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Help everyone explore
new worlds and ideas.
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Support your PBS station.
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My name is Jim Henson
and I'm a puppeteer.
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He just kept wanting to push
the boundaries of
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what was miraculous
and magical and real.
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(HENSON SPEAKING)
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-I want one that fits.
-(CHUCKLES)
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Is this the best you can do?
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NARRATOR: He was an artist
of boundless talent
and imagination.
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Jim was someone of terrific
curiosity, ambition and drive.
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He was always going.
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He was always working.
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He was always on.
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Help!
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I was undoubtedly
a great deal
more comfortable...
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(HENSON SPEAKING)
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Hi-yah!
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NARRATOR: Jim Henson's Muppets
won the hearts of fans
around the world.
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He created a family of
unforgettable characters.
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NARRATOR: Yet,
while the Muppets were
beloved by millions,
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their visionary creator felt
restless and confined.
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Jim had to fight against this
stereotype of, "Muppets
are children's things."
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He had to fight
that battle constantly.
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His idea was always to be more
experimental as a filmmaker.
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That's what he wanted to do.
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NARRATOR: Henson's soaring
artistic ambition
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drove him to pioneering
work on the big screen.
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Jim's focus became more
and more on movies.
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NARRATOR: Then,
on the verge of a bold,
new creative partnership...
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His life was cut short.
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I was just in shock, in shock.
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How? You know, what?
What? How?
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This is like, "Whoa!
The center of our universe
is no longer there.
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"What's going to happen."
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FRANK OZ: What once was
can never be again.
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It was a Camelot time
for us with Jim.
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(HENSON SPEAKING)
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NARRATOR: This is the story
of Jim Henson.
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(APPLAUSE)
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Thank you! Thank you!
Hey, listen, it's another
great show, folks.
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NARRATOR: With the
blockbuster premiere of
The Muppet Show in 1976,
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Jim Henson finally achieves
his dream of prime time
Muppet success.
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-Piggy, honey?
-Hmm?
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-You can take the solo.
-Yes, my love.
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-Here are the Muppets.
-(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)
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Hey, what are you doin'?
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Oh, I'm taking a course on
visual thinking.
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It teaches you how to
visualize your thoughts.
Watch.
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Q!
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NARRATOR: That dream
began during
the early years of television.
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-Watch!
-Hey, a real watch.
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As he brought a hip
cutting-edge humor
to a new medium.
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(VOCALIZING)
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Gee, I see.
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The Muppets were not
Sesame Street.
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They really did have
deep, deep roots
in early television,
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in that kind of off-the-wall,
brilliant comedy.
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What are the symbols for?
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(CLANGING)
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This is a very
symbolic commercial.
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Jim was so
innovative in television
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and was in early television,
and was such a
presence in variety.
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The Muppet characters
really paid their dues.
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-Cheese.
-(CAMERA CLICKING)
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Got that?
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He created a family
of unforgettable characters.
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With real feelings
and real problems that
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audiences could identify with,
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that children
could identify with,
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and grownups could
identify with.
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* Who said that every wish
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* Would be heard and answered
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* When wished on
the morning star?
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NARRATOR: Among
those characters was a
quirky green frog
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with whom Jim Henson
became most identified.
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* Look what it's done so far
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WILLARD SCOTT:
Kermit was Jim's soul.
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When you heard Kermit speak,
that was from Jim's heart.
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* What's so amazing
that keeps us star gazing
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All you have to do is, uh,
look at Kermit the Frog.
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You know, that's Jim Henson.
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He was a little frog growing
up in a small-town swamp.
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And he had a dream of making
millions of people happy,
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so he gathered up his friends
and went to Hollywood.
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And then he shared that dream
with other people.
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And it got bigger,
the more he shared it with.
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* Someday we'll find it,
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* The rainbow connection
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* The lovers,
the dreamers and me *
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NARRATOR: Jim Henson's fertile
imagination
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was cultivated
in the farmland of
rural Mississippi.
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BRIAN JONES:
Jim always called himself a
Mississippi Tom Sawyer,
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talked about shooting
water moccasins
with his BB gun,
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sort of had this quiet,
country upbringing.
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NARRATOR: Born in 1936,
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he spent his
boyhood in tiny Stoneville,
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with his older brother Paul
and his parents,
Paul and Betty Henson.
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The US Department
of Agriculture had a big plant
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and that's who
his father worked for.
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NARRATOR: Stoneville isn't far
from the larger town
of Leland, Mississippi
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which is itself hardly
a bustling metropolis.
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Leland was about
four or five thousand people.
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A typical Southern town.
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Every Sunday everything
shut down and everybody
went to church.
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Jim was raised
Christian Science, his mother
was Christian Science,
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his father wasn't really.
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So Christian Science
sort of shaped his thinking
a little bit.
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NARRATOR: The Church
of Christ Scientist emphasizes
healing through faith.
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And while Jim's family will
seek medical help
for serious injury or illness,
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they rarely go to a doctor.
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He himself did not
practice the religion,
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but he was very
affected by it.
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NARRATOR: Jim will avoid
seeing doctors
for the rest of his life.
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An attitude that will have
profound consequences.
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NARRATOR: There's little to do
for entertainment in Leland,
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so young Jim
finds creative ways
to entertain himself.
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Jim, as a kid, loved to draw.
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And he had,
I think at one point,
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the idea of being
a cartoonist.
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Him and his brother were
always building something.
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They made model airplanes
and you name it.
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They made
a little crystal radio
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that you could
actually pick up the
nearest radio station.
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NARRATOR: Among Jim's
radio favorites during wartime
in the early 1940s
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are ventriloquist Edgar Bergen
and his dummies,
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Charlie McCarthy
and Mortimer Snerd.
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Charlie and Mortimer
are beautifully carved
characters in wood.
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And, it's very shocking
that there's no life
in their eyes.
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And yet, when
my father was operating them,
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you thought there was.
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Jim was
very respectful of my father,
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and he dedicated
their first movie
to the magic of Edgar Bergen.
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NARRATOR: In 1948,
Jim's dad is reassigned
from Mississippi to Maryland.
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So 12-year-old Jim
and his family move to a
suburb of Washington, D.C.
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Unlike in the rural south,
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many homes have
a rare and wondrous
modern appliance...
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A television.
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In the flickering
black & white images,
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14-year-old Jim
sees his future.
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What Jim wanted to do
more than anything else
was work in television.
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He didn't care
what it was gonna be
that got him through the door.
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BONNIE ERICKSON:
Jim didn't start out
as a puppeteer.
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How he came into it
is just miraculous.
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NARRATOR: Jim looks for work
at local stations,
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00:08:03,316 --> 00:08:05,886
but it's not until his senior
year in high school
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that he finally
gets his chance.
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JONES: I believe there was
a newspaper ad in the
Washington newspapers
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looking for young people
to perform marionettes
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on the local CBS affiliate.
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ERIKSON: Jim went
and got a book,
built a couple of puppets,
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and then went in
and got the job.
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It was short lived, but it was
the beginning of everything
that he did from that time on.
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HENSON: It's certainly
not a career
that one would plan.
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You know, you wouldn't decide
to become a puppeteer,
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I don't think, in your life.
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NARRATOR: 17-year-old Jim
graduates from high school
in June of '54
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and makes his first appearance
on The Junior Morning Show
at WTOP.
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Featuring his very
first Muppet,
Pierre The French Rat.
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Jim's soft, expressive Muppets
are a revolutionary departure
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from TV puppet shows
of the time,
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like Kukla, Fran & Ollie.
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JONES: Jim didn't want
painted faces
with mouths that didn't move,
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like Kukla was that way.
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Jim wanted mouths that opened,
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he wanted the eyes
to look focused.
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He figured out
the Henson triangle,
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it's the relationship between
the eyes and the nose.
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There's a magic triangle.
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Jim would always make sure
that that was something
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that would focus when a puppet
looked to camera.
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I love the notion that a piece
of felt and two, uh,
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ping-pong balls, could turn
into something that was alive
and seemingly mobile.
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LANDIS: Jim gave me
this great thing
about the Muppets.
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Most people when they do
puppets, they open their
mouth like this,
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like, "Hello, how are you?"
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He said, "Muppets don't speak
the words.
They attack the words."
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So a Muppet talks
like this because he is
attacking the word.
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Good night, and good luck.
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00:09:52,125 --> 00:09:54,695
Nobody has ever seen
puppets like that, nobody.
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00:09:54,795 --> 00:09:57,064
Those are
completely and utterly new.
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NARRATOR: In the summer
of '54,
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Jim works at
NBC affiliate, WRC,
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00:10:02,870 --> 00:10:07,340
where he creates new Muppets
for Circle 4 Ranch with
Cowboy Joe Campbell.
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00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:11,444
Willard Scott works as
a deejay and weatherman
at the station.
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00:10:11,544 --> 00:10:15,315
I met Jim when I was 18,
he was 17.
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00:10:15,415 --> 00:10:17,084
NBC wanted to buy the Muppets.
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00:10:17,184 --> 00:10:19,219
And I gave him
some good advice.
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00:10:19,319 --> 00:10:24,291
I said, "Jim don't you ever,
ever sell these characters.
They're yours."
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NARRATOR: Jim and his Muppets
are still appearing on WRC
in the fall of '54,
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00:10:28,696 --> 00:10:30,964
when he enters
the University of Maryland.
191
00:10:31,064 --> 00:10:33,633
The shy, quiet, gangly
17-year-old
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00:10:33,734 --> 00:10:35,869
takes the only
puppetry class offered
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00:10:35,969 --> 00:10:38,939
in the Home
Economics department.
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CHERYL: It actually
was a required course
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00:10:41,374 --> 00:10:43,911
for a lot of the mostly women,
196
00:10:44,011 --> 00:10:47,447
um, studying art
and art therapy
and education in art.
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00:10:47,547 --> 00:10:50,684
Everyone would gravitate
to him because he already
knew how to do puppetry
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00:10:50,784 --> 00:10:53,286
and he was already
on television doing puppetry.
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00:10:53,386 --> 00:10:56,423
NARRATOR: Among those
gravitating to Jim
is Jane Nebel
200
00:10:56,523 --> 00:11:00,327
a 20-year old senior
majoring in art and education.
201
00:11:00,427 --> 00:11:03,697
They really enjoyed working
with each other and so they,
202
00:11:03,797 --> 00:11:04,932
they started working together.
203
00:11:05,032 --> 00:11:07,868
He hired her immediately
to come work for him
204
00:11:07,968 --> 00:11:10,537
and that's how
their partnership developed.
205
00:11:10,637 --> 00:11:12,940
Creatively they always
got along.
206
00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:16,109
She had a kind
of unerring eye for talent
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00:11:16,209 --> 00:11:19,512
and in a way,
Jim Henson was
her first discovery.
208
00:11:19,612 --> 00:11:23,751
NARRATOR: Jane joins Jim
at WRC in the
spring of 1955.
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00:11:23,851 --> 00:11:26,253
Their chemistry is immediate.
210
00:11:26,353 --> 00:11:29,389
* That old black magic
has me in its spell
211
00:11:29,489 --> 00:11:32,893
* That old black magic
that you weave so well
212
00:11:32,993 --> 00:11:34,494
They were young together.
213
00:11:34,594 --> 00:11:36,196
They were explosive together.
214
00:11:36,296 --> 00:11:37,965
They had a really wacky
sense of humor.
215
00:11:38,065 --> 00:11:41,634
* Aflame with such
a burning desire *
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00:11:41,735 --> 00:11:43,336
SCOTT: They worked behind
this curtain.
217
00:11:43,436 --> 00:11:45,438
I always said, "I don't know
what went on
behind that curtain."
218
00:11:45,538 --> 00:11:47,240
But... (CHUCKLES)
219
00:11:47,340 --> 00:11:50,010
But they ended up
getting married
and having kids
220
00:11:50,110 --> 00:11:52,445
so something went on
behind that curtain
we didn't all see.
221
00:11:52,545 --> 00:11:54,381
(APPLAUSE)
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00:11:54,481 --> 00:11:57,350
NARRATOR: While still
a college freshman
living at home in May of '55,
223
00:11:57,450 --> 00:12:00,187
Jim creates Sam and Friends
for WRC.
224
00:12:01,588 --> 00:12:03,223
Sam and Friends!
225
00:12:03,323 --> 00:12:07,094
NARRATOR: Jim and Jane
perform five-minute
shows twice a day.
226
00:12:07,194 --> 00:12:10,297
He got to, sort of,
create his own show.
Decide what the conceit was.
227
00:12:10,397 --> 00:12:13,733
Sam was this sort of
vaguely human character
who never spoke,
228
00:12:13,834 --> 00:12:15,268
and the friends
were these abstract figures
229
00:12:15,368 --> 00:12:17,704
that may or may not have been
inside his head.
230
00:12:17,805 --> 00:12:19,506
Why don't you
just call me Kermit?
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00:12:19,606 --> 00:12:22,075
JONES:
Kermit came out of that cast
of Sam and Friends.
232
00:12:22,175 --> 00:12:24,778
But was sort of a vague,
abstract character.
233
00:12:24,878 --> 00:12:26,479
Had his little padded feet,
234
00:12:26,579 --> 00:12:28,248
um, didn't have
his frog collar.
235
00:12:28,348 --> 00:12:31,118
Kermit was built out of
Jim's mother's coat,
236
00:12:31,218 --> 00:12:33,220
uh, with ping-pong
balls for eyes.
237
00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:35,222
Help! Help!
238
00:12:35,722 --> 00:12:37,925
Help!
239
00:12:38,025 --> 00:12:39,526
NARRATOR: But it's not
just Jim's characters
240
00:12:39,626 --> 00:12:43,263
that make the Muppets
a game-changer
in the mid-1950s,
241
00:12:43,363 --> 00:12:47,067
it's Jim's use
of the TV screen itself.
242
00:12:47,167 --> 00:12:50,337
The difference between what
Jim was doing and something
like Kukla, Fran and Ollie
243
00:12:50,437 --> 00:12:54,641
is Kukla, Fran and Ollie was
a puppet show on television.
244
00:12:54,741 --> 00:12:57,544
What Jim realized
is if you're on TV,
245
00:12:57,644 --> 00:13:00,647
the four sides
of the TV screen
are your puppet theater.
246
00:13:00,747 --> 00:13:02,950
You can bring a puppet in
from the left, from the right,
247
00:13:03,050 --> 00:13:04,551
from the top, from the bottom.
248
00:13:04,651 --> 00:13:07,821
It immediately expands
the universe that
puppet lives in.
249
00:13:20,167 --> 00:13:22,535
NARRATOR: Jane graduates
from the
University of Maryland
250
00:13:22,635 --> 00:13:24,204
in the summer of '55,
251
00:13:24,304 --> 00:13:27,407
along with Jim's brother,
Paul, who joins the Navy.
252
00:13:27,507 --> 00:13:31,278
Paul is stationed in Florida
for training as a Navy pilot.
253
00:13:31,378 --> 00:13:35,148
Meanwhile, Jim and Jane's
Muppets are a local
comedy sensation.
254
00:13:35,248 --> 00:13:37,918
SCOTT: Everybody watched
the Muppets in Washington.
255
00:13:38,018 --> 00:13:41,488
It put a smile on your face
and made you happy.
256
00:13:41,588 --> 00:13:45,258
NARRATOR: By 1956,
beat poetry, jazz,
and rock & roll
257
00:13:45,358 --> 00:13:48,561
are shaking up
the staid conformity of
post-war America.
258
00:13:48,661 --> 00:13:51,631
And Jim's Muppets
are on the comic cutting-edge.
259
00:13:51,731 --> 00:13:54,534
There are two young college
students, uh,
Jim Henson and Jane Nebel.
260
00:13:54,634 --> 00:13:57,905
They got together
and they formed the Muppets.
261
00:13:58,005 --> 00:14:00,240
Black Bart is coming in
on the next stage!
262
00:14:00,340 --> 00:14:02,876
Mac, what are you doing
under the desk?
263
00:14:02,976 --> 00:14:06,279
NARRATOR: They appear
as guests on late
night talk and variety shows,
264
00:14:06,379 --> 00:14:09,282
playing to a sophisticated
adult audience.
265
00:14:09,382 --> 00:14:12,485
My next move
will be your last, Black Bart!
266
00:14:12,585 --> 00:14:14,321
Just try it!
267
00:14:14,421 --> 00:14:16,089
Okay, here it comes.
268
00:14:16,189 --> 00:14:18,325
My pawn takes your bishop.
Checkmate!
269
00:14:18,425 --> 00:14:20,093
Oh, you got me, Marshal.
270
00:14:20,193 --> 00:14:24,331
NARRATOR: But as his
professional career is taking
off in the spring of '56,
271
00:14:24,431 --> 00:14:27,334
Jim suffers a deeply
personal loss,
272
00:14:27,434 --> 00:14:31,471
when his brother, Paul,
dies of injuries
suffered in a car accident.
273
00:14:31,571 --> 00:14:33,740
CHERYL: Anytime
you're faced with death
274
00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:37,377
that life and the time
that you have here
275
00:14:37,477 --> 00:14:40,047
on this Earth become
that much more precious
276
00:14:40,147 --> 00:14:42,315
and I do feel like my father
277
00:14:42,415 --> 00:14:44,284
felt that this life
was precious
278
00:14:44,384 --> 00:14:48,455
and that the time
that we have is never enough.
279
00:14:48,555 --> 00:14:53,326
And he was always making,
making, doing, doing, making.
280
00:14:53,426 --> 00:14:56,263
And I think there was
a sense of wanting to live
in the present.
281
00:14:58,065 --> 00:15:00,233
NARRATOR: Jim is indeed
making and doing,
282
00:15:00,333 --> 00:15:03,136
turning to work to cope
with the loss of his brother
283
00:15:03,236 --> 00:15:06,673
and adding to his
ever-increasing workload.
284
00:15:06,773 --> 00:15:09,009
Let's go up to the surface
for some Wilkins Coffee.
285
00:15:09,109 --> 00:15:10,944
-I never touch the stuff.
-(GULPS)
286
00:15:11,044 --> 00:15:13,113
You should,
it's a whale of a coffee!
287
00:15:13,213 --> 00:15:16,183
NARRATOR: Jim makes his first
commercials in 1957
288
00:15:16,283 --> 00:15:20,053
for the Washington, D.C.
based Wilkins Coffee Company.
289
00:15:20,153 --> 00:15:22,089
When did you have
your last cup of Wilkins?
290
00:15:22,189 --> 00:15:24,024
My last cup wasn't Wilkins.
291
00:15:24,691 --> 00:15:26,059
He's had his last cup.
292
00:15:26,159 --> 00:15:27,995
One of the people
who was putting together
the commercials
293
00:15:28,095 --> 00:15:29,896
had seen Sam and Friends,
294
00:15:29,997 --> 00:15:31,831
liked it, thought it
was hilarious,
295
00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:34,801
really wanted to take
that sort of mentality
and put it into commercials.
296
00:15:34,901 --> 00:15:36,736
-Got your parachute?
-I forgot it.
297
00:15:36,836 --> 00:15:37,971
How about the Wilkins Coffee?
298
00:15:38,071 --> 00:15:39,472
I forgot that too.
299
00:15:40,573 --> 00:15:42,075
You'll never forget this.
300
00:15:42,175 --> 00:15:44,277
Everything always ended
with an explosion,
301
00:15:44,377 --> 00:15:46,213
something really outrageous.
302
00:15:47,414 --> 00:15:49,449
JONES: Once the Wilkins
commercials caught on,
303
00:15:49,549 --> 00:15:52,485
people selling coffee
in Boston and Louisiana
304
00:15:52,585 --> 00:15:54,454
wanted the Muppets
selling their coffee.
305
00:15:54,554 --> 00:15:56,689
Want some Red Diamond
Coffee with your pie?
306
00:15:56,789 --> 00:15:58,558
No, just give me the pie.
307
00:15:58,658 --> 00:16:00,893
The numbers for Kraml Milk,
once the Muppets started
selling it,
308
00:16:00,994 --> 00:16:02,429
apparently went
through the ceiling.
309
00:16:02,529 --> 00:16:04,564
Want some Kraml Milk
with your dinner?
310
00:16:04,664 --> 00:16:06,899
No, give me some water.
311
00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,002
The commercials are paying
the bills.
312
00:16:09,102 --> 00:16:12,705
And it really sort of gave him
the opportunity to buy
his artistic freedom.
313
00:16:21,948 --> 00:16:24,484
NARRATOR: Eager to move
forward in his
life and career.
314
00:16:24,584 --> 00:16:27,454
Jim incorporates his company
as Muppets, Inc.
315
00:16:27,554 --> 00:16:31,991
And on May 28, 1959
he and Jane are married.
316
00:16:32,092 --> 00:16:34,694
He said, we're going to build
this company and we're going
to get married
317
00:16:34,794 --> 00:16:38,031
and you know, sort of laid out
their agenda for
the next decade.
318
00:16:38,131 --> 00:16:42,269
NARRATOR: Jim is
a prodigiously successful
college senior in 1960,
319
00:16:42,369 --> 00:16:46,039
having earned over $100,000
in the past year.
320
00:16:46,139 --> 00:16:49,642
In May, Jim and Jane's
first child, Lisa, is born
321
00:16:49,742 --> 00:16:52,679
and later that year,
the Muppets make
their first appearance
322
00:16:52,779 --> 00:16:54,514
on NBC's Today Show.
323
00:16:54,614 --> 00:16:56,816
They're called Muppets
because they're neither
puppets nor marionettes
324
00:16:56,916 --> 00:16:58,785
but kind of a combination.
325
00:16:58,885 --> 00:17:02,122
I'm honored to be
in the studio with two very
distinguished NBC newsmen.
326
00:17:02,222 --> 00:17:03,490
First we have...
327
00:17:03,590 --> 00:17:06,159
Chet Huntley,
NBC News, New York.
328
00:17:06,259 --> 00:17:08,595
From my very early childhood
I remember
329
00:17:08,695 --> 00:17:13,366
the feel and the smells
and sounds of
the puppet workshop.
330
00:17:13,466 --> 00:17:15,068
Well, what would
you like me to call you?
331
00:17:15,168 --> 00:17:16,236
Chet Huntley.
332
00:17:16,336 --> 00:17:18,138
Oh, okay, Chet Huntley.
333
00:17:18,238 --> 00:17:21,974
We could see the latest
appearance on a variety show
or Ed Sullivan.
334
00:17:22,075 --> 00:17:23,643
This program is come
to you from...
335
00:17:23,743 --> 00:17:25,445
NBC News, New York.
336
00:17:25,545 --> 00:17:27,547
No, no. This program
is coming from...
337
00:17:27,647 --> 00:17:29,349
NBC News, Washington.
338
00:17:29,449 --> 00:17:30,683
New York.
339
00:17:30,783 --> 00:17:31,918
-Washington.
-New York.
340
00:17:32,018 --> 00:17:33,320
Washington.
341
00:17:33,420 --> 00:17:35,122
NARRATOR:
Flush with early success,
342
00:17:35,222 --> 00:17:38,725
Jim drives to his June 1960
college commencement
343
00:17:38,825 --> 00:17:41,628
in a Rolls Royce bought with
Muppet money.
344
00:17:41,728 --> 00:17:43,963
CHERYL: He had a wife,
he had a baby,
345
00:17:44,063 --> 00:17:45,865
he owned his own house
346
00:17:45,965 --> 00:17:49,068
and he drove that Rolls Royce
to his college graduation
347
00:17:49,169 --> 00:17:51,037
to pick up his degree
in home economics
348
00:17:51,138 --> 00:17:53,340
and there you go,
he was a self-made man.
349
00:17:58,345 --> 00:18:00,947
I met Jim
when I was 17 years old
350
00:18:01,047 --> 00:18:04,417
and Jim was in his early 20s.
(CHUCKLES)
351
00:18:04,517 --> 00:18:07,287
NARRATOR: In 1960,
Jim meets Frank Oznowicz
352
00:18:07,387 --> 00:18:10,022
at a puppeteer
conference in California.
353
00:18:10,123 --> 00:18:12,325
Jim asks him
to join his Muppet team,
354
00:18:12,425 --> 00:18:14,827
but the teenager
is still in high school.
355
00:18:14,927 --> 00:18:17,430
After graduation in 1963,
356
00:18:17,530 --> 00:18:20,433
Frank Oz
begins work at Muppets, Inc.
357
00:18:20,533 --> 00:18:24,304
I remember being in front
of a mirror with Jane Henson
and Jim
358
00:18:24,404 --> 00:18:28,308
teaching me how to do
the Muppets lip-sync
technique.
359
00:18:28,408 --> 00:18:31,744
I didn't do voices
for about four years.
I was too scared.
360
00:18:31,844 --> 00:18:33,180
Jim was about
to give up on me.
361
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:35,114
NARRATOR: But he didn't.
362
00:18:35,215 --> 00:18:37,250
Take off that moustache!
363
00:18:37,350 --> 00:18:38,985
Take off that...
(GRUNTS)
364
00:18:39,085 --> 00:18:40,953
Double...
Double-face tape.
365
00:18:41,053 --> 00:18:42,955
Take that tape off. (GRUNTS)
366
00:18:43,055 --> 00:18:45,725
The story of the Muppets
is the story of Jim and Frank
367
00:18:45,825 --> 00:18:47,627
as this incredible,
368
00:18:47,727 --> 00:18:50,930
uh, once in a
lifetime comedy duo.
369
00:18:51,030 --> 00:18:54,000
OZ: Jim was the boss,
but he was my
best friend, too,
370
00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:56,636
and I know how
371
00:18:56,736 --> 00:19:00,240
devastating his brother's
loss was to him.
372
00:19:00,340 --> 00:19:02,609
CHERYL: My dad had
an older brother who died
373
00:19:02,709 --> 00:19:05,678
and I think that having
a younger brother like Frank
374
00:19:05,778 --> 00:19:07,747
was just fantastic.
375
00:19:07,847 --> 00:19:10,583
Their relationship was very
much like brothers.
They're competitive,
376
00:19:10,683 --> 00:19:12,885
they're feisty,
they're funny...
377
00:19:12,985 --> 00:19:14,987
-Get your hand off me.
-(CHUCKLES)
378
00:19:15,087 --> 00:19:18,258
It's the sort of relationship
that has highs and lows,
379
00:19:18,358 --> 00:19:20,193
and you have times
when you work
very well together
380
00:19:20,293 --> 00:19:24,697
and times when, you know,
you're slightly brushing
against each other.
381
00:19:24,797 --> 00:19:27,934
It's like a marriage, you have
fights sometimes. (CHUCKLES)
382
00:19:28,034 --> 00:19:30,102
But Jim was
extraordinary in that
383
00:19:30,203 --> 00:19:33,640
we would always allow me
to voice my opinion.
384
00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:36,543
I think he should have fired
me many times. He was
extraordinarily patient.
385
00:19:37,176 --> 00:19:38,645
(SCREAMS)
386
00:19:38,745 --> 00:19:41,748
Now there was such a closeness
that I can't explain.
387
00:19:41,848 --> 00:19:45,318
NARRATOR: Another
key team member is puppeteer,
Jerry Juhl.
388
00:19:45,418 --> 00:19:47,887
Who takes over for Jane
on Sam and Friends
389
00:19:47,987 --> 00:19:51,691
when daughter Cheryl is born
in August of '61.
390
00:19:51,791 --> 00:19:53,726
CHERYL: Most of my
childhood memories
391
00:19:53,826 --> 00:19:56,296
with my dad are more
about making things
392
00:19:56,396 --> 00:19:58,331
and also
about telling stories.
393
00:19:58,431 --> 00:19:59,932
NARRATOR: Restless to tell
new stories,
394
00:20:00,032 --> 00:20:01,601
Jim ends Sam and Friends
395
00:20:01,701 --> 00:20:04,604
successful 6-year run in
December of '61
396
00:20:04,704 --> 00:20:07,307
to pursue more
ambitious projects.
397
00:20:07,407 --> 00:20:11,143
He tapes the TV special
Tales of the Tinkerdee in 1962
398
00:20:11,244 --> 00:20:15,348
and continues to appear
on daytime and late-night
TV shows.
399
00:20:15,448 --> 00:20:18,217
All the while, his commercial
work flourishes.
400
00:20:18,318 --> 00:20:21,087
Try Purina Dog Chow, right?
401
00:20:21,187 --> 00:20:22,889
Right.
402
00:20:22,989 --> 00:20:25,458
NARRATOR: Jim hires
puppetmaker, Don Sahlin,
403
00:20:25,558 --> 00:20:28,060
who builds Rowlf the Dog
for Purina.
404
00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,997
The first of countless numbers
of Muppets Sahlin will build
405
00:20:31,097 --> 00:20:33,333
over the next 15 years.
406
00:20:33,433 --> 00:20:39,005
I'm the Muppets big, lovable,
shaggy dog, Rowlf
on ABC's The Jimmy Dean Show.
407
00:20:39,105 --> 00:20:41,474
NARRATOR: Rowlf joins
country music
singer Jimmy Dean
408
00:20:41,574 --> 00:20:44,544
on his weekly variety
show in 1963.
409
00:20:44,644 --> 00:20:46,746
-Where's that other dumbbell?
-Hi!
410
00:20:46,846 --> 00:20:50,049
And the Muppets make the jump
from late night and morning
show guests
411
00:20:50,149 --> 00:20:52,419
to prime time TV stars.
412
00:20:52,519 --> 00:20:53,953
-Ready, here we go!
-(BELL DINGS)
413
00:20:54,053 --> 00:20:55,187
(GROWLING)
414
00:20:55,288 --> 00:20:56,789
Would you cut it out?
415
00:20:56,889 --> 00:20:58,691
Rowlf, no bitin'.
416
00:20:58,791 --> 00:20:59,959
No bitin'?
417
00:21:00,059 --> 00:21:01,894
You're taking away
my best punch.
418
00:21:01,994 --> 00:21:03,896
NARRATOR: With seemingly
boundless energy,
419
00:21:03,996 --> 00:21:07,800
Jim performs Rowlf every week
while directing his
expanding empire.
420
00:21:07,900 --> 00:21:10,370
The Muppets have been seen
often on such network shows
421
00:21:10,470 --> 00:21:13,773
as Jack Paar, Johnny Carson,
Steve Allen
422
00:21:13,873 --> 00:21:17,944
Arthur Godfrey, Today,
and Al Hirt's Fanfare.
423
00:21:18,044 --> 00:21:19,812
And this fall we're gonna
do The Hollywood Palace
424
00:21:19,912 --> 00:21:21,881
and The Perry Como
Christmas Show.
425
00:21:21,981 --> 00:21:23,716
NARRATOR: Amid all
the Muppet madness,
426
00:21:23,816 --> 00:21:27,654
Jane gives birth to their son
Brian in November of '63.
427
00:21:27,754 --> 00:21:30,022
Half of the time
that I saw my dad
428
00:21:30,122 --> 00:21:33,426
when I was a young kid,
was being at the studios
while he was working.
429
00:21:33,526 --> 00:21:36,195
Or being at the workshop
while he was
building puppets.
430
00:21:36,295 --> 00:21:38,531
He was always working.
431
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:45,372
NARRATOR: The mid-1960s
are a time of bold
experiments in art and movies,
432
00:21:45,472 --> 00:21:47,507
and while his Muppet
business is booming,
433
00:21:47,607 --> 00:21:51,344
Jim is driven to be more than
just a popular puppeteer.
434
00:21:51,444 --> 00:21:53,513
Jim always loved film.
He always wanted to do a film.
435
00:21:53,613 --> 00:21:55,448
(COUGHS)
436
00:21:55,548 --> 00:21:58,385
He made a film called
Time Piece that I saw at the
LA County Museum of Art,
437
00:21:58,485 --> 00:22:00,319
and I remember going,
"That's Jim Henson!"
438
00:22:00,420 --> 00:22:02,154
"That's
the puppet Jim Henson."
439
00:22:02,254 --> 00:22:04,524
CHERYL: Time Piece is so
much my father.
440
00:22:04,624 --> 00:22:08,194
It is right in where
his head was
441
00:22:08,294 --> 00:22:11,163
and you watch that
and you go "Okay, that
is his autobiography."
442
00:22:11,263 --> 00:22:12,699
(GROWLS)
443
00:22:12,799 --> 00:22:15,167
(TARZAN YELL)
444
00:22:15,267 --> 00:22:17,670
So, if you really
want to know about my dad,
watch Time Piece.
445
00:22:18,337 --> 00:22:20,039
Help.
446
00:22:20,139 --> 00:22:22,074
NARRATOR: Time Piece
earns an Academy
Award nomination
447
00:22:22,174 --> 00:22:24,644
for short film in 1965.
448
00:22:24,744 --> 00:22:27,447
But it's Jim's next project
that will change his life.
449
00:22:27,547 --> 00:22:31,050
And the lives of
generations of children
all over the world.
450
00:22:37,424 --> 00:22:39,726
NARRATOR: In 1966,
the Carnegie Institute
451
00:22:39,826 --> 00:22:42,328
sponsors a study
that leads to the formation
452
00:22:42,429 --> 00:22:44,296
of the Children's
Television Workshop.
453
00:22:44,397 --> 00:22:46,666
They knew they wanted
to do something that kids
would respond to,
454
00:22:46,766 --> 00:22:48,435
they wanted
it to be fast paced,
455
00:22:48,535 --> 00:22:50,770
they wanted a children's
Laugh-In essentially.
456
00:22:50,870 --> 00:22:52,639
NARRATOR: Led by
Joan Ganz Cooney,
457
00:22:52,739 --> 00:22:54,974
the Children's Television
Workshop is developed
458
00:22:55,074 --> 00:22:58,778
amid social
and political upheaval.
459
00:22:58,878 --> 00:23:02,515
Martin Luther King was killed,
Robert Kennedy was killed,
460
00:23:02,615 --> 00:23:07,687
the Vietnam War protests were
reaching a crescendo.
461
00:23:07,787 --> 00:23:11,458
It was a really scary time.
462
00:23:14,193 --> 00:23:16,362
NARRATOR: Director Jon Stone
recommends Henson
463
00:23:16,463 --> 00:23:21,200
to Ganz Cooney for
their new children's TV
project, Sesame Street.
464
00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:24,904
Jim was very
reluctant at first
465
00:23:25,004 --> 00:23:27,740
because he was concerned
that he would be trapped
466
00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:29,842
as a little
children's producer.
467
00:23:29,942 --> 00:23:33,045
OZ: His idea was always
to be more experimental
468
00:23:33,145 --> 00:23:35,815
as a filmmaker,
that's what he wanted to do.
469
00:23:35,915 --> 00:23:39,819
We talked about it,
that this is not where
he wants to be,
470
00:23:39,919 --> 00:23:43,422
with Sesame Street,
but he will go with it
471
00:23:43,523 --> 00:23:45,592
because he sees value
in it and out of that value
472
00:23:45,692 --> 00:23:48,561
could come other value.
473
00:23:48,661 --> 00:23:52,965
NARRATOR: So, in 1969,
Jim joins the visionary team
at Sesame Street.
474
00:23:53,065 --> 00:23:58,638
* Sunny day
Sweepin' the clouds away *
475
00:23:58,738 --> 00:24:00,807
NARRATOR: His first Muppet
characters for the show
476
00:24:00,907 --> 00:24:03,643
are a duo played
by Jim and Frank Oz.
477
00:24:03,743 --> 00:24:06,579
I'm never going to eat
cookies in my bed again.
478
00:24:06,679 --> 00:24:08,848
BERT: Okay, good.
What are you doing?
479
00:24:08,948 --> 00:24:10,382
I'm gonna eat cookies
in your bed, Bert.
480
00:24:10,483 --> 00:24:13,385
Ernie and Bert have this
funny relationship
481
00:24:13,486 --> 00:24:15,087
that has developed
over the years.
482
00:24:15,187 --> 00:24:18,591
It has something to do
with Frank and I, I'm sure.
483
00:24:18,691 --> 00:24:22,328
OZ: Bert is not me,
Ernie is not Jim,
484
00:24:22,428 --> 00:24:26,499
but there's an aspect
of Jim in Ernie and an aspect
of Bert in me.
485
00:24:26,599 --> 00:24:29,401
At that time, I was very
neurotic and very uptight,
486
00:24:29,502 --> 00:24:31,771
so it fit perfectly for Bert.
487
00:24:31,871 --> 00:24:35,775
Jim was always playful,
so it fit perfectly for Ernie.
488
00:24:35,875 --> 00:24:39,345
FRAN BRILL: The chemistry
between them
was just fantastic.
489
00:24:39,445 --> 00:24:41,714
They were a great
Abbott and Costello,
490
00:24:41,814 --> 00:24:43,783
Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis,
whatever team,
491
00:24:43,883 --> 00:24:46,085
they were
right up there with
all of those guys.
492
00:24:47,186 --> 00:24:48,454
Ta-da!
493
00:24:48,555 --> 00:24:49,756
-Ernie.
-Yes?
494
00:24:49,856 --> 00:24:52,191
You've ruined my whole day!
495
00:24:52,291 --> 00:24:53,926
Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here.
496
00:24:54,026 --> 00:24:56,228
NARRATOR: Other characters
are soon brought into play,
497
00:24:56,328 --> 00:24:59,666
including a frog who Jim
has been operating and voicing
498
00:24:59,766 --> 00:25:01,934
since the early 1950s.
499
00:25:02,034 --> 00:25:05,838
Jim had a piece with Kermit
telling kids what
it's like to be a frog.
500
00:25:05,938 --> 00:25:08,007
Uh, frogs live
in apartment houses
501
00:25:08,107 --> 00:25:10,977
with, uh, furniture
and televisions sets.
502
00:25:11,077 --> 00:25:13,946
And I said, "Well, Kermit,
that's, that's not exactly
what all frogs do.
503
00:25:14,046 --> 00:25:16,348
"I happen to have a Giant
American Bullfrog here..."
504
00:25:16,448 --> 00:25:17,784
My goodness.
505
00:25:17,884 --> 00:25:20,019
Jim's head happened
to be right below
506
00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:22,021
where I was holding
the bullfrog.
507
00:25:22,121 --> 00:25:23,656
(CROAKING)
508
00:25:23,756 --> 00:25:25,858
Mr. Froggie went
a-peeing on Jim's head.
509
00:25:25,958 --> 00:25:27,293
(HUMMING)
510
00:25:27,393 --> 00:25:28,561
(CROAKS)
511
00:25:28,661 --> 00:25:30,229
And I thought for sure
he'd say "cut" but
512
00:25:30,329 --> 00:25:33,499
he finished the piece and then
we both looked at each other
513
00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:38,170
(LAUGHING) and he was dripping
and we had an enormous laugh.
And it was a take.
514
00:25:38,270 --> 00:25:40,907
I think Kermit made himself
a new friend today.
515
00:25:41,007 --> 00:25:43,876
Getting to know Jim
was a really special thing.
516
00:25:43,976 --> 00:25:48,314
He was so, uh, warm
and outgoing
and understanding.
517
00:25:48,414 --> 00:25:49,916
He was not like a boss.
518
00:25:50,016 --> 00:25:52,885
He told me he wanted me
to run two characters.
519
00:25:52,985 --> 00:25:55,554
Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
520
00:25:55,655 --> 00:26:00,727
Everyone on Sesame Street
is always talking about love.
Yuck.
521
00:26:00,827 --> 00:26:04,463
Big Bird is kind of a child
who hopes people like him.
522
00:26:04,563 --> 00:26:05,598
Oh, it's just silly saying,
523
00:26:05,698 --> 00:26:07,033
"Hi, I'm Big Bird."
524
00:26:07,133 --> 00:26:10,703
'Cause people can plainly see
that I'm just a big bird.
525
00:26:10,803 --> 00:26:14,807
Jim gave me this little pink
puppet that already existed.
526
00:26:14,907 --> 00:26:17,509
She was renamed Prairie Dawn.
527
00:26:17,610 --> 00:26:20,179
That became
the first legitimately
528
00:26:20,279 --> 00:26:23,082
female puppet character
on Sesame Street.
529
00:26:23,182 --> 00:26:24,550
-Prairie.
-Yes?
530
00:26:24,651 --> 00:26:26,853
What kind of cookies
are those there?
531
00:26:26,953 --> 00:26:31,057
-Oh, well, Cookie Monster,
these are oatmeal cookies.
-(GASPS)
532
00:26:31,157 --> 00:26:34,426
We were just really
encouraged to go for it.
533
00:26:34,526 --> 00:26:36,562
To be as silly and idiotic
534
00:26:36,663 --> 00:26:39,766
and stupid as you
possibly could.
535
00:26:39,866 --> 00:26:41,500
(SHOUTING) Cookies!
536
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,536
(GOBBLING)
537
00:26:44,637 --> 00:26:47,173
The show was
an overnight success.
538
00:26:47,273 --> 00:26:49,976
The country and the world had
never seen before
539
00:26:50,076 --> 00:26:52,444
anything like these Muppets.
540
00:26:52,544 --> 00:26:54,280
Jim was very proud, of course
541
00:26:54,380 --> 00:26:57,516
of the work that was done on
Sesame Street.
542
00:26:57,616 --> 00:26:59,451
But you could feel him
kind of bursting
543
00:26:59,551 --> 00:27:02,955
in his quiet Jim "Hmm" way
544
00:27:03,055 --> 00:27:07,093
to take that energy
and move it into other arenas.
545
00:27:07,193 --> 00:27:09,996
I said, "Trust me, Jim,
it's just around the corner,
546
00:27:10,096 --> 00:27:14,100
"you're not gonna be stuck
in little kiddie
entertainment."
547
00:27:15,034 --> 00:27:17,203
The Ramadar.
548
00:27:17,303 --> 00:27:20,873
NARRATOR: Determined
not be pigeonholed by
the success of Sesame Street,
549
00:27:20,973 --> 00:27:24,243
Jim continues his
experimental projects.
550
00:27:24,343 --> 00:27:27,279
He did shows for NBC,
one's called The Cube...
551
00:27:27,379 --> 00:27:28,981
Hello.
552
00:27:29,081 --> 00:27:31,117
Sort of this avant-garde
Twilight Zone- type episode
553
00:27:31,217 --> 00:27:32,551
of a man
trapped inside a cube
554
00:27:32,651 --> 00:27:35,121
and you don't know what's real
and you don't know what's not.
555
00:27:35,221 --> 00:27:36,455
I'm still in the cube!
556
00:27:36,555 --> 00:27:39,325
Of course you're in the cube,
but you're healthy and happy.
557
00:27:39,425 --> 00:27:42,128
NARRATOR: But while Jim
craves new creative outlets,
558
00:27:42,228 --> 00:27:44,130
it's the Muppets
who are in demand.
559
00:27:44,230 --> 00:27:48,434
By 1971, Jim is juggling
a third season
of Sesame Street,
560
00:27:48,534 --> 00:27:51,537
guest appearances
on prime time variety shows,
561
00:27:51,637 --> 00:27:55,674
and a syndicated TV special,
Muppet Musicians of Bremen.
562
00:27:55,775 --> 00:28:00,412
In 1973, the Muppet Valentine
special tapes at ABC
in New York.
563
00:28:00,512 --> 00:28:03,615
It's executive
Michael Eisner's first
project with Jim.
564
00:28:03,716 --> 00:28:06,685
EISNER: There's some people
you call and when they
answer the phone
565
00:28:06,786 --> 00:28:09,521
it's like, "Oh, I'm so
glad you called,
566
00:28:09,621 --> 00:28:11,257
"let's have a conversation."
567
00:28:11,357 --> 00:28:15,027
Jim Henson was somebody
that you always felt
wanted to be engaged.
568
00:28:15,127 --> 00:28:17,764
And if the conversation
turned into something creative
it was even better.
569
00:28:18,831 --> 00:28:20,733
The Muppets Valentine Show!
570
00:28:20,833 --> 00:28:23,302
And that was really a pilot
in disguise for ABC.
571
00:28:23,402 --> 00:28:24,336
For a weekly show.
572
00:28:24,436 --> 00:28:27,039
L-O-V-E.
573
00:28:27,139 --> 00:28:28,941
Now what can we
say about love?
574
00:28:29,041 --> 00:28:30,943
NARRATOR: When Jim's sweet
Valentine's special
575
00:28:31,043 --> 00:28:33,379
doesn't lead
to a weekly series,
576
00:28:33,479 --> 00:28:37,149
he takes an edgier approach
with his next ABC pilot,
577
00:28:37,249 --> 00:28:40,152
striving for that
elusive hit formula.
578
00:28:40,252 --> 00:28:44,590
ANNOUNCER: Presenting
the end of Sex and Violence
on television.
579
00:28:44,690 --> 00:28:46,993
-(LOUD EXPLOSION)
-(LAUGHING MANIACALLY)
580
00:28:47,093 --> 00:28:50,997
I thought the Muppets with
a provocative title like that
581
00:28:51,097 --> 00:28:53,432
would appeal
to an adult audience.
582
00:28:53,532 --> 00:28:57,303
Oh, well, uh, I might be
able to get you a job on an
educational show for kids.
583
00:28:57,403 --> 00:28:58,570
(CLEARS THROAT)
584
00:28:58,670 --> 00:29:02,274
That was a much more abstract
and a little more unhinged
585
00:29:02,374 --> 00:29:04,476
kind of environment
and character group.
586
00:29:04,576 --> 00:29:05,677
(GRUNTING)
587
00:29:05,778 --> 00:29:07,446
MAN: Oh, no,
he bit his own arm!
588
00:29:07,546 --> 00:29:08,981
(GROANING)
589
00:29:09,081 --> 00:29:10,549
BRIAN:
He called it Sex and Violence
590
00:29:10,649 --> 00:29:13,152
to try and tell the audience
this is not Sesame Street.
591
00:29:13,252 --> 00:29:15,621
"Look it's called
Sex and Violence"
592
00:29:15,721 --> 00:29:17,824
and still all the networks
passed.
593
00:29:17,924 --> 00:29:20,927
I was with Jimmy Dean but
nobody remembers me anymore.
594
00:29:21,027 --> 00:29:23,963
He really wanted to be
mainstream television.
595
00:29:24,063 --> 00:29:28,067
That was his great
dream, his great goal
all of his life.
596
00:29:28,167 --> 00:29:31,337
And, um, it eluded him,
uh, again and again and again.
597
00:29:31,437 --> 00:29:33,772
He had a heck of a time
convincing the world
598
00:29:33,873 --> 00:29:35,307
to let him
do The Muppet Show.
599
00:29:35,407 --> 00:29:38,577
He felt like Sesame Street
had pigeonholed him.
600
00:29:38,677 --> 00:29:41,647
And it was frustrating
to him. Very.
601
00:29:41,747 --> 00:29:43,149
NARRATOR: Ever eager
to free himself
602
00:29:43,249 --> 00:29:45,952
from the stifling confines
of children's TV,
603
00:29:46,052 --> 00:29:48,354
Jim signs on in 1975
604
00:29:48,454 --> 00:29:52,324
for the launch of a daring new
late-night show on NBC.
605
00:29:52,424 --> 00:29:54,894
What developed
was this "Land of Gorch,"
606
00:29:54,994 --> 00:29:57,997
um, with the king and his
wife and his girlfriend
607
00:29:58,097 --> 00:30:01,868
and, uh, his henchmen
and the mighty Favog.
608
00:30:01,968 --> 00:30:05,104
Nobody had ever seen anything
like those characters.
609
00:30:05,204 --> 00:30:07,706
JONES: I remember seeing
the first, you know,
two or three shows
610
00:30:07,806 --> 00:30:09,842
and going, "What in
the heck is this?"
611
00:30:09,942 --> 00:30:11,710
'Cause I was looking for
Kermit and here's something
612
00:30:11,810 --> 00:30:13,179
I'd never seen before.
613
00:30:13,279 --> 00:30:15,481
I remember Jim
sort of being there
614
00:30:15,581 --> 00:30:18,184
and just sort of this
615
00:30:18,284 --> 00:30:22,989
island of calm in the sea
of chaos of the early
days of the show.
616
00:30:23,089 --> 00:30:25,291
NARRATOR: Adding to the chaos,
some cast members
617
00:30:25,391 --> 00:30:27,793
have problems with
Jim's puppets.
618
00:30:27,894 --> 00:30:29,761
John Belushi called them
the Mucking Fuppets.
619
00:30:29,862 --> 00:30:31,230
And they were never
really a good fit.
620
00:30:31,330 --> 00:30:34,033
Fortunately, what happened was
Jim got The Muppet Show
621
00:30:34,133 --> 00:30:36,302
right at the end of the first
season of Saturday Night Live,
622
00:30:36,402 --> 00:30:39,238
so he could leave after
that first season,
no harm, no foul.
623
00:30:39,338 --> 00:30:41,173
NARRATOR: Jim says
goodbye to SNL
624
00:30:41,273 --> 00:30:44,310
and hello to legendary
British entertainment mogul,
625
00:30:44,410 --> 00:30:46,178
Sir Lew Grade.
626
00:30:46,278 --> 00:30:51,117
Lew Grade called from London
and said to him I've seen your
Sex and Violence pilot
627
00:30:51,217 --> 00:30:52,684
for The Muppet Show,
I think it's fantastic.
628
00:30:52,784 --> 00:30:56,155
Bring your people here to
London and we'll make it.
629
00:30:56,255 --> 00:30:58,690
Coming to England gave him
the creative freedom
630
00:30:58,790 --> 00:31:02,528
the resources, the financial
wherewithal to make the show
he wanted to make.
631
00:31:03,495 --> 00:31:06,165
It's The Muppet Show!
632
00:31:06,265 --> 00:31:08,834
NARRATOR: The show that
all the US networks
passed on
633
00:31:08,935 --> 00:31:12,304
begins taping in London
in January of '76.
634
00:31:12,404 --> 00:31:16,575
Jim's dream of a Muppet
series for all ages
is about to be realized.
635
00:31:17,476 --> 00:31:18,710
Say, what's happening?
636
00:31:18,810 --> 00:31:20,112
Hi.
637
00:31:20,212 --> 00:31:21,680
NARRATOR: Jim crafts
a weekly variety show
638
00:31:21,780 --> 00:31:24,550
featuring the Muppets
and their human guest stars,
639
00:31:24,650 --> 00:31:28,087
presided over by the show's
amphibian host and director.
640
00:31:28,187 --> 00:31:30,156
Scooter, get those
dancers off-stage!
641
00:31:30,256 --> 00:31:32,324
Beauregard,
get that scenery offstage!
Come on now, move it!
642
00:31:32,424 --> 00:31:34,360
BAKER: Kermit the Frog
was the leader,
643
00:31:34,460 --> 00:31:36,195
Kermit the Frog was the guy
that the whole show
was built around.
644
00:31:36,295 --> 00:31:38,430
Let's hear it for me!
Yay!
645
00:31:38,530 --> 00:31:42,301
But you take Kermit away
and you've got very humble
Jim underneath it.
646
00:31:42,401 --> 00:31:45,071
Kermit's function on the show
is very much like my own.
647
00:31:45,171 --> 00:31:48,240
He's trying to hold together
this group of crazies.
648
00:31:48,340 --> 00:31:50,476
(ALL SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
649
00:31:51,777 --> 00:31:54,180
-(SCREAMING) Watch out!
-(GRUNTS)
650
00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:59,385
He was able to be controlling
and in charge through Kermit
651
00:31:59,485 --> 00:32:03,555
in a way that he couldn't
ever when he was
just being Jim.
652
00:32:03,655 --> 00:32:05,724
It was just a lot of fun.
653
00:32:05,824 --> 00:32:08,127
A lot of hard work,
a lot of fun.
654
00:32:08,227 --> 00:32:10,129
AS MISS PIGGY:
Oh, Roger!
655
00:32:10,229 --> 00:32:12,999
Because, with Jim,
hard work and fun
are synonymous.
656
00:32:13,099 --> 00:32:14,866
In order make it look
good up there
657
00:32:14,967 --> 00:32:16,735
it has to be uncomfortable
down here.
658
00:32:16,835 --> 00:32:20,006
There was a scene where Piggy
was supposed to slap Kermit
659
00:32:20,106 --> 00:32:22,541
and in rehearsals,
I don't know quite
why I did it,
660
00:32:22,641 --> 00:32:24,743
but instead of slapping him
I karate chopped him.
661
00:32:24,843 --> 00:32:28,247
-Hi-yah!
-(SCREAMING)
662
00:32:28,347 --> 00:32:31,717
He really chopped and
everybody was on the floor
laughing
663
00:32:31,817 --> 00:32:35,487
and we all knew
that this was probably
gonna be the life of the pig.
664
00:32:35,587 --> 00:32:36,822
Hi-yah!
665
00:32:36,922 --> 00:32:39,391
-Hi-yah!
-Ah!
666
00:32:39,491 --> 00:32:42,094
Jim encouraged collaboration
something fierce.
667
00:32:42,194 --> 00:32:43,662
Like the janitor
could come up and say,
668
00:32:43,762 --> 00:32:45,497
"Hey, wouldn't it
be great if Piggy did
such and such?"
669
00:32:45,597 --> 00:32:47,233
And if he liked the idea,
he would use it.
670
00:32:47,333 --> 00:32:49,301
OZ: He was not
about ownership,
he was about quality.
671
00:32:49,401 --> 00:32:50,436
Yes!
672
00:32:50,536 --> 00:32:52,938
He was about doing
the best job possible.
673
00:32:53,039 --> 00:32:55,407
And he valued
everybody who worked with him
674
00:32:55,507 --> 00:32:58,144
as contributors and
not just employees.
675
00:32:58,244 --> 00:33:00,146
I would like to now see,
676
00:33:00,246 --> 00:33:02,481
you all starting to march
back towards the boat.
677
00:33:02,581 --> 00:33:03,849
Yes. Fine.
678
00:33:03,949 --> 00:33:07,653
You worked with Jim.
You didn't necessarily
work for him.
679
00:33:07,753 --> 00:33:09,855
He got the best out of people
680
00:33:09,955 --> 00:33:11,590
not from screaming
and shouting.
681
00:33:11,690 --> 00:33:13,159
-I think it should definitely
be night.
-...with fireflies.
682
00:33:13,259 --> 00:33:14,893
Yeah, it's moonlight
and fireflies.
683
00:33:14,993 --> 00:33:16,528
He did it in his
own gentle way,
684
00:33:16,628 --> 00:33:18,830
and because of
the way he treated people,
685
00:33:18,930 --> 00:33:20,366
he got it back
in bucket loads.
686
00:33:20,466 --> 00:33:23,469
Yes, he plundered
his plundering and he...
687
00:33:23,569 --> 00:33:26,305
(ALL LAUGHING)
688
00:33:26,405 --> 00:33:28,507
NARRATOR: The Muppet Show
premieres on US television
689
00:33:28,607 --> 00:33:30,509
in September of '76.
690
00:33:30,609 --> 00:33:32,911
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Great Gonzo!
691
00:33:33,011 --> 00:33:34,380
-(ENGINE RUMBLING)
-Whoa!
692
00:33:38,284 --> 00:33:42,888
Not only did The Muppet Show
go on to be the number one
show in the world,
693
00:33:42,988 --> 00:33:45,557
it was also a huge hit
in America.
694
00:33:45,657 --> 00:33:48,127
The Muppet Show was massive.
When I was growing up,
695
00:33:48,227 --> 00:33:49,661
there were fewer channels.
696
00:33:49,761 --> 00:33:52,264
And so when The Muppets would
be on it was a big giant deal.
697
00:33:52,364 --> 00:33:53,532
-Where? Oh, this lever!
-This lever over here...
698
00:33:53,632 --> 00:33:54,600
No, this lever!
699
00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:56,535
(BOTH SCREAMING)
700
00:33:57,769 --> 00:33:59,238
They were gigantic in the UK,
701
00:33:59,338 --> 00:34:01,907
the US and Canada and Japan,
702
00:34:02,007 --> 00:34:03,209
all over the world.
703
00:34:03,309 --> 00:34:04,743
The Muppet Show backstage.
704
00:34:06,878 --> 00:34:10,116
It was pretty exciting when my
father got the chance to make
705
00:34:10,216 --> 00:34:12,318
The Muppet Show in London
706
00:34:12,418 --> 00:34:14,486
The only sad thing,
in a sense, was that
707
00:34:14,586 --> 00:34:17,223
he had to go and spend
so much time away
from the family.
708
00:34:17,323 --> 00:34:19,525
We were all going back and
forth and visiting him there.
709
00:34:21,527 --> 00:34:23,429
NARRATOR: The time spent apart
710
00:34:23,529 --> 00:34:26,232
is a strain on Jim's
relationship with
his wife, Jane.
711
00:34:26,332 --> 00:34:27,999
She had five kids
and it's, uh...
712
00:34:28,100 --> 00:34:29,668
That's a full time job.
713
00:34:29,768 --> 00:34:33,839
She took care of a pretty
large and chaotic family.
714
00:34:33,939 --> 00:34:36,308
My mom's world
was the family life.
715
00:34:36,408 --> 00:34:40,479
My dad would be there
sometimes, but it
was more like
716
00:34:40,579 --> 00:34:42,748
he had his world of the
making of the shows.
717
00:34:42,848 --> 00:34:44,750
(YELPING)
718
00:34:44,850 --> 00:34:47,419
NARRATOR:
Henson and his Muppets are
on top of the world.
719
00:34:47,519 --> 00:34:51,290
But for Jim, there
are always new
creative worlds to conquer.
720
00:34:51,390 --> 00:34:54,593
The Muppet Show was the most
watched show in the world,
721
00:34:54,693 --> 00:34:56,462
and now, next.
722
00:34:56,562 --> 00:35:00,299
Jim's focus became more
and more on the movies,
723
00:35:00,399 --> 00:35:01,833
first the Muppet movies.
724
00:35:04,536 --> 00:35:07,373
You hadn't really had an
entire all-puppet cast
725
00:35:07,473 --> 00:35:11,277
carrying a movie
out in the real world.
726
00:35:11,377 --> 00:35:14,946
HENSON: Jim Frawley,
who was the director,
wanted to shoot in studio.
727
00:35:15,046 --> 00:35:17,649
I was really trying to
talk him into shooting
outdoors and I said,
728
00:35:17,749 --> 00:35:20,952
"Come on over" and he brought
a Super-8 camera and we shot
729
00:35:21,052 --> 00:35:22,954
footage of the
characters outdoors.
730
00:35:23,054 --> 00:35:26,858
Frank and Jim went out in the
countryside in England,
731
00:35:26,958 --> 00:35:28,927
in front of a bunch of cows.
732
00:35:29,027 --> 00:35:30,496
Have you ever been to Los...
733
00:35:30,596 --> 00:35:32,231
Have you ever been
to Los...
Excuse me.
734
00:35:32,331 --> 00:35:34,700
Have you ever been
to Los Angeles. (CHUCKLING)
735
00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,704
(CHUCKLING) Okay, I think
I've milked this far
enough, right, guys?
736
00:35:38,804 --> 00:35:41,240
NARRATOR: Jim and Frank's
experiment is a success
737
00:35:41,340 --> 00:35:44,109
and The Muppet Movie
opens in 1979.
738
00:35:44,210 --> 00:35:45,977
Yeah, well I've
got a dream too.
739
00:35:46,077 --> 00:35:49,181
But it's about singing
and dancing and
making people happy.
740
00:35:49,281 --> 00:35:52,418
Jim was always looking for
something that could be
done simple
741
00:35:52,518 --> 00:35:54,253
but leave people saying,
"How did they do that?"
742
00:35:54,353 --> 00:35:56,588
Gonzo, what are you doing?
743
00:35:56,688 --> 00:35:58,324
About seven knots!
744
00:35:58,424 --> 00:36:02,127
I remember watching and seeing
Kermit riding on a bike
745
00:36:02,228 --> 00:36:04,530
and having just no idea
how that could be done.
746
00:36:04,630 --> 00:36:07,566
He had an idea and then
nothing would stop him
from doing it.
747
00:36:07,666 --> 00:36:10,269
If it was impossible,
he would make it possible.
748
00:36:10,369 --> 00:36:13,505
The first day I came to visit
him on the set of The
Muppet Movie, "Where's Jim?"
749
00:36:13,605 --> 00:36:15,541
"Oh, he's underwater."
Like, what?
750
00:36:15,641 --> 00:36:17,676
Kermit was on a
log in the swamp,
751
00:36:17,776 --> 00:36:21,079
and Jim's like
underwater in a tank.
752
00:36:21,179 --> 00:36:23,048
NARRATOR: The Muppet Movie
is a smash hit,
753
00:36:23,148 --> 00:36:24,583
as is
The Great Muppet Caper,
754
00:36:24,683 --> 00:36:27,453
which opens in the
summer of 1981.
755
00:36:27,553 --> 00:36:30,121
That same year,
Jim does the unthinkable.
756
00:36:30,222 --> 00:36:32,624
Despite its
soaring popularity,
757
00:36:32,724 --> 00:36:36,328
he ends The Muppet Show's
five year TV run.
758
00:36:36,428 --> 00:36:38,163
We had a wonderful
time doing it.
759
00:36:38,264 --> 00:36:40,399
You know, and I think
it was, uh, really,
760
00:36:40,499 --> 00:36:43,269
five delicious
years in my life.
761
00:36:43,369 --> 00:36:46,672
Jim wanted to stop
when we were at our best.
762
00:36:46,772 --> 00:36:49,541
I realize now,
that was a golden time.
763
00:36:49,641 --> 00:36:52,010
It was magical and
it was a grind.
764
00:36:52,110 --> 00:36:54,380
Anybody who does
a series on TV
765
00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,316
knows it is a
relentless thing,
every single week
766
00:36:57,416 --> 00:36:58,850
and you're working like hell
767
00:36:58,950 --> 00:37:02,421
and there's nobody, nobody
who worked harder than Jim.
768
00:37:02,521 --> 00:37:03,722
CHERYL: The Muppet
Show was fantastic,
769
00:37:03,822 --> 00:37:05,724
but he wanted to
keep experimenting.
770
00:37:05,824 --> 00:37:07,559
He wanted to keep
trying new things.
771
00:37:07,659 --> 00:37:09,561
He said, "You know,
we do cute really well."
772
00:37:09,661 --> 00:37:12,230
But then, you know,
this whole fantasy world
773
00:37:12,331 --> 00:37:13,899
was something that
he really loved.
774
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:19,170
Jim had this dream of
775
00:37:19,271 --> 00:37:23,609
being recognized as an artist,
uh, and not simply
an entertainer.
776
00:37:23,709 --> 00:37:28,414
And this led him into
the fantasy world
of The Dark Crystal.
777
00:37:29,014 --> 00:37:31,350
Trial by stone.
778
00:37:31,450 --> 00:37:33,719
Trial by stone!
779
00:37:35,854 --> 00:37:37,956
Part of the desire was to
create a whole new world.
780
00:37:38,056 --> 00:37:41,393
You know, to start all over
and design everything.
781
00:37:41,493 --> 00:37:44,062
There is much to be learned.
782
00:37:44,162 --> 00:37:47,198
And you have no time!
783
00:37:47,299 --> 00:37:49,801
NARRATOR: Jim enlists artist
and designer, Brian Froud,
784
00:37:49,901 --> 00:37:52,170
to collaborate on the
characters and environment
785
00:37:52,270 --> 00:37:54,306
for his 1982 feature film,
786
00:37:54,406 --> 00:37:55,841
The Dark Crystal.
787
00:37:55,941 --> 00:37:57,876
We just were exploring the
possibilities of characters.
788
00:37:57,976 --> 00:38:00,245
I was sketching first,
789
00:38:00,346 --> 00:38:04,616
and then I made
little models of the
Skeksis and the Mystics.
790
00:38:04,716 --> 00:38:06,652
The story wasn't
really defined until
791
00:38:06,752 --> 00:38:09,287
Jim and Cheryl got stuck
in a blizzard at JFK.
792
00:38:09,388 --> 00:38:11,222
We were stuck there
for a couple of days
793
00:38:11,323 --> 00:38:17,095
and it allowed my dad the time
to actually think through a
lot of the ideas
794
00:38:17,195 --> 00:38:19,064
that he had
brewing in his head.
795
00:38:19,164 --> 00:38:21,667
The thing that is incredible
about The Dark Crystal,
796
00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:26,104
is that everything you
see up there on screen
is made by hand.
797
00:38:26,204 --> 00:38:27,873
We were, in those days,
pioneering.
798
00:38:27,973 --> 00:38:31,710
We didn't know quite
how to do this and
how to manipulate them,
799
00:38:31,810 --> 00:38:33,779
and what scale they
were going to be.
800
00:38:33,879 --> 00:38:35,847
NARRATOR: Dark Crystal's
complex combination
801
00:38:35,947 --> 00:38:39,385
of manual and remote-control
puppetry is daunting.
802
00:38:39,485 --> 00:38:44,289
I said, "This is it!"
Jim's optimism has really
gotten beyond him this time.
803
00:38:44,390 --> 00:38:46,858
CHERYL: The whole thing
was very complex
804
00:38:46,958 --> 00:38:49,294
and my father really poured
his heart and soul
805
00:38:49,395 --> 00:38:51,162
and his own personal money
806
00:38:51,262 --> 00:38:53,865
into getting this
film finished.
807
00:38:53,965 --> 00:38:58,770
We had such high expectations
for what it was going to be,
808
00:38:58,870 --> 00:39:01,507
and it's almost as though
nothing could live up
809
00:39:01,607 --> 00:39:03,709
to those expectations.
810
00:39:03,809 --> 00:39:06,044
NARRATOR: The Dark Crystal
opens to mixed reviews
811
00:39:06,144 --> 00:39:10,416
and fewer ticket sales
than Henson's blockbuster
Muppet movies.
812
00:39:10,516 --> 00:39:13,485
BRIAN: People thought it was
a little too out there,
a little bit too weird,
813
00:39:13,585 --> 00:39:15,887
a little too serious,
a little too heavy.
814
00:39:15,987 --> 00:39:17,523
They're like,
"Where's the Muppets?
815
00:39:17,623 --> 00:39:19,725
"We want the Muppets.
What is this thing?"
816
00:39:19,825 --> 00:39:22,293
OZ: Dark Crystal
was not a huge success.
817
00:39:22,394 --> 00:39:24,730
It hurt him that, uh...
818
00:39:24,830 --> 00:39:28,333
Dark Crystal wasn't
received as
he thought it would've been.
819
00:39:28,434 --> 00:39:32,438
The Dark Crystal
was considered to be
a bit of an aberration,
820
00:39:32,538 --> 00:39:34,873
sort of a
a slightly weird cul-de-sac.
821
00:39:34,973 --> 00:39:39,545
But, I could see it was
expressing the very
heart of who he was.
822
00:39:44,315 --> 00:39:47,285
NARRATOR: After work on
The Dark Crystal
is over in London,
823
00:39:47,385 --> 00:39:49,054
Jim returns to New York,
824
00:39:49,154 --> 00:39:51,022
but it's no happy homecoming.
825
00:39:51,122 --> 00:39:54,626
After nearly a quarter century
of marriage and five children,
826
00:39:54,726 --> 00:39:56,528
he and Jane have grown apart.
827
00:39:56,628 --> 00:39:59,197
And Jim has been
seeing other women.
828
00:39:59,297 --> 00:40:01,633
They agree to a
formal separation.
829
00:40:01,733 --> 00:40:03,835
Even when at times
they didn't get along,
830
00:40:03,935 --> 00:40:06,004
very well personally
later on,
831
00:40:06,104 --> 00:40:08,607
he totally trusted
her creative opinion
832
00:40:08,707 --> 00:40:12,377
and she had an
impeccable taste level,
833
00:40:12,478 --> 00:40:14,980
so they continued to
have that dialogue always.
834
00:40:25,757 --> 00:40:28,026
-This is the touch
wall, right.
-Yeah.
835
00:40:28,126 --> 00:40:30,261
NARRATOR: With the prime time
success of The Muppet Show,
836
00:40:30,361 --> 00:40:33,899
Jim no longer fears being
labeled a kid's entertainer,
837
00:40:33,999 --> 00:40:37,469
so he launches a new
children's show in 1983.
838
00:40:38,203 --> 00:40:40,205
* Dance your cares away
839
00:40:40,305 --> 00:40:42,273
* Worries for another day
840
00:40:42,373 --> 00:40:44,375
* And let the music play
841
00:40:44,476 --> 00:40:46,177
* Down at Fraggle Rock
842
00:40:46,277 --> 00:40:48,914
Fraggle Rock was
his global show.
843
00:40:49,014 --> 00:40:50,916
That was his show for
the whole world.
844
00:40:51,016 --> 00:40:52,718
MAN: Fraggles
are a noble race.
845
00:40:52,818 --> 00:40:56,021
-(WHOOPING)
-Fearless, dignified,
intellectual.
846
00:40:56,121 --> 00:41:00,225
He said to us all,
let's make a series that's
going to stop war.
847
00:41:02,193 --> 00:41:04,496
If we're going to make a
series that's gonna
stop war in the world,
848
00:41:04,596 --> 00:41:07,633
well, you have to
start with kids because
adults, it's too late.
849
00:41:07,733 --> 00:41:11,202
Well, I know what I'd do, if I
was faced with such a tragedy.
850
00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:12,437
So do I.
851
00:41:12,538 --> 00:41:13,872
So do I.
852
00:41:13,972 --> 00:41:16,708
In fact, I've been preparing
for it all my life.
853
00:41:16,808 --> 00:41:19,144
NARRATOR: Premiering in
January of 1983,
854
00:41:19,244 --> 00:41:21,547
Fraggle Rock is the first
original series
855
00:41:21,647 --> 00:41:24,082
on the new cable channel, HBO.
856
00:41:24,182 --> 00:41:25,684
The Trash Heap knows all.
857
00:41:25,784 --> 00:41:27,953
The Trash Heap tells all.
858
00:41:28,053 --> 00:41:31,823
Let's face it, boys,
the Trash Heap is all.
859
00:41:31,923 --> 00:41:33,992
NARRATOR: Fraggle Rock's
success reintroduces
860
00:41:34,092 --> 00:41:37,228
the Muppets to
a new generation
of TV viewers.
861
00:41:37,328 --> 00:41:41,232
But Jim hasn't given up
on his fantasy film vision.
862
00:41:41,332 --> 00:41:46,638
We were exhausted by the
end of The Dark Crystal and we
sort of said, "Never again."
863
00:41:46,738 --> 00:41:50,341
But we were at a showing of
Dark Crystal in San Francisco.
864
00:41:50,441 --> 00:41:52,010
Jim just looked
at me and said,
865
00:41:52,110 --> 00:41:53,378
"Should we do another?"
866
00:41:53,478 --> 00:41:55,914
And I said, "Well, why not?"
(CHUCKLING)
867
00:41:56,014 --> 00:41:58,183
NARRATOR: Responding to
criticism of Dark Crystal
868
00:41:58,283 --> 00:42:01,219
as being too dark and
without human characters,
869
00:42:01,319 --> 00:42:05,390
Jim revises his approach on
his 1986 film, Labyrinth.
870
00:42:05,490 --> 00:42:07,292
He brought on
Terry Jones to write it
871
00:42:07,392 --> 00:42:10,495
and he had that lighter
Monty Python-kind of feeling.
872
00:42:10,596 --> 00:42:12,363
-He always lies.
-I do not.
873
00:42:12,463 --> 00:42:14,432
-I tell the truth.
-Oh, what a lie!
874
00:42:14,532 --> 00:42:16,467
(LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY)
875
00:42:16,568 --> 00:42:17,903
There were some real actors
876
00:42:18,003 --> 00:42:19,805
with David Bowie and
Jennifer Connelly.
877
00:42:19,905 --> 00:42:22,207
Look what I'm offering you.
878
00:42:22,307 --> 00:42:24,576
NARRATOR:
While technologically
groundbreaking,
879
00:42:24,676 --> 00:42:27,278
Labyrinth is not a
commercial success.
880
00:42:29,948 --> 00:42:34,185
He did take that hard
when Labyrinth came out
and the reviews weren't great.
881
00:42:34,285 --> 00:42:36,021
It was kind of devastating.
882
00:42:36,121 --> 00:42:39,691
CHERYL: He felt like
he had hit the
notes he needed to hit
883
00:42:39,791 --> 00:42:42,093
to get people to like it
884
00:42:42,193 --> 00:42:43,929
and it still fell flat.
885
00:42:44,029 --> 00:42:46,297
He was uncertain.
He was disappointed.
886
00:42:46,397 --> 00:42:49,668
His confidence was shaken.
887
00:42:49,768 --> 00:42:54,906
FROUD: Jim was disappointed
but he was really proud of
them as a piece of art,
888
00:42:55,006 --> 00:42:57,442
and indeed he
was right to be proud
889
00:42:57,542 --> 00:43:02,580
that over the years
it's not just become
a classic, but it became
890
00:43:02,681 --> 00:43:04,149
really influential.
891
00:43:11,957 --> 00:43:14,960
I could see over the years
how fatigued he looked
892
00:43:15,060 --> 00:43:17,128
'cause he was handling
so many projects
893
00:43:17,228 --> 00:43:19,464
and trying to keep this going
and that going
894
00:43:19,564 --> 00:43:23,769
and I began to see
it in his face
how exhausted he was.
895
00:43:23,869 --> 00:43:27,138
NARRATOR: Between running the
company in New York
and the company in London,
896
00:43:27,238 --> 00:43:31,276
Jim is looking for
much-needed relief by 1989.
897
00:43:31,376 --> 00:43:32,577
OZ: He was just exhausted.
898
00:43:32,678 --> 00:43:34,813
And he had a company
of 300 people.
899
00:43:34,913 --> 00:43:36,882
So he would be
flying everywhere
900
00:43:36,982 --> 00:43:39,350
because he had to
have his hand in
everything 'cause he was
901
00:43:39,450 --> 00:43:40,485
the boss and he
had the vision.
902
00:43:40,585 --> 00:43:41,987
It's...it's tough.
903
00:43:42,087 --> 00:43:44,322
And so, he told me, you know,
he just didn't wanna
904
00:43:44,422 --> 00:43:45,857
do that anymore.
He wanted a...
905
00:43:45,957 --> 00:43:47,392
He wanted to just create.
906
00:43:47,492 --> 00:43:49,260
FRITH: There were all those
layers of bureaucracy
907
00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:51,897
that begin to build
up even in a little
908
00:43:51,997 --> 00:43:55,300
funny organization or
disorganization like ours.
909
00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:57,135
There was just a lot of stuff.
910
00:43:57,235 --> 00:44:01,339
As he saw it,
Disney was gonna
take over all that stuff.
911
00:44:01,439 --> 00:44:03,842
My dad had a
great relationship
with Michael Eisner.
912
00:44:03,942 --> 00:44:05,510
They had known each
other for many years.
913
00:44:05,610 --> 00:44:08,847
NARRATOR: Jim, who likes to do
business on a handshake,
914
00:44:08,947 --> 00:44:12,450
begins merger negotiations
with Disney Company CEO,
915
00:44:12,550 --> 00:44:13,852
Michael Eisner.
916
00:44:13,952 --> 00:44:16,722
He looked forward to a company
that would be financing
917
00:44:16,822 --> 00:44:18,656
all new products
and new movies.
918
00:44:18,757 --> 00:44:20,959
And he loved the parks.
919
00:44:21,059 --> 00:44:24,963
Jim was a tremendous
admirer of Walt Disney
and what he accomplished.
920
00:44:25,063 --> 00:44:28,099
My father kind of thought
it was pointless to be
in any theme park
921
00:44:28,199 --> 00:44:31,069
other than the Disney parks
because they were the best.
922
00:44:31,169 --> 00:44:35,040
He needed to find a way that
the Muppets could thrive
923
00:44:35,140 --> 00:44:38,143
without it taking so much
of his time and effort
924
00:44:38,243 --> 00:44:40,678
'cause he wanted to
experiment with other stuff.
925
00:44:40,779 --> 00:44:42,647
He was looking for protection
for his characters,
926
00:44:42,748 --> 00:44:46,885
knew that I cared desperately
about the quality of his work,
927
00:44:46,985 --> 00:44:49,354
knew that I understood
his work,
928
00:44:49,454 --> 00:44:52,223
and that Disney would
protect his work forever.
929
00:44:52,323 --> 00:44:56,527
We were starting to work
on projects as though
the deal had been done.
930
00:44:56,627 --> 00:45:00,832
NARRATOR: Jim begins work
on the Muppet Vision 3-D
attraction at Disney World.
931
00:45:00,932 --> 00:45:03,001
He was getting to play
in the third dimension.
932
00:45:03,101 --> 00:45:05,336
We were gonna make more movies
and television shows.
933
00:45:05,436 --> 00:45:09,707
He was gonna be
treated well financially.
934
00:45:09,808 --> 00:45:12,844
Then came a terrible
negotiation period,
935
00:45:12,944 --> 00:45:15,313
then came the lawyers
936
00:45:15,413 --> 00:45:19,350
and that was very
draining on my dad.
937
00:45:19,450 --> 00:45:20,952
OZ: It did wear him
down a great deal.
938
00:45:21,052 --> 00:45:22,687
He was trying to make
something work
939
00:45:22,788 --> 00:45:25,190
but he had to make
it work for himself,
940
00:45:25,290 --> 00:45:26,524
for the characters,
for the Muppets
941
00:45:26,624 --> 00:45:28,860
and for the people around him,
and it wasn't working.
942
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:32,230
He said something about
"The goddamn deal,"
943
00:45:32,330 --> 00:45:34,866
referring to the
Disney negotiations.
944
00:45:34,966 --> 00:45:37,468
And I was rocked
when he said that.
945
00:45:37,568 --> 00:45:40,571
Because for him to say
"The goddamn deal"
was like
946
00:45:40,671 --> 00:45:44,642
anybody else
letting off with a 10 minute
stream of expletives.
947
00:45:44,742 --> 00:45:46,778
He was worn down.
948
00:45:46,878 --> 00:45:50,148
His system, I think, was not
as strong during this time
period and he got sick.
949
00:45:50,248 --> 00:45:52,683
But I don't think he wouldn't
have gotten as sick had he
950
00:45:52,784 --> 00:45:55,153
not been worn down
by the deal that much.
951
00:45:55,253 --> 00:45:56,788
We were in
Walt Disney World together.
952
00:45:56,888 --> 00:45:58,356
He and I and his daughter.
953
00:45:58,456 --> 00:46:00,992
And he got the flu.
954
00:46:01,559 --> 00:46:02,794
My dad
955
00:46:03,594 --> 00:46:05,230
very rarely got sick.
956
00:46:05,330 --> 00:46:08,466
Um, but he did seem to have a
cold and he seemed exhausted.
957
00:46:08,566 --> 00:46:11,102
OZ: He didn't know how
sick he was, I'm sure.
958
00:46:11,202 --> 00:46:14,005
Whatever illness
he had, he thought he
could take care of it,
959
00:46:14,105 --> 00:46:15,673
and he didn't think it
was that serious.
960
00:46:15,773 --> 00:46:19,244
My dad didn't really like
going to doctors much.
961
00:46:19,344 --> 00:46:22,881
And it has
certainly something to do
with his upbringing
962
00:46:22,981 --> 00:46:25,016
and his mother being
a Christian Scientist.
963
00:46:25,116 --> 00:46:27,718
He would never go to a doctor
and get antibiotics.
964
00:46:27,819 --> 00:46:29,554
Really, he'd just always
weather through it.
965
00:46:29,654 --> 00:46:31,356
FRITH: He canceled
his sessions
966
00:46:31,456 --> 00:46:34,759
on Sesame Street that day,
which was unheard of.
967
00:46:34,860 --> 00:46:36,394
Everybody joked about Jim.
968
00:46:36,494 --> 00:46:39,164
Jim the Iron Man,
you know.
No matter how
969
00:46:39,264 --> 00:46:41,499
lousy he felt he
would always turn up.
970
00:46:41,599 --> 00:46:45,636
GANZ COONEY:
He came home and was sick,
but he didn't want a doctor.
971
00:46:45,736 --> 00:46:48,974
Then he called Jane
to come in and stay with him.
972
00:46:49,074 --> 00:46:51,376
They were about
to get a divorce,
973
00:46:51,476 --> 00:46:55,313
which showed you that he was
scared in some way at bottom.
974
00:46:56,281 --> 00:46:57,582
I got called
975
00:46:58,850 --> 00:47:00,919
as he was going
to the hospital, like,
976
00:47:01,019 --> 00:47:02,854
"What do you mean,
he's going to the hospital?"
977
00:47:02,954 --> 00:47:05,256
Jim and I shared an assistant.
978
00:47:05,356 --> 00:47:06,892
And, um...
979
00:47:06,992 --> 00:47:09,527
I came in and I said,
"Where's Jim?"
980
00:47:09,627 --> 00:47:12,864
And she said he's in the
hospital, he's got a bad flu.
981
00:47:13,798 --> 00:47:15,333
And I said, "Okay."
982
00:47:15,433 --> 00:47:17,235
But then she said he's in
intensive care and I said,
983
00:47:17,335 --> 00:47:20,305
"Wait a second" and
I was thinking to
myself something...
984
00:47:20,405 --> 00:47:22,007
Something is wrong.
985
00:47:22,107 --> 00:47:24,509
JONES: They put him in
the ICU almost
immediately
986
00:47:24,609 --> 00:47:27,112
and he was unconscious
in less than two hours
987
00:47:27,212 --> 00:47:29,180
and never regained
consciousness again.
988
00:47:33,451 --> 00:47:36,854
NARRATOR: In the early morning
hours of May 16, 1990,
989
00:47:36,955 --> 00:47:39,324
Jim Henson dies
of organ failure,
990
00:47:39,424 --> 00:47:43,194
resulting from streptococcal
toxic shock syndrome.
991
00:47:43,294 --> 00:47:46,031
The phone rang,
and it was Frank Oz
992
00:47:46,131 --> 00:47:50,035
and he said,
"Joan, Jim is dead."
993
00:47:50,135 --> 00:47:53,671
And I, you...
I had a hard time
staying on my feet.
994
00:47:53,771 --> 00:47:59,010
I would vacillate between
profound grief and then anger
995
00:47:59,110 --> 00:48:04,649
of why didn't you,
why didn't you
do the sensible thing?
996
00:48:04,749 --> 00:48:06,484
But it was all too late.
997
00:48:06,584 --> 00:48:09,554
I heard two doctors talking
about the fact that he just...
998
00:48:09,654 --> 00:48:12,657
That he just came in too late.
999
00:48:12,757 --> 00:48:18,129
They said another hour or two
would have helped, would
have made the difference.
1000
00:48:18,229 --> 00:48:22,200
One shot of penicillin
would have solved
the whole problem.
1001
00:48:22,300 --> 00:48:25,436
It took your breath.
You couldn't believe it.
He was a young man.
1002
00:48:25,536 --> 00:48:29,440
He was the heart
and soul of the family.
1003
00:48:29,540 --> 00:48:34,145
And the idea of him passing
was so unacceptable.
1004
00:48:49,860 --> 00:48:51,296
NARRATOR:
Five days after his death,
1005
00:48:51,396 --> 00:48:53,264
a memorial service is held at
1006
00:48:53,364 --> 00:48:57,102
the Cathedral of St. John,
the Divine, in New York City.
1007
00:48:57,202 --> 00:49:00,871
Six thousand people showed up.
We were all just shattered.
1008
00:49:00,972 --> 00:49:04,609
OZ: The loss was so great that
I think we just didn't
accept it at that time.
1009
00:49:04,709 --> 00:49:07,212
Our job was to honor him.
1010
00:49:07,312 --> 00:49:09,314
And I think that
carried us through.
1011
00:49:09,414 --> 00:49:11,716
And I remember the bishop
in New York saying,
1012
00:49:11,816 --> 00:49:15,720
"I've never felt closer to
the Kingdom of Heaven,
than I feel at this moment."
1013
00:49:15,820 --> 00:49:19,390
* It's not that easy
1014
00:49:19,490 --> 00:49:21,126
* Being green
1015
00:49:21,226 --> 00:49:24,729
Oh, my God, there was not a
dry eye in the place.
1016
00:49:26,197 --> 00:49:28,033
Thank you, Kermit.
1017
00:49:34,939 --> 00:49:37,808
KENWORTHY:
It was a company
built entirely around Jim.
1018
00:49:37,908 --> 00:49:40,378
People said,
what would
ever happen if...
1019
00:49:40,478 --> 00:49:42,180
You know, if Jim
wasn't here, well...
1020
00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:44,015
You knew the
company would fold.
1021
00:49:44,115 --> 00:49:46,651
It couldn't... It couldn't
go on. And then,
1022
00:49:46,751 --> 00:49:49,620
suddenly out of the blue
here was that very situation.
1023
00:49:49,720 --> 00:49:51,456
There was kind of a
threshold question of like,
1024
00:49:51,556 --> 00:49:54,225
"Oh, well, should it all
just be shut down right now?"
1025
00:49:54,325 --> 00:49:57,695
All of us said
we wanted to go on.
1026
00:49:57,795 --> 00:50:02,167
We just... We saw it
as a life's work,
and we would like to continue.
1027
00:50:02,267 --> 00:50:04,802
NARRATOR: When Jim's hero,
Edgar Bergen, passed away,
1028
00:50:04,902 --> 00:50:08,039
his puppet sidekick
Charlie McCarthy was retired.
1029
00:50:08,139 --> 00:50:09,807
Now, with Jim gone,
1030
00:50:09,907 --> 00:50:12,410
the fate of Kermit
is uncertain.
1031
00:50:12,510 --> 00:50:15,846
When Kermit dies,
what message do
you want to send?
1032
00:50:15,946 --> 00:50:19,850
I think you're trying to send
children a message that
1033
00:50:19,950 --> 00:50:21,752
in some way,
life goes on.
1034
00:50:21,852 --> 00:50:24,155
Because it would have been
unthinkable for kids.
1035
00:50:24,255 --> 00:50:27,092
It would have been
a death in the family.
1036
00:50:27,192 --> 00:50:29,094
A decision was reached
1037
00:50:29,194 --> 00:50:31,196
that if Jim could
have his say,
1038
00:50:31,296 --> 00:50:33,731
there'd not be a
doubt in his mind
1039
00:50:33,831 --> 00:50:36,701
that Kermit should come back
and Kermit should go on.
1040
00:50:36,801 --> 00:50:39,437
-Oh, a post card from
my uncle, Kermit.
-What's it say?
1041
00:50:39,537 --> 00:50:42,307
I forgot to tell you that the
big production number
1042
00:50:42,407 --> 00:50:45,543
is meant to be a tribute
to Jim Henson.
1043
00:50:45,643 --> 00:50:49,280
An emotional CBS
special, The Muppets
Celebrate Jim Henson,
1044
00:50:49,380 --> 00:50:52,350
airs on November 21, 1990,
1045
00:50:52,450 --> 00:50:54,819
six months after Jim's death.
1046
00:50:54,919 --> 00:50:57,188
I remember this
Jim Henson fella.
1047
00:50:57,288 --> 00:50:59,324
-Oh, yeah?
-Yeah, he was
always hanging around.
1048
00:50:59,424 --> 00:51:01,226
-Where, where?
-Where?
1049
00:51:01,326 --> 00:51:02,293
Uh...
Down there.
1050
00:51:02,393 --> 00:51:04,395
There were some heavy times,
1051
00:51:04,495 --> 00:51:07,732
but there were
moments in which
nobody could say anything.
1052
00:51:07,832 --> 00:51:11,636
"I feel very sorry
that your best
friend, Jim died."
1053
00:51:11,736 --> 00:51:13,338
What, died?
1054
00:51:13,438 --> 00:51:15,673
We were just starting
to get to know him.
1055
00:51:15,773 --> 00:51:16,741
(SIGHS)
1056
00:51:16,841 --> 00:51:20,077
I... I always felt like
his presence was around
1057
00:51:20,178 --> 00:51:22,380
in the characters.
1058
00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:25,416
And we'll be seeing you soon
with more Muppet stuff because
1059
00:51:25,516 --> 00:51:27,418
that's the way the
boss would want it.
1060
00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:32,557
NARRATOR: In September
of 2003, Jim's old friend,
1061
00:51:32,657 --> 00:51:36,294
Willard Scott, speaks
at the dedication of
a statue in Jim's memory
1062
00:51:36,394 --> 00:51:38,329
at the University of Maryland,
1063
00:51:38,429 --> 00:51:40,265
where Jim met Jane Nebel,
1064
00:51:40,365 --> 00:51:42,099
and their Muppet
journey began,
1065
00:51:42,200 --> 00:51:44,068
half a century before.
1066
00:51:44,169 --> 00:51:46,304
Little kids and
big kids like me
1067
00:51:46,404 --> 00:51:48,773
can sit in Jim's arm
1068
00:51:48,873 --> 00:51:50,341
and have pictures taken.
1069
00:51:50,441 --> 00:51:53,744
Anybody that loved Jim Henson
has got to see that.
1070
00:51:53,844 --> 00:51:57,582
NARRATOR: The next year,
15 years after
negotiations began,
1071
00:51:57,682 --> 00:52:00,285
the Disney deal
finally gets made,
1072
00:52:00,385 --> 00:52:02,853
insuring that Jim's Muppets
will live on.
1073
00:52:02,953 --> 00:52:08,559
As a family we asked Disney to
continue on the
tradition of the Muppets.
1074
00:52:08,659 --> 00:52:12,663
As a family we put
a lot of things into the
hands of Sesame Street.
1075
00:52:12,763 --> 00:52:17,502
My dad's legacy is being put
in a number of museums.
1076
00:52:17,602 --> 00:52:20,938
Jim has a legacy
like Charles Schulz
has a legacy,
1077
00:52:21,038 --> 00:52:24,008
like Walt Disney has a legacy.
1078
00:52:24,108 --> 00:52:25,810
It's the characters
that he left behind.
1079
00:52:31,148 --> 00:52:33,017
He didn't just open doors,
1080
00:52:33,117 --> 00:52:36,354
there was in the universe
a place where there
might be a door
1081
00:52:36,454 --> 00:52:38,323
that nobody had seen before.
1082
00:52:38,423 --> 00:52:41,726
And he recognized that door.
And he opened it.
1083
00:52:41,826 --> 00:52:47,365
He went in and he brought a
whole lot of people with him
1084
00:52:47,465 --> 00:52:51,802
who shared a
certain kind of vision.
1085
00:52:51,902 --> 00:52:55,740
* It's not easy being green
1086
00:52:55,840 --> 00:53:00,578
OZ: He was sweet and tough.
He was free
and had strong will.
1087
00:53:00,678 --> 00:53:04,148
He had a lot of fun
but he was very serious.
1088
00:53:04,249 --> 00:53:07,252
He was professional
but he was silly.
1089
00:53:07,352 --> 00:53:08,719
He was a very
good decent person
1090
00:53:08,819 --> 00:53:11,021
who had flaws
like anybody else.
1091
00:53:11,121 --> 00:53:13,724
But he always
1092
00:53:13,824 --> 00:53:16,661
had a higher calling
in mind, which is
1093
00:53:16,761 --> 00:53:18,796
to do good.
1094
00:53:18,896 --> 00:53:23,834
Everything about him was
to do good, be good, be kind,
1095
00:53:23,934 --> 00:53:26,371
be caring, help other people.
1096
00:53:26,471 --> 00:53:28,172
There's not a
week that goes by
1097
00:53:28,273 --> 00:53:30,241
that there isn't some
reason I don't think of
1098
00:53:30,341 --> 00:53:31,909
"How would Jim handle this?"
1099
00:53:32,009 --> 00:53:35,012
So, I carry him around.
I think all of us do.
1100
00:53:35,112 --> 00:53:39,417
He's gone,
but he's still around.
1101
00:53:39,517 --> 00:53:42,520
Jim was someone
of terrific curiosity,
1102
00:53:42,620 --> 00:53:46,357
ambition and drive and talent,
1103
00:53:46,457 --> 00:53:48,893
and it's extraordinary when
someone has a vision
1104
00:53:48,993 --> 00:53:50,895
and, and realizes it,
1105
00:53:50,995 --> 00:53:54,198
It's quite something when
characters you've created
1106
00:53:54,299 --> 00:53:56,000
have a life of their own.
1107
00:53:56,100 --> 00:53:57,835
It really is remarkable.
1108
00:53:59,169 --> 00:54:01,105
* I'm green
1109
00:54:01,205 --> 00:54:02,573
* It'll do fine
1110
00:54:03,308 --> 00:54:05,410
* It's beautiful
1111
00:54:05,510 --> 00:54:09,947
* And I think it's
What I wanna be *
92201
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