Puppet Master- Remembering Jim Henson

On May 16th, 1990, we lost one of the greatest entertainer’s that ever lived… Jim Henson. Jim passed of bacterial pneumonia far too soon. It was a tragic loss in the Hollywood community and a horrible loss, in general. Henson was a pioneer in the world of puppetry and his work and craft not only live on but, continue to teach us his skills of fabrication, the art of puppeteering and voice acting to this day. He brought us so many memorable characters, I can’t even count them all. He was and still is beloved by the young and old alike.

Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name for himself in the world of puppetry; he just wanted to work on television. Sam and Friends form 1955 was his first job in the TV game. It was a late-night puppet show airing after the 11:00 news in Washington DC. It proved to be very popular and inspired Jim to continue using puppets. He did various commercials, developing that Muppet humor that Henson Productions is very well known for. One of the main reasons for the success and popularity of his puppets is Henson realized he didn't need to hide himself or his puppeteers behind a structure when they were in front of a camera. Jim instructed the camera operators to focus on the puppets keeping the puppeteers out of the shot. This made it so the puppets would fill the TV frame and make them more lifelike.

His work with his puppets on television would lead to projects that took him to different places in the world of TV. The first one was on the The Jimmy Dean Show in 1963 where he created the character, Rowlf the Dog, the oldest puppet character that Henson Productions still uses to this day. He continued his work in puppetry on a number of television shows through the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

This show provided enough scratch Henson needed to allow him to work on a pet project called Time Piece in 1965… a surrealistic short about time was nominated for a best live-action short Oscar but, it wasn’t till Henson was approached to use his “Muppets” for a brand new educational show called Sesame Street in 1969 that shot him to prominence. The show was a smash hit and his characters became staples on public television. Sesame Street is still highly regarded today for its educational content taught by Henson’s Muppets.

Unfortunately, Henson was typecast only as an entertainer for children. He worked to debunk that moniker by joining Saturday Night Live in 1975, but his style and creativity didn't jell with the Not Ready For Prime Time Players. It was this situation that led him into attempting his OWN variety show with more of an edge that led to him taking his Muppets and creating The Muppet Show in 1976 but, no American broadcaster was interested. British producer, Lew Grade saw what Henson was trying to do and led him to helping Jim realize his dream… a variety show on prime time, with Muppets. The show struggled both in the ratings and in the search for guest stars, but during the second season it became a huge hit and would soon become the most widely watched series in television history. Guest stars weren’t hard to get after its success.

With the popularity of the show, Henson made The Muppet Movie in 1979, despite Hollywood’s opinion that his characters would never work in a movie. Many celebrities clamored to be involved and the movie is filled with celebrities in cameos and bit parts (which, in turn, continues to this day in all of the Muppet projects… chock filled with celebs). I remember seeing The Muppet Movie in its initial release back in 1979, when I was 8 years old. I remember being such a fan of The Muppet Show and how, on the big screen, these characters were even better. I was floored by the movie magic I saw. Kermit riding a bike was absolutely mesmerizing. I had never seen THAT before… a puppet riding a bike. I was fascinated by how they did that (which eventually got me into the special effects world both as a fan and as a creator).

The film became a hit and spawned a series of Muppet features which included the moody fantasy The Dark Crystal in 1982. Three years in the making and produced by Gary Kurtz and George Lucas of Star War fame, the film was a drastic and bold departure from the friendly, happy-go-lucky tone of anything we had previously seen from the Muppet creator. It was not a box office success but, has become a cult classic/classic and has spawned a comic series and a Netflix series which is in post production now. The Dark Crystal is such a well crafted film, there’s a reason it took 3 years to make. Henson and his team created fantastical creatures and puppets which not only revolutionized modern movie technology but, showed us things that we, as an audience, had never seen before and done things we had never witnessed before in the magic of movies.

HBO’s Fraggle Rock in 1983 was his most successful work in television. The fantasy series was specifically designed to appeal to as many cultural groups as possible. During the 80’s he also established the Creature Shop, the world famous studio became renowned for being as brilliant with puppetry as Industrial Light & Magic (aka ILM) was at special effects and often worked with ILM’s creator, George Lucas on many projects including Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and more famously, Return of the Jedi in 1983. The Creature Shop, like Jim Henson, has its own legacy now that carries on his works, knowledge and passion. He died too soon in 1990, but was considered a genius and one of the most brilliant minds in the art of puppetry. He was a man who achieved phenomenal success and still kept his social conscience and artistic vision.

He helped create MY own personal imagination and wonderment. His work in both movies and television are considered masterpieces… works of art… visual brilliance. I don’t think I’d be the same person with Jim Henson and his body of work. He shaped my mind through my childhood and though, I’d never met the man, I thank him for his contribution to the world of movies and magic of puppeteering. I still watch his stuff today and never tire of the giant talent he was.

He is still sorely missed.