SamuraiFrog reminds us that today is Jim Henson’s birthday… he would’ve been 72 if he were still here. Strange to think of him that old, even stranger to think he’s been gone for nearly 20 years (according to the wikipedia, he died on May 16, 1990).
I can recall the day he died almost as clearly as 9/11, if that’s not too sacrilegious to say. I was in college at the time, and it seemed like everyone I passed on campus had a long face, and no one needed to ask why. Jim and his Muppets were such a huge part of every Gen-Xer’s childhood; it felt to us as if a very big piece of what made the world good had just been stolen from us.
I don’t know if kids today feel that kind of affection for the Muppets, or if, like Star Wars, they’re just another fading pop-culture phenomenon beloved by we aging kids of the ’70s and mostly irrelevant to the younger generation. The last time I caught a few minutes of Sesame Street, it seemed to have lost much of the gently subversive spirit I remember, as well as the double-pronged humor that worked for adults as well as children. And it was totally dominated by that annoying little prat Elmo, but that’s another rant. As for “the other Muppets,” the well-known stable of classic characters from The Muppet Show… well, they just don’t seem right to me anymore without being performed by Jim and Frank Oz and the other folks who created them but have since retired or passed on. It isn’t just the different voices, although that’s a big problem. There’s just something a little bit… off… with them now. The way they move and even “stand” is different. The humor and attitude is different, too. They’re like body snatchers who look like our old friends, but are somehow missing something. It really makes me appreciate the men and women who bring these creatures to life and imbue them with such a living spirit that you can easily tell when there’s a new spirit animating the body.
I guess I understand the various powers-that-be wanting the Muppets to continue, and generally I’m okay with it. I really enjoyed the recent viral videos that have been making the rounds, and it does bring a smile to my face to see the old crew, even if they’re not quite the same anymore. But if I’d been in charge of things after Jim’s death, Kermit the Frog would’ve died with him, because Kermit was Jim. I don’t know who does Kermit now, but Kermit’s not Kermit anymore. I miss the real Kermit, and the sweet, funny man who breathed life into him.
(Incidentally, this whole post was largely an excuse to post that photo up there at the top. I’ve seen it before many times and just love it…)
The thing I remember most about the day Jim Henson died is that Sammy Davis Jr. died that day as well.
It was just before my college graduation (what they referred to as “Senior Week” at the University of Pennsylvania), and we were walking to the famous Art Museum steps (a la Rocky) to watch fireworks over the Ben Franklin Parkway, and my girlfriend (now wife of 14 years) told me that Sammy Davis Jr. had died. This was expected, because he had been very sick recently.
Then she told me that Jim Henson had died as well. The reaction was one of shock, both at the fact that two well-known celebrities had died on the same day, and also because no one even knew he was sick. To this day, my understanding is he had a relatively common virus that he let go untreated, and that it got out of control and killed him.
Anyway, two pieces of muppet trivia that might make you feel better:
1) The voice of Kermit is currently done by Steve Whitmire, the original voice of Rizzo the Rat, Lips (the trumpet player in The Electric Mayhem), and other, lesser known characters. He’s also taken on Beaker, Statler, and Link Hogthrob as other pupeteers have died or left the company.
2) The Disney corporation owns the muppets now, and they have just recently announced their intention to revive them. I’m a big Disney fan as well as a Muppets fan, so I’m hopeful that they’ll do this right.
I remember hearing the news while working at the 9, er… 7, back then. Weird to think we’re not too far off of the age he passed at. Wow time flies.
Hey, thanks for that. You artfully assessed the current state of the Muppets.
Kids today enjoy the Muppets, but can’t understand why their parents hold them in such high regard. I bought a recent Muppets DVD for my kids–“The Muppet Wizard of Oz”–and it really sucked. On the surface, the current muppeteers are doing everything right, but somehow, it’s all a little “off”…and not as funny, either.
And what’s with Pepe the Prawn, anyway? Sheesh.
Brian, I’d forgotten (if I ever realized) that Sammy Davis had died the same day. No wonder it seemed like all the joy had gone out of the world…
Cheno, I seem to be getting that weird feeling more and more often. Just rewatched Michael Palin’s Around the World in 80 Days series and he said in a supplemental interview he was 45 when he made that journey… only six years older than I am now. And yet when I watched the series the first time way back in ’89 or ’90, he seemed so mature and worldly… weird indeed.
And Derek, I guess I haven’t seen Pepe the Prawn, so I can’t say what’s with him. 🙂