Jim Henson: The Biography (88 page)

118
“I told him”
BB, archival interview.

119
“You can’t take advantage of the love”
“Jim Henson and His Magic Muppet Empire,”
Philadelphia Inquirer
, December 3, 1987.

120
“If Jim or the Muppets”
Ibid.

121
“Here’s what you have to do”
BB, archival interview.

122
“I said no”
Joan Ganz Cooney, Archive of American Television interview.

123
“Our bottom line consideration”
“Jim Henson and His Magic Muppet Empire.”

124
“receive the widest possible distribution”
Leonard Sloane, “Toys Are Talk of Sesame Street,”
New York Times
, July 31, 1971.

125
“more Muppets or more educational value”
Al Gottesman interview.

126
“Jim was incredibly proud”
JJ, archival interview.

127
“His means of expression”
FO interview.

1
“We can do anything you like”
JH to Bill Persky, October 22, 1970 (JHCA 14-0370).

2
“I’d sit there”
JS, archival interview.

3
“We need a song for a frog”
Davis, 256.

4
“I really found it so difficult”
“Girl with a Heart of Goldie,”
New Jersey Record
, February 7, 1971.

5
“one day he was working”
See Jim’s mid-1970s pitch for the unrealized television documentary
The Autumn Years
(JHCA 13501 Misc).

6
“delightful visual treat for the kids”
Variety
, December 23, 1970.

7
“It was their show”
See assorted reviews, 1970 (JHCA
Great Santa Claus Switch
folder).

8
“Henson deserves credit”
Variety
, December 23, 1970.

9
“Time is slipping away”
John T. Ross to JH, October 5, 1970 (JHCA
Frog Prince
box, Prod. 17281).

10
“We just can’t get into that”
Sid Adilman,
Toronto Telegram
, March 26, 1971.

11
“Jim Henson’s Muppets are so humorously conceived,” “both kid and adult appeal,” “Jim Henson’s Muppets are so good”
See the memo “Frog Prince Reviews” from John Frango and Mike Yuro to Bill Frantz et al., June 16, 1971 (JHCA
Frog Prince
box, Prod. 17281).

12
“Good, solid entertainment”
“Neighbors from
Sesame Street:
A Visit with Jane and Jim Henson,”
Greenwich Social Review
, 22–25.

13
“Jim was going crazy”
JJ, archival interview.

14
“big, busy, colorful”
“Night Club Reviews,”
Variety
, June 30, 1971.

15
“brought down the house”
Norma Lee Browning, “Slight but Super,”
Chicago Tribune
, June 21, 1971.

16
“We tried to put together material”
“Henson’s Muppets Star Along Las Vegas Strip,”
Greenwich Times
(Connecticut), June 21, 1971.

17
“jarring”
“Night Club Review International,”
Hollywood Reporter
, June 23, 1971.

18
“I don’t particularly like,” “Working here [in Vegas]”
“Henson’s Muppets Star Along Las Vegas Strip.”

19
“We spent half our time”
JJ, archival interview.

20
“a great success”
Gwynne, “Jim Henson and His Muppets.”

21
“My dad … always remained faithful”
LH interview.

22
“Jim was loyal to puppetry”
FO interview.

23
“The more I was associated with puppets”
Ibid.

24
“When I hear the art of puppetry discussed”
Being Green
, 32.

25
“That was a big difference”
LH interview.

26
“It’s nice for the children”
Gwynne, “Jim Henson and His Muppets.”

27
“I was driving early”
BH interview.

28
“At home, we had all kinds”
Being Green
, 128.

29
“He loved to take a chair”
Ibid., 2.

30
“It took him a while to get comfortable”
FO interview.

31
“I’ve … sat on the panel as myself”
Don Freeman, “Henson Is Shy Actor,”
World
(Monroe, Louisiana), June 28, 1977.

32
“He was nervous about going on”
JJ, archival interview.

33
“It’s something I’ve always faced”
Don Freeman, untitled radio/TV column,
San Diego Union
, March 17, 1975.

34
“Puppeteering covers a wide range of stuff”
Ibid.

35
“it would not be supposed”
See JHCA ideas folder.

36
“We know that many people will bring children”
JH, “Some Thoughts on ‘The Muppets in Concert’ Proposed for Alice Tully Hall—Early Fall, 1973” (JHCA 14-0107).

37
“This is a very unusual evening of theater”
Ibid.

38
“We loved the idea of Rowlf”
FO interview.

39
“I’m not a real dog”
See JJ script for “Pirandello Meets Rin Tin Tin” (JHCA 14-0103).

40
“You will pay no attention to them”
See “The Muppets Get It Together, Run Down: First Half” (JHCA 02-0564).

41
“present a series of contrasting moods and scale”
JH, “Some Thoughts on ‘The Muppets in Concert’ Proposed for Alice Tully Hall—Early Fall, 1973.”

42
“He thought that we were applying”
JH Quotes.

43
“The character comes first”
Gottfried, “The Mastermind of the Muppets.”

44
“[Jim] was the art director”
Caroly Wilcox, archival interview (JHCA 10356).

45
“[Jim] felt concerned”
Al Gottesman, archival interview (JHCA 10368 trans). 188
“the one property I’ve wanted to do”
See “List of Projects,” early 1970s (JHCA 14-0467).

46
“I was very good”
BH interview.

47
“I was a strange kid”
John Henson interview.

48
“[He and John] certainly cared for each other”
Jane Henson interview.

49
“increas[ing] a child’s psychological awareness,” “a family mood with characters,” “by which time it is hoped”
G. S. Lesser,
Affect Show
draft, July 19, 1972 (JHCA 14-0028).

50
“character that always sees things in abstract symbols”
See Jim’s notes for the
Affect Show
(JHCA
Affect Show
folder).

51
“meaningful”
Diana Birkenfield, memo, “My Thoughts on Your New Show for CTW,” circa 1972 (JHCA
Affect Show
folder).

52
“I’d say to him”
FO interview.

53
“stand up to him and get angry at him”
Al Gottesman interview.

54
“In my opinion”
Birkenfield, “My Thoughts on Your New Show for CTW.”

55
“Diana was just a bit too relentless for Jim,” “powerfully silent”
FO interview.

56
“Diana vs. Bernie”
JH RB, July 27, 1973.

57
“Talked to Diana Birkenfield”
JH RB, February 6, 1974.

58
“These things were never personal”
Ibid.

59
“I think it’s fascinating”
LH, email to the author, August 8, 2012.

60
“My parents weren’t really big on funerals”
CH interview.

61
“Mom passed on”
JH RB, October 21, 1972.

62
“account of life in the next stages of existence”
Ruth Montgomery,
A World Beyond
(New York: Fawcett, 1985).

63
“My dad would never, ever be snippy”
CH interview.

64
“I’ve read and studied”
JH, introduction, “The Courage of My Convictions.”

65
“the innocence and the simple optimism”
JJ, archival interview.

66
“very strongly”
Richard Hunt, archival interview.

67
“One of the extraordinary things about Jim”
WAMI
, 59.

68
“I believe that life is basically a process of growth”
Being Green
, 125.

69
“awkward mess”
JH RB, May 1972.

70
“We’ve got to stay together for the children”
Al Gottesman interview.

71
“I looked underwater”
LH interview.

72
“Like every other first-day skier”
WAMI
, 55.

73
“He really didn’t like to do something”
Jane Henson interview.

74
“We were all about the same level”
BH interview.

75
“[Driving] across country”
LH interview.

76
“I’m not an ecology nut”
George Maksian, “Jim Henson Fights Trash with Trash,”
Los Angeles Times
, March 26, 1973.

77
“fascinated with the design process,” “like an assassin”
Dave Goelz interview.

78
“I was starting to tap into that”
CH interview.

79
“Dad was driving fast cars”
LH, note to the author, August 9, 2012.

80
“I think … he was setting an example”
LH interview.

81
“He was so repressed”
Ibid.

82
“His repressive silence”
Ibid.

83
“I think my father was
very
intrigued”
CH interview.

84
“
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
” JH RB, June 11, 1973.

85
“I think probably in the long run”
Jane Henson interview.

86
“I probably just kept things inside for so long”
Ibid.

87
“fiercely loyal”
CH, email to the author.

88
“Gelbart out of B’way”
JH RB, February 17, 1973.

89
“You’re a better artist than you are a client”
Walt Kraemer to JH, May 10, 1973.

90
“We would carry these big”
FO interview.

1
“The time is right”
Proposal for
The Muppet Show
, circa 1969 (JHCA 14-0467).

2
“Puppets are fortunate,” “The Muppets, more than any other puppets”
See various
Muppet Show
proposals (JHCA 14-0650, 14-0467).

3
“Somehow it seems to make”
JH to Gary Smith, ATV, September 25, 1973 (JHCA 14-0034).

4
“struck with [Jim’s] originality and humor”
WAMI
, 84.

5
“We made this special to appeal to all ages”
Sue Cameron, “Coast to Coast,”
Hollywood Reporter
, January 30, 1974.

6
“absolutely delightful”
Review of
The Muppets Valentine Show, Variety
, February 6, 1974.

7
“we blew them up,” “one of those great roars of appreciation”
Gottfried, “The Mastermind of the Muppets.”

8
“Hi, guys!”
Dave Goelz interview.

9
“Bonnie Erickson’s boyfriend”
WAMI
, 27.

10
“I find this inspired material very beautiful”
JH Quotes.

11
“He was always interested in getting beyond”
JS, archival interview.

12
“I didn’t believe a word of them”
FO interview.

13
“That’s Jim Henson”
BB, archival interview.

14
“someone must have needed it”
BH interview.

15
“My car was broken into,” “make fun of himself a little bit”
Ibid.

16
“It would be a half hour show”
See “List of Projects,” circa 1973.

17
“create[s] new dishes”
See “
The Muppet Show
as a Series,” circa 1975 (JHCA
Muppet Show
box).

18
“[he] was in the office every day”
Bonnie Erickson, archival interview (JHCA 14213).

19
“I used to ride with him a lot”
BH, introduction to
The Muppet Show
DVD. Brian remembers the tapes being recorded by comedian Sid Caesar. Oz, however, was certain it was Brickman who had made the recordings.

20
“who represents the older establishment values”
See “
The Muppet Show
as a Series.”

21
“These are all characters”
Ibid.

22
“He’s a lot like me”
“Seventy New Muppets Created by Jim Henson Make Their Bow in the Special, ‘The Muppets Show,’ Airing on ABC, Wednesday, March 19,” ABC Press Release, February 10, 1975 (JHCA
Muppet Show
box).

23
“Jim wanted to get out of performing a little bit”
JS, archival interview.

24
“come over [to London] for lunch,” “I … was just knocked out”
JH, private diary (JHCA 1597).

25
“produced substantial negative reaction”
Memo on “Sex and Violence with the Muppets” [
sic
], Bob Boyett to Gloria Messina, December 6, 1974 (JHCA
Muppet Show
box).

26
“My 14-year-old daughter Lisa saw it”
Gottfried, “The Mastermind of the Muppets.”

27
“freak city!”
Bernie Harrison, “Muppets Special Brings in Spring,”
Washington Star
, March 19, 1975.

28
“Puppets are by their very nature symbolic”
ABC Television Network promotional materials, February 10, 1974 (JHCA
Muppet Show
box).

29
“A lot of our work has always been adult-oriented”
Unidentified clipping, December 6, 1974 (JHCA
Muppet Show
box).

30
“He had lots of changes which were necessary”
Richard Hunt, archival interview.

31
“zippy”
“Television Reviews,”
Variety
, March 19, 1975.

32
“There was a mixed reaction”
“REPORT: Consumer Survey taken on the evening of Wednesday, March 19, 1975 after the Jim Henson Special” (JHCA
Muppet Show
box).

33
“Perhaps one thing that has helped me”
Being Green
, 52.

34
“We thought it was gonna be great”
BB, archival interview.

35
“Puppets are funny things”
“Jim Henson’s Self-Imposed Fantasyland,”
Herald
(Palatine, Illinois), November 12, 1977.

36
“translat[e] Jim’s philosophy and essential ethic”
Al Gottesman, archival interview (JHCA 10368 trans).

37
“fair”
DL, archival interview.

38
“He was very interested in her opinion,” “ever consider joining,” “That was a dream,” “I’m very serious, Dave”
Ibid.

39
“We had to work on Jim’s image”
Ibid.

40
“Friends, the United States of America”
“The Muppets” pitch reel script, circa 1975 (JHCA
Muppet Show
folder).

41
“If they don’t buy this”
BB, archival interview.

42
“it didn’t sell”
DL, archival interview.

43
“so that [independent] producers”
“FCC Limits Network Program Ownership,”
Los Angeles Times
, May 7, 1970.

44
“something good for us”
DL, archival interview.

45
“a wonderful goddamn thing”
BB, archival interview.

46
“He described the show”
Harris.

47
“NBC Show”
See Jim’s daily desk calendar for 1975 (JHCA 9146).

48
“We wanted to redefine comedy”
Shales and Miller, 69.

49
“NBC was so scared”
BB, archival interview. See also interviews with BB at the Archive of American Television.

50
“I’d always liked and been a fan”
Lorne Michaels, interviewed by Judy Harris, unpublished interview, September 1982 (JHCA 21463).

51
“Mystic set up”
See Jim’s notes for
Saturday Night Live
(JHCA 14-0755).

52
“a place called Gortch”
See Jim’s full proposal for “Land of Gortch” (JHCA 14-0755). While the sketches are usually referred to as “The Land of Gorch,” I am holding to Jim’s spelling.

53
“He was the hardest-working person”
Dave Goelz interview.

54
“They had their style, we had ours”
FO interview.

55
Oz grumbled
Ibid. Hansome would be replaced by Fran Brill in subsequent episodes.

56
“Somehow what we were trying to do”
Harris.

57
“I think our very explosive, more cartoony comedy”
Star Wars Insider
, 42, 69–70.

58
“very frustrated”
JJ, archival interview.

59
“It was a very, very difficult premise”
Lorne Michaels, interviewed by Judy Harris.

60
“Whoever drew the short straw,” “I won’t write for felt”
Shales and Miller, 69–70.

61
“They weren’t interested in the Muppets”
JJ, archival interview.

62
“The Muppets were known”
FO interview.

63
“Lorne Michaels loved them”
DL, archival interview.

64
“The good part”
Star Wars Insider
, 42, 69–70.

65
“a little grass”
Jerry Nelson interview.

66
He was determined, then, to take an acid trip
This story was told, and corroborated, by interviews with Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson, as well as archival interviews with Jon Stone.

67
“was not a great thing”
BB, Archive of American Television interview,
http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/bernie-brillstein
.

68
“I always loved [Scred]”
Jerry Nelson, interviewed by Kenneth Plume.

69
“Lorne, being Lorne”
BB, Archive of American Television interview.

70
“see if he would do a TV series for me in England”
WAMI
, 84.

71
“all over the country”
BB, archival interview.

72
“always felt Henson would be interested”
Abe Mandell, “Creative and Marketing Talents Wed in Selling ‘Muppet Show,’ ”
Variety
, January 3, 1979.

73
“I said, ‘I’ve saved you a lot of money’ ”
BB, archival interview.

74
“We have a deal”
Ibid.

75
“We finally did it!”
Ibid.

76
“I love you”
Ibid.

77
“We’re doing twenty-four half-hour shows
,
guaranteed
!”
FO interview.

78
Four days later
“New Comedy-Music Show Set for Prime Access,”
Broadcasting
, October 27, 1975; Ruth Thomas, “Muppets to Do Series,”
Sunday Spectator
, November 16–22, 1975; “ITC Sells ‘Muppet Show’ to CBS O&Os,”
Variety
, October 29, 1975.

79
“I always figure people stay”
Lorne Michaels, interviewed by Judy Harris.

80
“I really respect Lorne”
Harris.

81
“Dear Gang”
See postcard from “The Muppets” to “Sat. Night Live,” circa 1977 (JHCA 14-0757).