --> 01:01:30,065
[Oz] And this poor frog
trying to make it happen every damn week.
1099
01:01:30,065 --> 01:01:33,151
Everybody's onstage for the opera
except the spear carriers.
1100
01:01:33,151 --> 01:01:34,569
They want more money.
1101
01:01:34,569 --> 01:01:35,653
No way.
1102
01:01:37,489 --> 01:01:39,657
- Uh, see how much they want.
- Right.
1103
01:01:39,657 --> 01:01:42,994
Kermit's function on this show
is very much like my own,
1104
01:01:42,994 --> 01:01:47,374
in that he's trying to hold together
this group of crazies.
1105
01:01:47,374 --> 01:01:49,000
And that's not unlike what I do.
1106
01:01:49,000 --> 01:01:51,169
The Muppet Glee Club, "Temptation."
1107
01:01:51,836 --> 01:01:54,005
One and two and...
1108
01:01:54,005 --> 01:01:58,259
[singing]
1109
01:01:58,259 --> 01:02:01,429
[Jim] And the very first show,
we had a, sort of, an animal chorus.
1110
01:02:01,971 --> 01:02:03,223
♪ You came ♪
1111
01:02:03,223 --> 01:02:04,808
[Jim] Kermit was conducting...
1112
01:02:04,808 --> 01:02:06,518
♪ I was alone ♪
1113
01:02:06,518 --> 01:02:10,689
[Jim] ...and this one pig came forward
to sing the solo in "Temptation."
1114
01:02:10,689 --> 01:02:13,858
♪ Born to be kissed ♪
1115
01:02:14,734 --> 01:02:17,445
♪ I can't resist ♪
1116
01:02:17,445 --> 01:02:21,366
♪ You are temptation ♪
1117
01:02:21,366 --> 01:02:22,701
♪ And I... ♪
1118
01:02:22,701 --> 01:02:25,203
[Jim] And so she was
sort of coming on to the conductor.
1119
01:02:26,287 --> 01:02:29,958
So that really started that-- the
whole relationship in that little moment.
1120
01:02:31,251 --> 01:02:36,297
♪ Only a slave ♪
1121
01:02:36,297 --> 01:02:39,384
♪ To you ♪
1122
01:02:39,384 --> 01:02:43,471
One show in rehearsal,
it said for Piggy to slap Kermit.
1123
01:02:44,597 --> 01:02:49,185
And, for some reason, I don't know why,
I karate chopped him instead.
1124
01:02:49,185 --> 01:02:50,687
- Hi-yah!
- [grunts]
1125
01:02:50,687 --> 01:02:52,772
- [audience laughs]
- [Oz] And Jim went with it.
1126
01:02:52,772 --> 01:02:54,274
Barbarian.
1127
01:02:55,108 --> 01:02:55,942
[thuds]
1128
01:02:55,942 --> 01:02:58,987
It is a lightbulb that--
Okay, I know her character now.
1129
01:02:58,987 --> 01:03:00,238
- I'll show you.
- What--
1130
01:03:00,238 --> 01:03:01,906
- Hi-yah!
- Piggy-- [shouts]
1131
01:03:01,906 --> 01:03:03,742
- Hi-yah!
- [screams]
1132
01:03:03,742 --> 01:03:05,035
- Hi-yah!
- [laughs]
1133
01:03:05,035 --> 01:03:06,536
- Hi-yah!
- [shouts]
1134
01:03:07,245 --> 01:03:09,914
So Piggy was plucked from the chorus
and became a star.
1135
01:03:09,914 --> 01:03:11,082
Hello, Morley.
1136
01:03:11,708 --> 01:03:14,336
- May I ask you a question? Please?
- [chuckling] Yes.
1137
01:03:14,336 --> 01:03:16,546
- Is your wife here?
- No, she's not.
1138
01:03:16,546 --> 01:03:18,798
- Great.
- [chuckles]
1139
01:03:18,798 --> 01:03:21,259
- I thought he was a good interviewer.
- [person] Yeah, right.
1140
01:03:21,259 --> 01:03:24,137
- He's just overwhelmed by your beauty.
- Could've fooled me.
1141
01:03:24,137 --> 01:03:25,388
All right. That's a wrap.
1142
01:03:30,310 --> 01:03:32,479
She has so many limitations.
1143
01:03:32,479 --> 01:03:34,647
All she can do is have bravado.
1144
01:03:35,231 --> 01:03:36,858
Okay, Piggy, you were good.
1145
01:03:36,858 --> 01:03:38,651
I was great.
1146
01:03:40,195 --> 01:03:43,740
[Oz] She covers all her pain
'cause she knows she's not talented.
1147
01:03:43,740 --> 01:03:46,117
She knows she can't tell jokes.
1148
01:03:46,117 --> 01:03:47,702
She knows she can't dance.
1149
01:03:47,702 --> 01:03:50,413
I'm too delicate for show business.
1150
01:03:50,413 --> 01:03:53,750
[Oz] And, of course, her magnificent
obsession in life is the frog.
1151
01:03:53,750 --> 01:03:56,753
And he is just
kind of namby-pamby about her.
1152
01:03:56,753 --> 01:04:00,006
That comedic conflict,
I think that's what makes it memorable.
1153
01:04:00,006 --> 01:04:04,052
Kermie, would... [grunts] ...would you
help me take this mermaid outfit off?
1154
01:04:04,052 --> 01:04:04,969
[groans]
1155
01:04:04,969 --> 01:04:07,138
- You want me to do the zipper back here?
- Yes. Back there, the zipper.
1156
01:04:07,138 --> 01:04:08,056
- Okay.
- It's just--
1157
01:04:08,056 --> 01:04:09,474
- [zipper opens]
- [exclaims]
1158
01:04:10,016 --> 01:04:12,227
Ah! What a relief.
1159
01:04:12,227 --> 01:04:14,813
[sighs] Thank you. Oh!
Don't look. Don't look.
1160
01:04:14,813 --> 01:04:16,731
- [stammers]
- No peeking.
1161
01:04:19,275 --> 01:04:21,653
- [screams]
- [audience laughs]
1162
01:04:23,029 --> 01:04:24,447
[Oz] Is the pig ready?
1163
01:04:25,073 --> 01:04:26,324
[crew 1] The sofa goes across.
1164
01:04:26,324 --> 01:04:27,867
- [crew 2] All right.
- [crew 3] Yeah.
1165
01:04:29,411 --> 01:04:30,453
[crew 4] Bye, Frank.
1166
01:04:30,453 --> 01:04:33,415
The necessity of, uh,
doing a shot like this,
1167
01:04:33,915 --> 01:04:34,916
you have to, uh--
1168
01:04:36,584 --> 01:04:38,003
you have to, uh--
1169
01:04:38,003 --> 01:04:39,087
[sighs]
1170
01:04:39,087 --> 01:04:42,382
In order to make it look good up there,
it has to be uncomfortable down here.
1171
01:04:43,008 --> 01:04:45,010
[applause]
1172
01:04:46,094 --> 01:04:48,972
Oh! Come sit, Roger.
1173
01:04:50,015 --> 01:04:53,101
Roger, I'm so glad you asked me up here.
1174
01:04:53,101 --> 01:04:54,936
Well, actually, I didn't ask you.
1175
01:04:54,936 --> 01:04:56,604
It was both a joy and a grind.
1176
01:04:56,604 --> 01:04:57,522
[all laughing]
1177
01:04:57,522 --> 01:04:59,899
- Two, three, four...
- [Jim] "They call him the pillage idiot.
1178
01:04:59,899 --> 01:05:02,318
He was stupid with his pillaging."
We'll get there.
1179
01:05:02,318 --> 01:05:04,237
[Oz] We do a show a week.
1180
01:05:04,237 --> 01:05:06,906
Every number we do
has to go through the same stages.
1181
01:05:06,906 --> 01:05:08,783
We have the guest star on a Sunday.
1182
01:05:09,367 --> 01:05:12,537
We do a read through,
we do rehearsal, we go through music.
1183
01:05:13,121 --> 01:05:14,247
[performer] Oh, is that me?
1184
01:05:14,247 --> 01:05:15,832
[Oz] And then the next day,
we record the band.
1185
01:05:15,832 --> 01:05:18,001
[band playing]
1186
01:05:18,001 --> 01:05:19,711
And then the vocals are laid down.
1187
01:05:21,004 --> 01:05:22,672
And then we had three days to shoot.
1188
01:05:22,672 --> 01:05:25,884
- ♪ In the navy ♪
- ♪ Yes, you can sail the Seven Seas ♪
1189
01:05:25,884 --> 01:05:29,512
- ♪ In the navy ♪
- ♪ Yes, you can put your mind at ease ♪
1190
01:05:29,512 --> 01:05:31,139
- ♪ In the navy ♪
- ♪ Navy ♪
1191
01:05:31,139 --> 01:05:32,515
[both] ♪ In the navy ♪
1192
01:05:32,515 --> 01:05:33,558
Cut. Right? Okay.
1193
01:05:34,642 --> 01:05:37,187
[Oz] And then one day off,
and we start it all over again.
1194
01:05:37,187 --> 01:05:40,523
- ♪ Take it slow ♪
- [stammers]
1195
01:05:40,523 --> 01:05:42,317
♪ Easy goes ♪
1196
01:05:42,317 --> 01:05:45,070
[Oz] There were no live people,
except one guest star.
1197
01:05:45,070 --> 01:05:46,821
And we had everything raised.
1198
01:05:46,821 --> 01:05:49,949
We would have the floor
in, like, three-foot sections.
1199
01:05:49,949 --> 01:05:52,660
We'd be underneath,
and then we'd have our hands up.
1200
01:05:53,745 --> 01:05:56,122
- And Jim invented all this.
- [Fozzie Bear] What is it?
1201
01:05:56,122 --> 01:05:57,957
...that you'd like to come
to my dressing room
1202
01:05:57,957 --> 01:06:00,627
and, uh, have a cup of tea?
1203
01:06:02,003 --> 01:06:05,048
- Could I bring a friend?
- [laughing]
1204
01:06:05,048 --> 01:06:07,300
- Well...
- It's just-- just my mother.
1205
01:06:07,300 --> 01:06:09,844
[audience laughing]
1206
01:06:09,844 --> 01:06:13,973
[Jim] The concept of taking and designing
the show around a guest star each week,
1207
01:06:13,973 --> 01:06:15,767
uh, worked out very nicely too.
1208
01:06:16,351 --> 01:06:18,978
Each guest would come in, and the whole
show would change personalities.
1209
01:06:18,978 --> 01:06:22,899
You, sir, are a freako.
1210
01:06:24,693 --> 01:06:27,070
- Why, thank you.
- [audience laughs]
1211
01:06:27,070 --> 01:06:33,243
♪ Oh, oh, so is life
Abatiwaha, so is life ♪
1212
01:06:33,243 --> 01:06:35,954
- ♪ Odl lay ee ♪
- ♪ Odl lay ee ♪
1213
01:06:35,954 --> 01:06:38,540
- ♪ Odl lay hee hee ♪
- ♪ Odl lay hee hee ♪
1214
01:06:38,540 --> 01:06:41,042
♪ Odl lay ee
Odl lay ee odl lay ♪
1215
01:06:41,042 --> 01:06:47,549
♪ La, la, la, la, la, la ♪
1216
01:06:47,549 --> 01:06:51,052
♪ La, la, la, la, la ♪
1217
01:06:52,345 --> 01:06:56,433
He was literally turning away
the biggest movie stars in the world,
1218
01:06:56,433 --> 01:06:58,977
'cause he just didn't have
enough episodes to put 'em in.
1219
01:06:58,977 --> 01:07:00,770
{\an8}[Oz] Dave Lazer
would be there at the airport
1220
01:07:00,770 --> 01:07:03,815
{\an8}meet them, bring them to the hotel,
have flowers.
1221
01:07:03,815 --> 01:07:07,402
And exec producers don't do that,
but he knew how important it was.
1222
01:07:08,194 --> 01:07:11,031
Jim couldn't do that.
It's just not something Jim did.
1223
01:07:11,823 --> 01:07:13,158
He was shy, first of all.
1224
01:07:14,200 --> 01:07:15,952
I don't know that it was shyness.
1225
01:07:15,952 --> 01:07:19,581
{\an8}Jim was a reticent person
when it came to communicating with people.
1226
01:07:19,581 --> 01:07:22,834
He never gave long and detailed answers.
1227
01:07:22,834 --> 01:07:25,378
I loved making him laugh.
1228
01:07:25,378 --> 01:07:27,589
[both babbling]
1229
01:07:27,589 --> 01:07:29,758
[both exclaiming]
1230
01:07:29,758 --> 01:07:33,845
If I could make his eyes crinkle,
I was one happy Puerto Rican.
1231
01:07:34,763 --> 01:07:36,765
["Fever" playing]
1232
01:07:38,183 --> 01:07:40,852
♪ Never know
How much I love you ♪
1233
01:07:41,811 --> 01:07:44,814
♪ Never know
How much I care ♪
1234
01:07:45,815 --> 01:07:48,818
♪ When you put your arms around me ♪
1235
01:07:48,818 --> 01:07:52,405
♪ I get a fever
That's so hard to bear ♪
1236
01:07:52,405 --> 01:07:54,157
♪ You give me fever ♪
1237
01:07:54,991 --> 01:07:59,329
"Fever" was extremely complicated
and I kept breaking up.
1238
01:07:59,329 --> 01:08:01,915
- [Animal groans]
- [audience laughs]
1239
01:08:01,915 --> 01:08:05,251
And then Jim at one point said,
"Rita, we don't do overtime here.
1240
01:08:05,251 --> 01:08:06,211
This is London.
1241
01:08:07,045 --> 01:08:09,798
If you break up again,
that's what we have to use."
1242
01:08:10,382 --> 01:08:13,718
I got to the end of the number... [chuckles]
1243
01:08:14,344 --> 01:08:16,346
[audience laughs]
1244
01:08:16,346 --> 01:08:17,681
...and Animal says...
1245
01:08:17,681 --> 01:08:21,476
[groans] That my kind of woman.
1246
01:08:21,476 --> 01:08:24,479
[Moreno] You can see my nostrils
flare at the end,
1247
01:08:24,479 --> 01:08:29,693
which is me trying desperately
not to laugh.
1248
01:08:29,693 --> 01:08:33,113
[applause, cheering]
1249
01:08:33,113 --> 01:08:38,326
There was nothing
that Jim didn't entertain.
1250
01:08:38,326 --> 01:08:40,829
Jim never thought of color.
1251
01:08:41,788 --> 01:08:44,040
Jim never thought of nationality.
1252
01:08:45,959 --> 01:08:48,253
Jim just simply thought of characters.
1253
01:08:49,671 --> 01:08:53,258
♪ It's not easy bein' green ♪
1254
01:08:55,385 --> 01:09:00,223
♪ Having to spend each day
The color of the leaves ♪
1255
01:09:03,518 --> 01:09:08,773
♪ When I think it might be nicer
Bein' red or yellow or gold ♪
1256
01:09:09,816 --> 01:09:12,068
♪ Or something
Much more colorful like that ♪
1257
01:09:15,363 --> 01:09:16,656
[Moreno] "It's not easy being green."
1258
01:09:16,656 --> 01:09:18,992
I mean, come on.
1259
01:09:19,617 --> 01:09:21,202
We know what that means.
1260
01:09:21,202 --> 01:09:22,579
Everybody knows what that means.
1261
01:09:22,579 --> 01:09:26,666
♪ It seems you blend in
With so many other ordinary things ♪
1262
01:09:30,211 --> 01:09:33,423
♪ And people tend to pass you over ♪
1263
01:09:33,423 --> 01:09:36,343
♪ 'Cause you're not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water ♪
1264
01:09:37,469 --> 01:09:40,221
♪ Or stars in the sky ♪
1265
01:09:41,139 --> 01:09:42,390
[Moreno] That frog was green.
1266
01:09:42,390 --> 01:09:45,894
He was a little f-- green,
funny looking frog.
1267
01:09:45,894 --> 01:09:49,898
And I know the children understood,
that they just understood.
1268
01:09:49,898 --> 01:09:51,983
♪ Or tall like a tree ♪
1269
01:09:55,862 --> 01:09:59,616
[Brian] That's one of the main thrusts
of my father's work.
1270
01:09:59,616 --> 01:10:04,120
It's why he very rarely celebrates
tribalism in any sense,
1271
01:10:04,120 --> 01:10:05,955
because he thinks
if we all loved each other
1272
01:10:05,955 --> 01:10:08,208
for our differences
and not our similarities,
1273
01:10:08,208 --> 01:10:09,959
we would-- There would be no more war.
1274
01:10:09,959 --> 01:10:13,129
♪ I'm green
And it'll do fine ♪
1275
01:10:14,214 --> 01:10:20,720
♪ It's beautiful
And I think it's what I wanna be ♪
1276
01:10:20,720 --> 01:10:22,806
[frogs croaking]
1277
01:10:28,853 --> 01:10:30,855
[applause]
1278
01:10:37,278 --> 01:10:39,698
{\an8}[Jim] The Muppet Show
is now seen in over 100 countries,
1279
01:10:39,698 --> 01:10:41,866
and I'm just delighted
with the show's success
1280
01:10:41,866 --> 01:10:43,952
because until this program came along,
1281
01:10:43,952 --> 01:10:46,454
{\an8}no one had ever done
a show quite like this,
1282
01:10:46,454 --> 01:10:48,456
where the real stars are puppets.
1283
01:10:49,541 --> 01:10:52,460
{\an8}[Juhl] For its day, it was the
most watched television series in history.
1284
01:10:54,504 --> 01:10:56,464
My dad really got the final laugh
1285
01:10:56,464 --> 01:10:59,968
'cause the networks all passed twice
on both of his pilots.
1286
01:10:59,968 --> 01:11:00,885
[shutter clicks]
1287
01:11:02,512 --> 01:11:05,306
[Cheryl] He and the puppeteers,
they felt like rock stars.
1288
01:11:05,306 --> 01:11:09,811
They had tried so hard
to get that show made,
1289
01:11:09,811 --> 01:11:11,187
and against such odds,
1290
01:11:11,187 --> 01:11:15,942
and then for it to hit in that way,
it was really, really satisfying.
1291
01:11:16,943 --> 01:11:19,571
Puppets are very ancient entertainers.
1292
01:11:19,571 --> 01:11:21,906
They don't just go back to the crib.
1293
01:11:21,906 --> 01:11:23,658
They go back to the cave.
1294
01:11:23,658 --> 01:11:25,493
They were beginning
to show their age a little
1295
01:11:25,493 --> 01:11:29,831
until you came along and dragged
that whole squeaking box of dolls
1296
01:11:29,831 --> 01:11:32,584
into the 20th century,
into the mainstream.
1297
01:11:33,877 --> 01:11:35,462
The Muppets, for my money,
1298
01:11:35,462 --> 01:11:38,882
are the most original thing
that ever happened on the box.
1299
01:11:38,882 --> 01:11:40,508
Don't you agree?
1300
01:11:40,508 --> 01:11:42,302
[applause]
1301
01:11:42,886 --> 01:11:44,971
[Oz] We were so incredibly popular
around the world.
1302
01:11:46,723 --> 01:11:49,392
And so I-- It's just a natural decision
to do a movie.
1303
01:11:50,143 --> 01:11:51,644
{\an8}[cameraperson] And zooming.
1304
01:11:51,644 --> 01:11:53,730
{\an8}[Jim] Jim Frawley, who was the director,
1305
01:11:53,730 --> 01:11:57,901
{\an8}at first, he wanted to shoot in studio,
create a world like The Wizard of Oz.
1306
01:11:57,901 --> 01:12:00,153
And I was really trying to talk him
into shooting outdoors.
1307
01:12:00,153 --> 01:12:02,906
I said, "Come on over."
He brought a Super 8 camera,
1308
01:12:02,906 --> 01:12:05,658
and we shot footage of--
of the characters outdoors.
1309
01:12:06,368 --> 01:12:08,661
{\an8}[Oz] Jim Frawley
didn't really get the Muppets,
1310
01:12:08,661 --> 01:12:13,458
{\an8}and he wasn't sure if they really would
work on the big screen and in real life.
1311
01:12:13,458 --> 01:12:15,293
- I apologize for that.
- [Fozzie Bear] Hey, Kermit.
1312
01:12:15,293 --> 01:12:17,128
Look at the windshield wipers.
Look at them go.
1313
01:12:17,671 --> 01:12:20,423
Isn't that terrific?
I think I'm gonna be sick.
1314
01:12:21,007 --> 01:12:24,010
Uh, excuse me, guys.
We're looking for Hollywood.
1315
01:12:24,010 --> 01:12:25,929
Uh, Hollywood, California.
1316
01:12:25,929 --> 01:12:28,473
No, it's-- it's over near Los Angeles.
1317
01:12:28,473 --> 01:12:31,559
Do you-- Have you ever been to Lo--
Have you ever been to Lo-- Excuse me.
1318
01:12:31,559 --> 01:12:32,519
[laughs]
1319
01:12:32,519 --> 01:12:33,770
[screams]
1320
01:12:34,813 --> 01:12:36,564
Jim, of course, knew it'd work.
1321
01:12:39,859 --> 01:12:43,071
For the opening scene of the movie,
we were shooting Kermit in a swamp.
1322
01:12:43,071 --> 01:12:45,365
[no audible dialogue]
1323
01:12:47,492 --> 01:12:51,746
Jim had to be squeezed
into this steel canister under the water.
1324
01:12:56,292 --> 01:12:57,502
When they finally let him out,
1325
01:12:57,502 --> 01:12:59,838
it took him about 20 minutes
to get unfolded.
1326
01:13:03,675 --> 01:13:05,343
But Jim wouldn't think twice.
1327
01:13:06,136 --> 01:13:07,721
[projector clicks, whirs]
1328
01:13:07,721 --> 01:13:10,306
["Rainbow Connection" playing]
1329
01:13:10,306 --> 01:13:12,434
[Jim] It's the Muppets meeting the world.
1330
01:13:15,311 --> 01:13:18,148
♪ Why are there so many ♪
1331
01:13:18,148 --> 01:13:21,234
♪ Songs about rainbows ♪
1332
01:13:21,234 --> 01:13:25,488
♪ And what's on the other side? ♪
1333
01:13:27,782 --> 01:13:33,705
♪ What's so amazing
That keeps us star gazing ♪
1334
01:13:33,705 --> 01:13:37,625
♪ And what do we think
We might see? ♪
1335
01:13:40,170 --> 01:13:43,089
♪ Someday we'll find it ♪
1336
01:13:43,089 --> 01:13:45,800
♪ The rainbow connection ♪
1337
01:13:46,301 --> 01:13:50,972
♪ The lovers, the dreamers
And me ♪
1338
01:13:50,972 --> 01:13:52,682
♪ All of us... ♪
1339
01:13:52,682 --> 01:13:55,643
[Juhl] The Muppet Movie
opened us up into a whole new world
1340
01:13:55,643 --> 01:13:58,313
that allowed us a whole emotional range.
1341
01:14:01,566 --> 01:14:05,278
It afforded him chances to do more things,
to fulfill more dreams,
1342
01:14:05,278 --> 01:14:06,780
to go off in a different direction.
1343
01:14:06,780 --> 01:14:09,491
He knew that he could pick up the phone
and call anybody,
1344
01:14:09,491 --> 01:14:11,659
and the best people in the world
in any given field
1345
01:14:11,659 --> 01:14:14,162
would be willing to listen to him
because he was Jim Henson.
1346
01:14:14,162 --> 01:14:16,331
Just look at all this. Boy!
1347
01:14:17,040 --> 01:14:18,792
How did a frog make the big time?
1348
01:14:19,626 --> 01:14:21,461
- [static]
- [chattering]
1349
01:14:21,461 --> 01:14:25,382
- Do you know me? I created the Muppets.
- [all] Big deal!
1350
01:14:25,382 --> 01:14:27,550
Everybody knows them, but not me.
1351
01:14:28,343 --> 01:14:31,096
So when I travel,
I carry the American Express card.
1352
01:14:32,681 --> 01:14:33,932
{\an8}[Brian] And from that point on,
1353
01:14:33,932 --> 01:14:36,851
my dad couldn't walk a block
without getting recognized.
1354
01:14:43,316 --> 01:14:46,736
[Lisa] He bought a new building
on 69th Street in New York City.
1355
01:14:46,736 --> 01:14:50,240
Much lovelier, fancier headquarters.
1356
01:14:51,366 --> 01:14:55,787
{\an8}And all of a sudden he's wearing
a much more fashionable kind of wardrobe.
1357
01:14:56,955 --> 01:14:58,957
California cowboy chic.
1358
01:15:00,291 --> 01:15:05,296
[Lisa] He got a Lotus
with custom green paint in Kermit color...
1359
01:15:07,966 --> 01:15:09,634
and he started new parts of the business.
1360
01:15:09,634 --> 01:15:13,847
He had his own merchandising department
and distribution,
1361
01:15:13,847 --> 01:15:17,017
and everything
was getting a little bit bigger.
1362
01:15:18,893 --> 01:15:21,896
[interviewer] The Muppet Show,
Sesame Street, the movie,
1363
01:15:21,896 --> 01:15:25,275
the bits and pieces of Muppetry,
the whole Muppet empire.
1364
01:15:25,275 --> 01:15:27,610
- What's it worth?
- [laughs]
1365
01:15:27,610 --> 01:15:30,071
I have no idea. I really don't.
1366
01:15:30,071 --> 01:15:32,615
- [Jim laughs]
- [interviewer] Scores of millions?
1367
01:15:32,615 --> 01:15:34,701
- [Jim] Oh, no. No.
- Millions?
1368
01:15:35,744 --> 01:15:38,163
Probably, but I wouldn't swear to that.
1369
01:15:38,955 --> 01:15:40,790
Yeah. [chuckles]
1370
01:15:41,332 --> 01:15:45,420
[Brian] Becoming famous
was definitely what he wanted.
1371
01:15:46,087 --> 01:15:50,925
But I could see and feel that
there was an innocence getting lost,
1372
01:15:51,593 --> 01:15:55,096
and that it was gonna impact
his relationship with us and everything.
1373
01:15:55,096 --> 01:15:56,931
And that was complex.
1374
01:15:59,517 --> 01:16:02,187
[Jane] This kind of success
has less peace in it.
1375
01:16:02,187 --> 01:16:05,565
It's, um, troublesome in many ways.
1376
01:16:05,565 --> 01:16:08,902
There's a lot of work,
a lot of separation.
1377
01:16:08,902 --> 01:16:10,236
There's a lot of pressure
1378
01:16:10,236 --> 01:16:14,074
in a success that involves
so many people and so much money.
1379
01:16:15,325 --> 01:16:20,163
He was also trying to commute back
and forth between New York and London.
1380
01:16:20,997 --> 01:16:23,875
That was challenging
because The Muppet Show
1381
01:16:23,875 --> 01:16:26,211
would tape months on end in London.
1382
01:16:26,211 --> 01:16:29,381
And then when he would get to New York,
everybody needed his attention,
1383
01:16:29,381 --> 01:16:31,091
whether it was on the family side,
1384
01:16:31,091 --> 01:16:35,387
or even at the company needing more
leadership and more of his presence.
1385
01:16:35,387 --> 01:16:39,557
So there was stress involved
with getting bigger, for sure.
1386
01:16:40,225 --> 01:16:42,394
You're a very busy man.
How do you find enough time
1387
01:16:42,394 --> 01:16:47,107
to spend with your family to keep
those home fires burning, let's say?
1388
01:16:47,107 --> 01:16:51,194
You know, it-- it is difficult,
and certainly I-- I, um--
1389
01:16:51,194 --> 01:16:52,612
But I like to travel with them.
1390
01:16:52,612 --> 01:16:56,032
I often, you know, have one or two
of my kids with me at the time,
1391
01:16:56,032 --> 01:16:59,452
and, uh, we enjoy family vacations
and that sort of thing.
1392
01:17:00,161 --> 01:17:01,746
Come on, everybody. Try it.
1393
01:17:03,623 --> 01:17:07,043
[Goelz] And meanwhile, Jim is still
doing Sesame several weeks a year.
1394
01:17:07,544 --> 01:17:10,005
He felt completely committed
to service Sesame Street
1395
01:17:10,005 --> 01:17:11,131
and not leave them behind.
1396
01:17:11,131 --> 01:17:12,382
[chattering]
1397
01:17:12,382 --> 01:17:15,218
[Cheryl] My dad was
working incredibly hard.
1398
01:17:16,177 --> 01:17:20,432
And, regularly, at the end of each week,
they'd have, like, one day off.
1399
01:17:20,432 --> 01:17:21,599
And he would be sick.
1400
01:17:21,599 --> 01:17:25,979
He would just crash,
and then he'd have to get back up and go.
1401
01:17:27,939 --> 01:17:31,276
[Oz] We always said, "Oh,
Jim is taking on too much this time."
1402
01:17:32,027 --> 01:17:35,030
If there was a week off in London,
1403
01:17:35,030 --> 01:17:37,657
he'd say, "Hey, we're doing the Queen's
Silver Jubilee during that week."
1404
01:17:37,657 --> 01:17:38,742
[chuckles]
1405
01:17:39,659 --> 01:17:42,287
[no audible dialogue]
1406
01:17:42,287 --> 01:17:43,788
He wasn't against doctors.
1407
01:17:43,788 --> 01:17:45,999
He just didn't want
to go to doctors first.
1408
01:17:45,999 --> 01:17:49,961
I remember doing a shoot with him
in Chicago out in the dead winter,
1409
01:17:49,961 --> 01:17:51,880
and he-- he had walking pneumonia.
1410
01:17:51,880 --> 01:17:54,049
And he just barreled through.
1411
01:17:58,011 --> 01:17:59,596
He-- He wasn't scared of dying.
1412
01:18:02,223 --> 01:18:06,478
I-I remember when Don Sahlin died,
which was a huge shock,
1413
01:18:08,021 --> 01:18:11,858
and I was in the workshop
and I was crying.
1414
01:18:13,109 --> 01:18:16,112
And Jim came behind me
and said, "It's okay.
1415
01:18:16,112 --> 01:18:17,614
He's just on a different plane."
1416
01:18:19,115 --> 01:18:20,533
And Jim believed that.
1417
01:18:20,533 --> 01:18:22,369
He saw it as another adventure.
1418
01:18:23,620 --> 01:18:25,622
He believed there was
something else there.
1419
01:18:27,457 --> 01:18:32,295
[Cheryl] He was interested in Buddhism,
TM, Transcendental Meditation,
1420
01:18:32,295 --> 01:18:34,547
different ways of seeing the world.
1421
01:18:35,799 --> 01:18:38,968
What is reality? What is human nature?
1422
01:18:38,968 --> 01:18:41,388
What is this world that surrounds us?
1423
01:18:43,014 --> 01:18:44,599
[laughing]
1424
01:18:47,060 --> 01:18:49,312
[Lisa] My father never spoke of God,
1425
01:18:49,312 --> 01:18:53,358
and he was not a Christian Scientist,
in spite of his mother.
1426
01:18:53,358 --> 01:18:57,946
He was the kind of person
who just believes in the greater power,
1427
01:18:57,946 --> 01:19:02,450
and a very intense interconnectedness
between all beings.
1428
01:19:04,160 --> 01:19:09,249
[Erickson] Jim was always trying
to broaden his mind, his sensibilities.
1429
01:19:10,959 --> 01:19:12,293
He was a seeker.
1430
01:19:18,925 --> 01:19:23,596
- [laughing, chattering]
- [band playing]
1431
01:19:27,142 --> 01:19:29,602
[no audible dialogue]
1432
01:19:29,602 --> 01:19:33,565
[applause]
1433
01:19:36,276 --> 01:19:37,277
Uh...
1434
01:19:37,819 --> 01:19:40,488
- I don't really make speeches, uh...
- [guests laugh]
1435
01:19:40,488 --> 01:19:42,490
...as-- as everybody knows.
1436
01:19:42,490 --> 01:19:46,745
But, uh, listen, it's been
really a great five years. And I'm not...
1437
01:19:46,745 --> 01:19:49,414
[Brian] After five seasons,
he was like, "I did it all.
1438
01:19:49,414 --> 01:19:52,208
I did The Muppet Show.
I'm gonna start repeating myself."
1439
01:19:52,208 --> 01:19:53,126
And he canceled it.
1440
01:19:54,127 --> 01:19:56,921
We're proud of the work
that we've done together.
1441
01:19:56,921 --> 01:19:59,049
All of you people and all of us.
1442
01:19:59,049 --> 01:20:02,969
And, uh, it's stuff that will,
uh, stay with me a long time.
1443
01:20:02,969 --> 01:20:05,221
So, thank you very much.
1444
01:20:05,221 --> 01:20:07,474
[applause]
1445
01:20:09,309 --> 01:20:11,978
[Brian] Nobody does that
with a show that successful.
1446
01:20:13,313 --> 01:20:15,982
But he had the next chapter
already in his head.
1447
01:20:18,568 --> 01:20:21,446
[Jim] Sometimes you feel
you should continue moving forward.
1448
01:20:22,113 --> 01:20:23,156
From a creative standpoint,
1449
01:20:23,156 --> 01:20:26,076
it's a lot more interesting to change
and do something different and new.
1450
01:20:31,456 --> 01:20:32,957
[Brian] Dark Crystal
was really the beginning
1451
01:20:32,957 --> 01:20:35,460
of this next chapter of creativity.
1452
01:20:40,715 --> 01:20:42,300
[Jim] We intended to do something
1453
01:20:42,300 --> 01:20:45,387
that would jump styles completely
from the Muppets.
1454
01:20:46,930 --> 01:20:49,182
And about the same time
we started thinking about it,
1455
01:20:49,182 --> 01:20:51,351
I saw the work of Brian Froud.
1456
01:20:52,602 --> 01:20:54,270
And I immediately loved it.
1457
01:20:57,148 --> 01:21:01,861
It's a wonderful challenge to design
the creatures and what they wear,
1458
01:21:02,445 --> 01:21:06,366
the castle and the landscape
and the color palette of the skies.
1459
01:21:09,369 --> 01:21:11,746
[Oz] Jim needed a shop.
1460
01:21:11,746 --> 01:21:15,959
So he bought a place in Hampstead,
an old derelict post office.
1461
01:21:16,710 --> 01:21:18,461
And that became the creature shop.
1462
01:21:22,924 --> 01:21:24,217
[Erickson] Jim was a detail person.
1463
01:21:25,010 --> 01:21:28,096
He would say,
"Go ahead and stitch that three times,
1464
01:21:28,096 --> 01:21:32,559
and do a handmade embroidery
because that'll just enrich it."
1465
01:21:33,977 --> 01:21:38,982
[Brian] He just started collecting artists
into this building in London.
1466
01:21:39,607 --> 01:21:42,235
So that's when he named it
the Jim Henson Creature Shop.
1467
01:21:42,235 --> 01:21:43,653
So it was literally a shop
1468
01:21:43,653 --> 01:21:46,322
where you can come
and buy your creature for your movie.
1469
01:21:47,157 --> 01:21:50,201
{\an8}[Frith] Jim loved the technology
involved in all of this.
1470
01:21:50,201 --> 01:21:55,040
{\an8}This extraordinarily complex system
of moving mouths and eyes and eyebrows
1471
01:21:55,040 --> 01:21:58,543
and wiggling ears, and anything else
that you needed to have a puppet do.
1472
01:21:59,461 --> 01:22:02,881
It was an interesting challenge
because these puppets were unwieldy,
1473
01:22:02,881 --> 01:22:05,800
and they were also capable
of nuance and subtlety
1474
01:22:05,800 --> 01:22:08,178
that we didn't have
in the regular Muppets.
1475
01:22:08,178 --> 01:22:12,098
There were mechanisms on the characters
that made them mimic life more closely.
1476
01:22:12,599 --> 01:22:14,434
[Jim] The images in the shirt
have to be vertical
1477
01:22:14,434 --> 01:22:16,811
because that--
that's the kind of shape we're going into.
1478
01:22:16,811 --> 01:22:18,480
Certainly not three, and probably not two.
1479
01:22:18,480 --> 01:22:20,065
[Oz] It was getting closer to the shoot.
1480
01:22:20,065 --> 01:22:22,525
And in his own quiet way,
Jim just said to me,
1481
01:22:22,525 --> 01:22:25,403
"Frank, do you want
to direct this movie with me?" [chuckles]
1482
01:22:25,987 --> 01:22:30,408
I said... [stammers] ..."I've never
directed before. Why-- Why ask me?"
1483
01:22:30,408 --> 01:22:32,452
And this is typical Jim. He said,
1484
01:22:32,452 --> 01:22:34,037
"Because it would be better."
1485
01:22:36,081 --> 01:22:38,750
He knew that I had some strengths
that he didn't have.
1486
01:22:38,750 --> 01:22:39,834
[no audible dialogue]
1487
01:22:39,834 --> 01:22:41,086
And that's always Jim.
1488
01:22:41,086 --> 01:22:43,380
[no audible dialogue]
1489
01:22:43,380 --> 01:22:48,551
The reaction of him
hitting that stone should be nice.
1490
01:22:48,551 --> 01:22:51,638
[Lisa] They were in the creative sandbox
the whole way through.
1491
01:22:51,638 --> 01:22:53,473
Everything was something new.
1492
01:22:56,768 --> 01:23:00,105
[Goelz] First day we shot,
Jim had 30 or 40 people
1493
01:23:00,105 --> 01:23:02,524
in this uncomfortable position
in the dark...
1494
01:23:04,693 --> 01:23:06,945
on a 2-foot-high platform.
1495
01:23:08,238 --> 01:23:12,325
And I step off the platform,
and now we're going over.
1496
01:23:12,325 --> 01:23:16,663
And somebody caught us,
and put us back on the platform.
1497
01:23:16,663 --> 01:23:18,331
[chuckling]
1498
01:23:18,331 --> 01:23:20,041
And I remember thinking
1499
01:23:20,041 --> 01:23:23,545
Jim's optimism has really gotten
the best of him this time.
1500
01:23:24,879 --> 01:23:26,006
Ah!
1501
01:23:26,006 --> 01:23:29,217
[crew] And one, two, three, action!
1502
01:23:29,217 --> 01:23:33,471
[performers shouting]
1503
01:23:33,471 --> 01:23:35,890
[crew] One, two, three, action.
1504
01:23:35,890 --> 01:23:38,393
Uh, Mr. Oz,
how do you think the picture is going?
1505
01:23:38,393 --> 01:23:39,352
[laughing]
1506
01:23:39,352 --> 01:23:40,770
Mr. Oz doesn't say much about that.
1507
01:23:40,770 --> 01:23:45,108
[crew 2] ...and one, two, three!
1508
01:23:51,156 --> 01:23:52,741
[Brian] The first time
he showed the movie,
1509
01:23:52,741 --> 01:23:56,327
the executives all got up and walked out
of the theater without talking to him.
1510
01:23:56,327 --> 01:23:58,371
They so disliked the movie. [chuckles]
1511
01:23:58,371 --> 01:24:01,124
Fools! Skeksis fools!
1512
01:24:01,124 --> 01:24:02,625
What do you want with me?
1513
01:24:02,625 --> 01:24:07,297
Well, a large portion of the movie was not
in English, was in made-up languages.
1514
01:24:07,297 --> 01:24:09,632
[babbling]
1515
01:24:09,632 --> 01:24:13,345
When the characters were
just babbling nonsense words,
1516
01:24:13,345 --> 01:24:15,930
the test audiences rejected it completely.
1517
01:24:15,930 --> 01:24:21,311
So they had to go back
and create a script in English
1518
01:24:21,311 --> 01:24:23,813
that would fit with the lip sync
of what they had shot.
1519
01:24:23,813 --> 01:24:25,607
[screams]
1520
01:24:25,607 --> 01:24:29,235
[Jim] That entire film was almost
rewritten twice after we shot it.
1521
01:24:29,235 --> 01:24:30,362
Oh!
1522
01:24:30,362 --> 01:24:32,072
Something I don't recommend to anybody.
1523
01:24:32,072 --> 01:24:33,073
...my home.
1524
01:24:33,073 --> 01:24:36,326
[Jim] We ended up
just loading the thing with dialogue.
1525
01:24:36,910 --> 01:24:38,661
And, in many ways, I slightly regret...
1526
01:24:38,661 --> 01:24:40,914
Oh, how crude.
1527
01:24:40,914 --> 01:24:44,084
Dark Crystal came out
about the same time as ET.
1528
01:24:44,751 --> 01:24:48,171
And ET had one character in it,
one fantasy character,
1529
01:24:48,171 --> 01:24:49,589
and the rest of the world was real.
1530
01:24:49,589 --> 01:24:51,007
[both screaming]
1531
01:24:51,007 --> 01:24:52,550
You just had to believe that character.
1532
01:24:53,134 --> 01:24:55,512
Dark Crystal,
we had to believe everything.
1533
01:24:56,554 --> 01:25:00,016
[Oz] When Jim believed in something,
he will go all the way.
1534
01:25:02,185 --> 01:25:05,939
It wasn't a huge hit,
but it was successful.
1535
01:25:07,023 --> 01:25:10,235
A one-of-a-kind piece of work
that was artistic for him,
1536
01:25:10,235 --> 01:25:12,946
and got back to his experimental roots.
1537
01:25:19,994 --> 01:25:21,579
[crew] 754, take six.
1538
01:25:21,579 --> 01:25:24,666
[Heather] My dad wasn't really
living in the house at that time.
1539
01:25:24,666 --> 01:25:25,583
Oh, hello.
1540
01:25:25,583 --> 01:25:28,086
He was living
wherever the productions were.
1541
01:25:28,086 --> 01:25:29,379
[interviewer] Tell me what you're doing
1542
01:25:29,379 --> 01:25:31,172
for my friends at home
I'm gonna show this to.
1543
01:25:31,172 --> 01:25:34,342
- What are you doing?
- This is underneath the first Muppet orgy.
1544
01:25:34,342 --> 01:25:36,511
[laughing]
1545
01:25:36,511 --> 01:25:37,595
We just tighten up.
1546
01:25:37,595 --> 01:25:40,140
[Heather] My mom didn't want to live
where the productions were.
1547
01:25:41,182 --> 01:25:43,018
She wanted to live in a stable house.
1548
01:25:46,896 --> 01:25:49,733
I think they might have been done
on my 18th birthday.
1549
01:25:49,733 --> 01:25:52,110
I was in boarding school,
so they saw me the least.
1550
01:25:52,110 --> 01:25:55,864
And for my birthday they said,
"Why don't you come to Toronto?"
1551
01:25:55,864 --> 01:25:57,532
They had a conference or something.
1552
01:25:57,532 --> 01:26:01,119
So I went to spend one night with them,
which was my birthday,
1553
01:26:01,119 --> 01:26:04,706
and they fought all night
in a hotel room next to my room.
1554
01:26:04,706 --> 01:26:06,541
And I thought, "Oh, they're done."
1555
01:26:08,626 --> 01:26:10,295
And then they pretty much were done.
1556
01:26:13,131 --> 01:26:17,552
I knew they had tough times.
I didn't know it could be this tough.
1557
01:26:21,556 --> 01:26:25,560
[Lisa] They had such different
emotional realities.
1558
01:26:25,560 --> 01:26:28,271
He'd be like, "Hey,
everything's great the way that it is,"
1559
01:26:28,271 --> 01:26:30,273
and she was taking it very hard.
1560
01:26:30,273 --> 01:26:34,736
So their whole worldview was dividing.
1561
01:26:38,156 --> 01:26:42,702
He got an apartment in New York City
at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel.
1562
01:26:45,372 --> 01:26:48,375
[Brian] So there he was,
late 40s heading into his 50s,
1563
01:26:48,375 --> 01:26:51,961
and what he wanted
was to be single but dating.
1564
01:26:52,754 --> 01:26:57,509
He really liked the idea of dating
and not having it become too serious.
1565
01:26:59,511 --> 01:27:02,180
[Lisa] Eventually,
in the legal separation,
1566
01:27:02,180 --> 01:27:04,891
they did change
the ownership of the company.
1567
01:27:05,725 --> 01:27:09,020
A lot of my mom's shares came to us kids.
1568
01:27:11,523 --> 01:27:15,485
While my father was
going through that with my mom,
1569
01:27:15,485 --> 01:27:19,322
Lord Grade sold his company
to Marble Arch.
1570
01:27:20,782 --> 01:27:23,034
And they both were really worried
1571
01:27:23,034 --> 01:27:26,413
'cause all of a sudden
The Muppet Show, the Muppet movies
1572
01:27:26,413 --> 01:27:30,667
{\an8}and The Dark Crystal were all gonna be
owned by this company that he didn't know.
1573
01:27:30,667 --> 01:27:33,503
This was a pretty big
turning point for him,
1574
01:27:33,503 --> 01:27:35,714
and he made a big, big gamble.
1575
01:27:35,714 --> 01:27:39,884
He basically borrowed every penny he could
and mortgaged everything.
1576
01:27:39,884 --> 01:27:43,221
And he said, "I want you kids
to know what I'm gonna do
1577
01:27:43,221 --> 01:27:47,809
because it's very risky and maybe you
won't have as much money in the future."
1578
01:27:48,768 --> 01:27:51,021
[Cheryl] Well, even though
they weren't living together,
1579
01:27:51,021 --> 01:27:55,275
my mom said, "Yes, do it.
You need to do it."
1580
01:27:56,609 --> 01:28:00,613
[Lisa] So he took all his money
and he bought back Muppet Show,
1581
01:28:00,613 --> 01:28:03,199
the Muppet movies and The Dark Crystal.
1582
01:28:03,867 --> 01:28:07,203
That was a real reach to do that,
and really, really brave.
1583
01:28:08,288 --> 01:28:10,707
[no audible dialogue]
1584
01:28:10,707 --> 01:28:14,210
My parents didn't talk
about their romance, so to speak,
1585
01:28:15,128 --> 01:28:17,547
but they'd been through so much.
1586
01:28:20,342 --> 01:28:23,011
[Brian] I'm sure they were both
the love of each other's lives
1587
01:28:23,511 --> 01:28:25,096
who couldn't live with each other.
1588
01:28:26,014 --> 01:28:27,015
[no audible dialogue]
1589
01:28:35,857 --> 01:28:37,942
- ...a great deal. Always tighter.
- [Seeff] Yeah.
1590
01:28:37,942 --> 01:28:38,860
[shutter clicks]
1591
01:28:38,860 --> 01:28:42,322
Uh, would-- would you say
that you have a philosophy of life?
1592
01:28:42,322 --> 01:28:44,240
If our message is anything, it is that--
1593
01:28:44,240 --> 01:28:46,618
is that it's a--
it's a positive approach to life...
1594
01:28:46,618 --> 01:28:48,912
- Uh-huh.
- ...and that life is basically good.
1595
01:28:48,912 --> 01:28:51,623
And by taking
a positive approach to it all,
1596
01:28:51,623 --> 01:28:54,376
it-- it makes it, uh--
makes life a lot easier.
1597
01:28:54,376 --> 01:28:57,462
Right. Now--
Now what about the conceptualizing?
1598
01:28:57,462 --> 01:28:58,797
I mean, writing the stories.
1599
01:28:58,797 --> 01:29:03,093
I mean, for instance, Dark Crystal
was a film that I absolutely loved.
1600
01:29:03,093 --> 01:29:06,054
- Oh, good. You're gonna love our new one.
- Yes. Oh, good.
1601
01:29:06,054 --> 01:29:09,224
Our new one is, uh, I think it's--
it's similar to Dark Crystal,
1602
01:29:09,224 --> 01:29:12,143
but I think it's, uh--
Well, I'm-- I'm very excited by it.
1603
01:29:12,143 --> 01:29:13,853
[Seeff] Is it more sophisticated or--
1604
01:29:13,853 --> 01:29:15,730
Yeah. It's a good deal more sophisticated.
1605
01:29:15,730 --> 01:29:18,608
Every time you do a film,
everything advances a little bit.
1606
01:29:18,608 --> 01:29:19,693
[shutter clicks]
1607
01:29:20,694 --> 01:29:22,445
[sighs] The Labyrinth.
1608
01:29:22,445 --> 01:29:25,949
- [chattering, laughing]
- ["Magic Dance" playing]
1609
01:29:27,742 --> 01:29:29,828
- ♪ You remind me of the babe ♪
- ♪ What babe? ♪
1610
01:29:29,828 --> 01:29:31,454
- ♪ Babe with the power ♪
- ♪ What power? ♪
1611
01:29:31,454 --> 01:29:32,664
♪ Power of voodoo ♪
1612
01:29:32,664 --> 01:29:33,790
- ♪ Who do? ♪
- ♪ You do ♪
1613
01:29:33,790 --> 01:29:35,500
- ♪ Do what? ♪
- ♪ Remind me of the babe ♪
1614
01:29:35,500 --> 01:29:37,293
[laughing]
1615
01:29:37,293 --> 01:29:39,671
[Connelly] When you think about it,
it's bananas, right?
1616
01:29:39,671 --> 01:29:44,009
{\an8}You're in this kids movie, and I have
David Bowie as the kind of, like...
1617
01:29:44,009 --> 01:29:46,302
I mean, it's a mad idea,
1618
01:29:46,302 --> 01:29:48,013
and it's kind of great.
1619
01:29:48,013 --> 01:29:49,848
It doesn't look that far.
1620
01:29:50,932 --> 01:29:54,644
It's further than you think.
Time is short.
1621
01:29:55,395 --> 01:29:58,231
[Lisa] It was a very ambitious film
being a musical,
1622
01:29:58,231 --> 01:30:00,900
working with David Bowie,
working with human actors.
1623
01:30:01,484 --> 01:30:02,902
For him, that was actually harder
1624
01:30:02,902 --> 01:30:05,947
because he hadn't been directing humans.
He'd been directing puppets.
1625
01:30:05,947 --> 01:30:09,075
[Jim] It comes down slowly
into your hand and the moment...
1626
01:30:09,075 --> 01:30:11,828
I was 14,
and there's this huge production.
1627
01:30:11,828 --> 01:30:14,664
You know, this world that he had created,
1628
01:30:14,664 --> 01:30:16,541
and I'm kind of at the middle of it.
1629
01:30:16,541 --> 01:30:17,459
[crew] Ta-da-da!
1630
01:30:17,459 --> 01:30:19,669
[Jim] When you're casting
a part like Sarah...
1631
01:30:19,669 --> 01:30:21,171
[crew] And playback.
1632
01:30:21,963 --> 01:30:23,715
...which is the part in the film,
1633
01:30:23,715 --> 01:30:27,177
you hope someone walks in the door
and is the right person.
1634
01:30:27,177 --> 01:30:30,263
And when Jenny walked in,
she was the right person.
1635
01:30:33,808 --> 01:30:38,521
[Connelly] Despite having felt so nervous,
Jim is such a calming presence.
1636
01:30:39,439 --> 01:30:42,525
He would say, "Okay,
so now you're going to sit here,
1637
01:30:42,525 --> 01:30:44,527
and you're going to turn over
and then you're gonna talk
1638
01:30:44,527 --> 01:30:46,738
to this little worm
that's coming out of the wall."
1639
01:30:46,738 --> 01:30:50,116
I'm like, "Great. Okay. Is this right?"
[chuckles]
1640
01:30:50,116 --> 01:30:51,201
[chattering]
1641
01:30:51,201 --> 01:30:52,827
Say something, worm.
1642
01:30:54,079 --> 01:30:54,913
Uh-huh.
1643
01:30:54,913 --> 01:30:58,708
[Connelly] There was so much
imagination and creativity.
1644
01:30:59,709 --> 01:31:04,839
And it was so spectacular
to be around people
1645
01:31:04,839 --> 01:31:06,925
{\an8}who are creating in that way.
1646
01:31:06,925 --> 01:31:08,760
{\an8}It was like being in a dream world.
1647
01:31:09,344 --> 01:31:12,263
- [Jim] One. Drop.
- [Sarah] Help!
1648
01:31:13,348 --> 01:31:14,224
Help!
1649
01:31:14,224 --> 01:31:17,310
[Connelly] I love all the sporty,
stunty stuff.
1650
01:31:17,310 --> 01:31:20,563
"Take me higher. Throw me down a chute.
1651
01:31:20,563 --> 01:31:22,774
Can I be on the wires a little longer?"
1652
01:31:22,774 --> 01:31:25,860
- I loved it.
- [bell rings]
1653
01:31:26,611 --> 01:31:28,947
The way that the puppeteers
would work together,
1654
01:31:28,947 --> 01:31:30,365
it was really incredible.
1655
01:31:31,491 --> 01:31:35,912
Ooh, yes. Hmm. Hmm. Yes. Which way? Hmm?
1656
01:31:36,496 --> 01:31:40,166
[Brian] My dad never urged
any of us kids into the industry.
1657
01:31:41,084 --> 01:31:43,128
He just sort of supported us.
1658
01:31:43,878 --> 01:31:46,548
[Lisa] My dad did notice, like,
what we were good at,
1659
01:31:47,132 --> 01:31:52,470
encouraging Heather's work
both as a show creator, a theater maker.
1660
01:31:54,139 --> 01:31:58,268
Cheryl was so talented
with textiles and fabrics,
1661
01:31:58,268 --> 01:32:01,104
but she was also really good on story.
1662
01:32:01,771 --> 01:32:05,191
[Cheryl] Lisa was always
gonna be a television executive.
1663
01:32:06,026 --> 01:32:10,280
My younger brother John,
he was doing, sort of, body performing,
1664
01:32:10,280 --> 01:32:14,200
and wound up doing Sweetums
and doing the Coca-Cola polar bear.
1665
01:32:14,993 --> 01:32:18,038
[Lisa] Brian, he had training
in everything technical.
1666
01:32:18,038 --> 01:32:23,043
On the directing side, he just knew that
Brian was a gearhead in a way. [chuckles]
1667
01:32:23,043 --> 01:32:24,419
[chattering]
1668
01:32:24,419 --> 01:32:25,754
[Brian] For Labyrinth,
1669
01:32:25,754 --> 01:32:29,674
my dad wanted to do a
fully radio-controlled character, Hoggle.
1670
01:32:30,717 --> 01:32:34,387
And he was saying, "Brian,
can you figure out how to do this?"
1671
01:32:36,264 --> 01:32:39,893
This was the beginning
of animatronics at the Creature Shop.
1672
01:32:39,893 --> 01:32:41,519
We both stayed open too long.
1673
01:32:41,519 --> 01:32:43,313
- [crew] Action! Shut up!
- [actor] Thank you.
1674
01:32:44,856 --> 01:32:48,735
- Oh! That makes it worse.
- Oh, come on. [grunts]
1675
01:32:48,735 --> 01:32:51,571
- [actor 2] That makes it...
- Ain't it? Yeah.
1676
01:32:51,571 --> 01:32:53,239
What a nice surprise.
1677
01:32:53,239 --> 01:32:54,699
Hello, Hedgewart.
1678
01:32:54,699 --> 01:32:56,993
- Hogwart.
- Hoggle.
1679
01:32:58,787 --> 01:33:03,416
[Brian] So, I got to really work with him
side by side and call him Jim, not Dad.
1680
01:33:04,709 --> 01:33:10,131
And I got to feel how rewarding it was
to work alongside Jim Henson,
1681
01:33:11,132 --> 01:33:14,886
which was very different
than being his son and in his family.
1682
01:33:16,012 --> 01:33:18,682
He was a kid at work.
That was the biggest difference.
1683
01:33:19,808 --> 01:33:23,687
When he was home, he was always trying
to set a good adult example.
1684
01:33:23,687 --> 01:33:27,023
And when he was at work, he was free.
1685
01:33:27,732 --> 01:33:29,734
{\an8}[Brian] So how do you think
the film's going so far?
1686
01:33:30,360 --> 01:33:33,697
{\an8}I think this will probably be
the finest motion picture ever made.
1687
01:33:33,697 --> 01:33:36,616
{\an8}[Brian laughs] Good thing
I'm only showing this to my family.
1688
01:33:36,616 --> 01:33:38,785
- [laughs]
- What does that laugh mean?
1689
01:33:38,785 --> 01:33:42,497
[Brian] No, no. I-- I-- I'm glad
I'm not shooting for the evening news.
1690
01:33:42,497 --> 01:33:44,582
This is gonna be the best movie ever made.
1691
01:33:44,582 --> 01:33:46,876
[Brian] Okay. All right.
Well, I-- I'll agree with that.
1692
01:33:46,876 --> 01:33:49,462
Uh, I'm happy to hear that actually.
[laughs]
1693
01:33:50,547 --> 01:33:52,716
- You better agree with it.
- [laughs]
1694
01:34:01,433 --> 01:34:03,893
{\an8}[Lisa] Labyrinth was a colossal failure.
1695
01:34:04,602 --> 01:34:09,315
I do think Labyrinth was the one where
he thought they just-- they don't like it.
1696
01:34:09,983 --> 01:34:13,069
People don't like it,
and he really didn't expect that.
1697
01:34:15,530 --> 01:34:18,116
[Oz] It's hard to put
one's heart and soul in something,
1698
01:34:18,742 --> 01:34:21,995
and then be rejected to a degree
and not carry it around with you.
1699
01:34:23,830 --> 01:34:27,083
[Goelz] He was sad about the reception
that the film was getting.
1700
01:34:28,752 --> 01:34:29,794
This was unlike Jim.
1701
01:34:31,087 --> 01:34:33,340
We had lunch one day.
1702
01:34:34,257 --> 01:34:36,760
We were about to leave
and he said, "I love you."
1703
01:34:36,760 --> 01:34:38,178
And I said, "I love you too."
1704
01:34:39,137 --> 01:34:42,515
I mean, it was one of those moments
where I think he was just--
1705
01:34:42,515 --> 01:34:45,602
He was feeling vulnerable enough that
he would just say something like that.
1706
01:34:45,602 --> 01:34:48,396
[no audible dialogue]
1707
01:34:48,396 --> 01:34:50,732
[Oz] That's one thing about Jim,
when he did something,
1708
01:34:50,732 --> 01:34:53,401
he always had two other,
three other things he wanted to do.
1709
01:34:55,862 --> 01:34:59,407
As sad as he was about the movie,
he didn't dwell.
1710
01:34:59,407 --> 01:35:02,327
He kept on going
and did other things that excited him.
1711
01:35:04,496 --> 01:35:05,747
[screams]
1712
01:35:05,747 --> 01:35:07,832
[Goelz] One day,
Jim called a meeting and said,
1713
01:35:07,832 --> 01:35:09,918
"I'd like to do a show that stops war."
1714
01:35:10,835 --> 01:35:12,545
And that became Fraggle Rock.
1715
01:35:13,963 --> 01:35:15,757
[Lisa] Storyteller's is the gem.
1716
01:35:15,757 --> 01:35:17,425
He was so proud of it.
1717
01:35:17,425 --> 01:35:21,262
[Brian] It was a culmination
of everything he had been striving for.
1718
01:35:21,262 --> 01:35:23,598
[Cheryl] He always had
so many projects brewing.
1719
01:35:26,601 --> 01:35:30,146
{\an8}Good. Now I can make my entrance
like I do in every show.
1720
01:35:30,939 --> 01:35:34,359
[Rockwell] He was all about
the next technological advance.
1721
01:35:34,359 --> 01:35:35,985
{\an8}He was flirting with CGI
1722
01:35:35,985 --> 01:35:38,905
{\an8}with a character on the Jim Henson Hour
that was computer-generated.
1723
01:35:38,905 --> 01:35:40,573
Watch, watch this. Here we go.
1724
01:35:40,573 --> 01:35:41,908
[inhales sharply]
1725
01:35:41,908 --> 01:35:42,992
[sneezes]
1726
01:35:42,992 --> 01:35:45,537
[Jim] I'm very excited
by computer graphics,
1727
01:35:45,537 --> 01:35:48,707
and performing 'em, uh, as puppets.
1728
01:35:48,707 --> 01:35:51,334
It is mostly being done like animation.
1729
01:35:51,334 --> 01:35:54,421
And what we're trying to do with it
is perform it live like a puppet,
1730
01:35:54,421 --> 01:35:57,632
so you can capture real performance,
a dramatic performance.
1731
01:35:58,216 --> 01:36:00,593
[Oz] He always wanted to go back
and do exciting things.
1732
01:36:00,593 --> 01:36:05,974
And he was just worrying about overhead,
and essentially not having time to create.
1733
01:36:05,974 --> 01:36:07,642
[no audible dialogue]
1734
01:36:07,642 --> 01:36:13,023
It was not long after that that
he decided to sell the company to Disney.
1735
01:36:15,692 --> 01:36:19,279
He was a huge Disney World fan.
Like, fanatic.
1736
01:36:21,698 --> 01:36:22,949
[Oz] He wasn't just selling outright.
1737
01:36:22,949 --> 01:36:26,453
He wanted to get back to not worrying
about business as much and having fun.
1738
01:36:28,079 --> 01:36:30,290
With us, from Walt Disney World
this morning in Florida,
1739
01:36:30,290 --> 01:36:33,001
are Michael Eisner and Jim Henson.
Good morning to both of you.
1740
01:36:33,001 --> 01:36:34,336
- Good morning, Charlie.
- Good morning.
1741
01:36:34,336 --> 01:36:37,255
They had a handshake agreement,
and it was really, you know, joyful.
1742
01:36:37,255 --> 01:36:38,673
I-- As far as I can tell,
1743
01:36:38,673 --> 01:36:41,259
this is-- this is a wonderful place
for my characters to be.
1744
01:36:42,177 --> 01:36:45,263
[Brian] It was really the beginning
of the next chapter of creativity
1745
01:36:45,263 --> 01:36:47,182
that he was excited about.
1746
01:36:50,310 --> 01:36:53,438
[no audible dialogue]
1747
01:36:54,439 --> 01:36:57,442
Jim had so many new ideas
and so many things he wanted to do.
1748
01:36:59,361 --> 01:37:00,570
I remember he called.
1749
01:37:01,988 --> 01:37:04,324
He said, "Hey, Frank.
I want to talk to you about something."
1750
01:37:06,242 --> 01:37:07,952
And that's the last I ever talked to him.
1751
01:37:07,952 --> 01:37:09,454
[ticking]
1752
01:37:09,454 --> 01:37:10,538
[ticking stops]
1753
01:37:16,670 --> 01:37:18,672
[newscaster 1]
A little of the magic is gone.
1754
01:37:18,672 --> 01:37:21,174
Jim Henson,
the man who created the Muppets,
1755
01:37:21,174 --> 01:37:23,760
has died at the age of only 53
1756
01:37:23,760 --> 01:37:27,472
from what is described
as a massive bacterial infection.
1757
01:37:27,472 --> 01:37:30,642
He had pneumonia,
which went untreated for three days.
1758
01:37:31,434 --> 01:37:33,103
[newscaster 2]
To call Jim Henson a puppeteer,
1759
01:37:33,103 --> 01:37:35,522
comes nowhere near
describing his accomplishment,
1760
01:37:35,522 --> 01:37:39,859
or the love, affection and knowledge
that his characters brought to the world.
1761
01:37:41,319 --> 01:37:45,073
[newscaster 1] For millions of people,
it will seem like a death in the family.
1762
01:37:49,994 --> 01:37:53,164
[Lisa] I was in Los Angeles,
and I was too late.
1763
01:37:53,164 --> 01:37:54,833
And Brian was too late too.
1764
01:37:58,003 --> 01:38:02,007
But my mom went to the hospital
to be with him.
1765
01:38:04,300 --> 01:38:07,721
And what they discussed
is private to them.
1766
01:38:08,471 --> 01:38:12,976
And it's nice that they had
whatever closure they had right there.
1767
01:38:19,441 --> 01:38:21,609
This was just unthinkable to us
1768
01:38:21,609 --> 01:38:28,450
because this frail giant had just been
so unconquerable all these years.
1769
01:38:29,784 --> 01:38:32,954
It was just
one of the worst days of my life.
1770
01:38:34,372 --> 01:38:35,373
[sighs]
1771
01:38:38,793 --> 01:38:42,297
It was just this feeling that
the light had gone out,
1772
01:38:43,173 --> 01:38:45,425
and that it was not gonna come back on.
1773
01:38:47,469 --> 01:38:49,804
He was ripped away from us way too young.
1774
01:38:50,472 --> 01:38:53,141
It was an unfair early death.
1775
01:38:59,147 --> 01:39:02,192
[Rockwell] We all gathered in the New York
office, people from all around the world.
1776
01:39:03,109 --> 01:39:07,113
Our focus was to put
this funeral together in five days.
1777
01:39:09,282 --> 01:39:13,203
Someone came over
'cause the kids had the instructions.
1778
01:39:13,203 --> 01:39:14,871
There was a set of directions in the will.
1779
01:39:19,084 --> 01:39:22,796
{\an8}It was like, "Oh, well, there are
instructions for-- for making this show."
1780
01:39:22,796 --> 01:39:24,422
So it was uncanny in a way.
1781
01:39:24,422 --> 01:39:26,966
And then we read the instructions
at the table,
1782
01:39:26,966 --> 01:39:29,010
which was like a voice from, you know,
1783
01:39:29,010 --> 01:39:31,179
it was just like his-- in his--
It was so him.
1784
01:39:36,142 --> 01:39:39,979
[Brian] "I suggest you first have a nice,
friendly little service of some kind."
1785
01:39:39,979 --> 01:39:42,273
[guests laughing]
1786
01:39:45,318 --> 01:39:48,655
"It would be lovely if some of the people
who sing would do a song or two,
1787
01:39:49,447 --> 01:39:51,700
some of which should be
quite happy and joyful.
1788
01:39:53,493 --> 01:39:55,495
It would be nice
if some of my close friends
1789
01:39:55,495 --> 01:39:57,163
would say a few nice happy words
1790
01:39:57,163 --> 01:40:00,375
about how much we enjoy
doing this stuff together."
1791
01:40:00,375 --> 01:40:02,168
[no audible dialogue]
1792
01:40:02,752 --> 01:40:05,296
"This all may sound silly
and over the top to you guys,
1793
01:40:05,296 --> 01:40:07,674
but, what the hell,
I'm gone and who can argue with me?"
1794
01:40:07,674 --> 01:40:10,176
[laughing]
1795
01:40:10,176 --> 01:40:12,262
[applause]
1796
01:40:16,141 --> 01:40:19,144
I don't want to pretend that
I know what happens after this life,
1797
01:40:19,144 --> 01:40:21,730
or that Jim really knew
what would happen after this life,
1798
01:40:21,730 --> 01:40:23,732
- but he had great plans.
- [laughing]
1799
01:40:26,776 --> 01:40:28,778
["Bein' Green" playing]
1800
01:40:30,196 --> 01:40:35,368
♪ It's not that easy bein' green ♪
1801
01:40:36,369 --> 01:40:41,541
♪ Having to spend the day
The color of the leaves ♪
1802
01:40:42,292 --> 01:40:47,797
♪ When I think it could be nicer
Bein' red or yellow or gold ♪
1803
01:40:47,797 --> 01:40:51,551
♪ Or something
Much more colorful like that ♪
1804
01:40:51,551 --> 01:40:54,554
Hello there, my name is Jim Henson,
and I'm a puppeteer.
1805
01:40:54,554 --> 01:40:58,141
♪ But green is the color of spring ♪
1806
01:40:59,059 --> 01:41:02,896
♪ And green can be cool
And friendly-like ♪
1807
01:41:04,522 --> 01:41:07,942
♪ And green can be big like a mountain ♪
1808
01:41:07,942 --> 01:41:10,528
♪ Or tall as a tree ♪
1809
01:41:10,528 --> 01:41:13,114
♪ Or big as a sea ♪
1810
01:41:16,951 --> 01:41:18,453
[Jim] I love doing what I do.
1811
01:41:18,453 --> 01:41:23,249
I can't imagine anybody else
having as much fun in their work as I do.
1812
01:41:23,249 --> 01:41:24,709
[no audible dialogue]
1813
01:41:24,709 --> 01:41:28,963
There's an honesty and an integrity
to what he was creating.
1814
01:41:29,964 --> 01:41:33,218
He was creating it
because he needed to create it.
1815
01:41:34,594 --> 01:41:39,641
[Oz] I think what Jim really wanted to do
was to sing songs and tell stories,
1816
01:41:39,641 --> 01:41:42,477
teach children,
promote peace, save the planet,
1817
01:41:42,477 --> 01:41:44,979
celebrate man and be silly.
1818
01:41:47,148 --> 01:41:51,986
[Brian] He showed that creativity,
artistry, metaphor,
1819
01:41:52,612 --> 01:41:56,241
can be used as a great power of good.
1820
01:41:56,825 --> 01:42:01,246
You can make people appreciate
the good in all of us,
1821
01:42:01,246 --> 01:42:03,790
and laugh at the absurdity in all of us.
1822
01:42:06,209 --> 01:42:09,629
[Jim] I think if the audience wants
these characters to continue to live,
1823
01:42:09,629 --> 01:42:10,797
they-- they will.
1824
01:42:12,298 --> 01:42:13,717
[Rockwell] For me and many others,
1825
01:42:13,717 --> 01:42:16,970
it became very important for us
to believe that we could carry on.
1826
01:42:18,513 --> 01:42:23,351
We felt like it was our life's work,
and that if it could continue,
1827
01:42:23,351 --> 01:42:24,853
we would love to carry on.
1828
01:42:25,937 --> 01:42:29,774
There's so much loyalty to Jim
because he was loyal to us.
1829
01:42:30,442 --> 01:42:33,862
We all do whatever we can
because he gave us so much.
1830
01:42:36,573 --> 01:42:40,201
[Lisa] There are just endless things
that have been changed
1831
01:42:40,201 --> 01:42:43,371
by the way he saw the world.
1832
01:42:46,166 --> 01:42:52,172
The tenderness that
he clearly had for humanity,
1833
01:42:52,797 --> 01:42:59,721
and the space he gave to creativity
and expression of imagination,
1834
01:42:59,721 --> 01:43:01,848
I see that in everything that he did.
1835
01:43:04,309 --> 01:43:07,145
Well, I don't think there'll ever be
another Jim Henson.
1836
01:43:16,654 --> 01:43:18,239
[Oz] If Jim was here...
1837
01:43:22,535 --> 01:43:26,790
my heart would say something
a tad quietly,
1838
01:43:26,790 --> 01:43:29,459
but I wouldn't say it to him
because he-- he'd be embarrassed
1839
01:43:29,459 --> 01:43:31,044
and-- and couldn't accept it.
1840
01:43:31,628 --> 01:43:35,048
Uh, so on the outside, I'd probably say,
1841
01:43:35,048 --> 01:43:37,008
"Jim, I'm busy. Could you please move?"
1842
01:43:37,008 --> 01:43:39,260
That's what I'd probably say. [chuckles]
1843
01:43:39,260 --> 01:43:41,596
But on the inside, um...
1844
01:43:44,974 --> 01:43:46,226
I just have to thank him.
1845
01:44:02,826 --> 01:44:04,828
["The Magic Store" playing]
1846
01:44:12,377 --> 01:44:14,004
♪ It starts when we're kids ♪
1847
01:44:15,547 --> 01:44:17,382
♪ A show-off at school ♪
1848
01:44:18,508 --> 01:44:20,510
♪ Makin' faces at friends ♪
1849
01:44:21,678 --> 01:44:23,680
♪ You're a clown and a fool ♪
1850
01:44:25,098 --> 01:44:26,975
♪ Doing pratfalls and birdcalls ♪
1851
01:44:26,975 --> 01:44:28,560
♪ And bad imitations ♪
1852
01:44:28,560 --> 01:44:31,771
♪ Ignoring your homework
Is that dedication? ♪
1853
01:44:31,771 --> 01:44:33,648
♪ You work through the mirror ♪
1854
01:44:34,607 --> 01:44:37,027
♪ You're getting standing ovations ♪
1855
01:44:38,319 --> 01:44:40,321
♪ You're burning with hope ♪
1856
01:44:41,698 --> 01:44:43,783
♪ You're building up steam ♪
1857
01:44:44,743 --> 01:44:46,578
♪ What was once "juvenilish" ♪
1858
01:44:46,578 --> 01:44:48,163
♪ Is grown-up and stylish ♪
1859
01:44:48,163 --> 01:44:50,248
♪ You're close to your dream ♪
1860
01:44:51,124 --> 01:44:54,627
♪ Then somebody out there
Loves you ♪
1861
01:44:54,627 --> 01:44:57,255
♪ Stands up and hollers
For more ♪
1862
01:44:57,255 --> 01:44:58,340
♪ More! ♪
1863
01:44:58,340 --> 01:45:03,386
♪ You found a home
At the Magic Store ♪
1864
01:45:08,350 --> 01:45:10,352
Yes, sir. It's a standard Muppet finale.
1865
01:45:10,352 --> 01:45:12,604
If you don't know how to end it,
go out with a--
1866
01:45:12,604 --> 01:45:13,688
[explosion]