Kermit Love

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Kermit Love

Kermit Love as Willy the vendor
Born Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love
August 7, 1916(1916-08-07)
Spring Lake, New Jersey, USA
Died June 21, 2008 (aged 91)
Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
Occupation Puppeteer, costume designer and actor
Domestic partner(s) Christopher Lyall

Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love (August 7, 1916 – June 21, 2008) was an American puppeteer, costume designer, and actor in children's television and on Broadway. He was best known as a designer and builder with the Muppets, in particular those on Sesame Street.

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[edit] Early theatrical career

Love began his theatrical career at a young age, working as a marionette maker and costume designer for Broadway and other stage productions as early as the 1930s, even appearing on stage in a bit part as a student for the 1937 play Naught Naught 00.

Love worked with many of the great figures of mid-century Broadway and American ballet. He was the costumer for the Agnes de Mille ballet Rodeo (1942), for the Kurt Weill musical One Touch of Venus (1943), and for the Jerome Robbins ballet Fancy Free (1944). For George Balanchine he designed, amongst other items, a twenty-eight foot marionette giant for Don Quixote (1965). [1]

[edit] Creating Big Bird and others

First Lady Pat Nixon meets television character "Big Bird" in 1970.

During the early 1960s, Love first crossed paths with Jim Henson through Don Sahlin, who urged him to meet with Henson. The three first collaborated on The LaChoy Dragon. Love's theatrical background had given him particular skill at handling full body-puppets and tailoring them to allow freedom for the performer's movements. Love talked about how he designed Big Bird so that he would subtly shed feathers in the course of normal movement, "Not unlike a tree shedding leaves in the Fall." He believed this made Big Bird appear more natural to young viewers. From this, Love went on to design and build Big Bird (though Sahlin had carved the first head), and later, Mr. Snuffleupagus. For the special The Great Santa Claus Switch, Love contributed to the giant Thig. He also portrayed Willy, the hot dog vendor.

Despite the coincidence of names, Kermit Love first met Jim Henson after the 1955 creation and naming of the Muppet Kermit the Frog, which was named for the late Henson collaborator Kermit Scott (who died on May 26, 2008). [2]

Though he also worked on The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie, Sesame Street was Love's domain, along with Caroly Wilcox, as one of the key supervisors. He even puppeteered on the special Julie on Sesame Street. For the feature film Follow That Bird, he served as special Muppet consultant, as well as appearing in many background scenes as Willy. Love was also involved in designing many of the Sesame Street puppets for the early international productions. In his memoir The Wit and Wisdom of Big Bird, Caroll Spinney speaks affectionately of Love and his importance to the show, though noting an occasional cantankerous side.

[edit] Beyond Sesame Street

In addition to his work on Sesame Street, Love remained busy as freelancer, creating and building puppets for the non-Henson puppet series The Great Space Coaster. On that show, he encountered a young Kevin Clash, and urged him to apply for Sesame Street. Other works included building the Snuggle Bear puppet for the popular Snuggle fabric softener commercials.

Going into semi-retirement in the 1990s, Love remained active, building many full-body puppets for the Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker performances, such as designing the mice and the 16-foot-tall Mother Ginger puppet, an association that continued as recently as 2004. In 1993, he directed the "Whirligig" pilot for PBS at The Studios at Los Colinas, Dallas, Texas. In 2001, Love designed Aza, the bird-like mascot for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Love died on June 21, 2008, of congestive heart failure, in Poughkeepsie, New York. He had lived in Stanford, New York. He is survived by Christopher Lyall, his partner of fifty years.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Kermit Love, Costume Creator, Dies at 91. Dennis Hevesi. New York Times. 24 June 2008.
  2. ^ The Jim Henson Company Archives - "Ask Henson" column, question #73

[edit] External links

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