On Saturday night, Hayden and I laughed nearly non-stop for two hours, so much so that my cheeks literally hurt. The cause of our merriment was “Muppets 101,” which featured clips from early (1950s–1970s) Muppet appearances that were introduced by David Rudman, a Muppets puppeteer. The event kicked off the Gene Siskel Film Center’s month-long retrospective “Muppets, Music, & Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy.”
Here are some of the things we saw:
- Sam and Friends, a 5-minute show that aired daily in Washington D.C. after the news and featured a primitive non-frog Kermit and other Muppets
- Commercials for products like sausage and coffee, all of which involved a Muppet being hit over the head or blown up
- Muppets hamming it up with people on television shows including The Jimmy Dean Show and Saturday Night Live
- Pitches made by Muppets for Sesame Street and The Muppet Show
Although many of these segments are available on YouTube, there were definitely benefits of watching these clips in a theater instead of at home. We got to laugh along with a hundred other people reliving their childhoods. We got to see some things that you can’t find online (like Fozzie Bear wearing a finger puppet made of a tiny Gonzo head). And most importantly, we got to see live performances by and meet two of David Rudman’s characters: Baby Bear from Sesame Street and the amazing monster below.
Jealous much, Jennifer F, Caroline, and Steph? Seriously, I so wish that you could have been there!