Jim Henson, the man behind the Muppets and a host of other puppet wonders, would be 74 years old this year. His sudden death in 1990 robbed the world of a true pioneer whose impact stretched from the world of children’s educational programming to feature films and beyond.

His legacy lives on, though.

Chicago is in the midst of a full-scale Henson celebration. The traveling Smithsonian exhibit, Jim Henson’s Fantastic World, has a temporary home at the Museum of Science and Industry through January, and its perfect complement can be found at the Gene Siskel Film Center, which is reviving its Henson retrospective that welcomed crowds the past two years.

More Muppet Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy showcases the work that put Henson on the map, from Sesame Street programs to full-length Muppet movies and more, in addition to new features that both reveal the origins of his best-known Muppet characters and further highlight his talents as both an educator and performer. It’s a stellar showcase for kids, but it also has a magically nostalgic appeal for adults eager to witness memories of youth projected large-scale on the big-screen.

Sesame Street at 40: Milestones on the Street, one of the new additions to the retro, is brilliant in its simplicity. Culling clips from the breakthrough PBS kids program, the feature traces the show from its inception in 1969 to the present. Muppets Bert, Ernie, Kermit the Frog, the Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch (who was orange, not green in early episodes), Grover, and more are all present, as are the musical numbers, both animated and live-action, that instruct youth in the basics of the A-B-Cs and 1-2-3s.

The early footage has a rough “let’s-put-on-a show,” low-budget feel, but it is strong stylistically with an energy that dwarfs more recent clips. Much of this is informed by post-hippie artistic sensibilities that lend a funky, day-glow spunk to animated sequences and an improvisational silliness to the puppet-work. That such whimsy was accomplished without sacrificing educational vitality is amazing.

This factor is one of Sesame Street’s strongest points. While firmly a show for kids, adults can enjoy Sesame Street easily because it never condescends to its audience. It speaks simply, but it is also very smart, never shying from topics that may seem too risky—birth, marriage, and even death (the clip that finds the cast explaining Mr. Hooper’s death to Big Bird is as emotional and real as anything directed by John Cassavetes).

Sesame Street is further represented in the Siskel’s retro in a variety of programs from Sing! The Music of Sesame Street, which highlights the show’s many recognizable numbers (“Rubber Duckie,” “ABC Disco,” and more) and guests ranging from Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon to R.E.M. and Garth Brooks, to full-length features, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, starring the perpetually curious (and often grating) Muppet Elmo, and Follow That Bird, which finds Big Bird on a cross-country odyssey.

Henson’s extensive work in cinema is only represented by two films, unfortunately, but both are absolute classics: the all-star romp, The Muppet Movie, which finds Kermit and company sharing screen-time with Orson Wells, Mel Brooks, Bob Hope, Steve Martin, and more, and the stellar musical holiday favorite, Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas, presented in its original form with narrator Kermit the Frog. Both are must-sees for kids of all ages.

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By james from wicker park
Posted: 11/24/2010 9:04 PM

Great article. Checked out Sesame Street at 40 bc of it. You're right on the money.