The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
Written by	Jerry Juhl Bill Prady Sara Luckinson
Directed by	Don Mischer
Starring	Dave Goelz Jerry Nelson Richard Hunt Steve Whitmire Kevin Clash Kathy Mullen Frank Oz
Composer	Larry Grossman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Ritamarie Peruggi
Producers	Don Mischer Martin G. Baker David J. Goldberg
Editors	Girish Bhargava David Gumpel
Running time	48 minutes
Production companies	Jim Henson Productions Walt Disney Television Don Mischer Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	November 21, 1990 (1990-11-21)

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson is a one-hour special that aired on CBS on November 21, 1990. The program was a tribute to Muppet creator Jim Henson, who had died earlier in 1990 due to toxic shock syndrome caused by a streptococcus infection, and featured characters from The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and Sesame Street.

It marked Steve Whitmire's first onscreen performance as Kermit the Frog. This was also one of Richard Hunt's final puppetry works before his death in 1992.

Plot

Kermit the Frog is away traveling, leaving Fozzie Bear and the other Muppets in charge of the week's production number. On the day of the show, the Muppets receive a letter from Kermit informing them the production number is meant to pay tribute to Jim Henson. However, the group is unfamiliar with who Henson is. The rest of the special depicts the Muppets figuring out Jim Henson's relation to them, while simultaneously creating the production number.

Through the course of the special, interviews of several special guests are shown (including Carol Burnett, Ray Charles, John Denver, Steven Spielberg, Harry Belafonte and Frank Oz), where each guest recounts their personal experiences with Henson and his contributions to film, television, puppetry and philanthropy.

As the Muppets are nearing the presentation of their tribute number, Fozzie discovers some of Jim Henson's fan mail. One letter addressed to Kermit initially starts out cheerfully, but then turns to sorrow when the letter reveals that Henson has since died. Shocked, the Muppets take turns reading different letters from fans. Finally, Fozzie decides to cancel the production number, deeming it improper for the occasion. Kermit's nephew Robin tries to convince Fozzie otherwise by breaking into "Just One Person" (which was composed for "Snoopy: The Musical" in 1975 and featured in the Bernadette Peters episode of The Muppet Show in 1977). Eventually the song becomes a large musical number with characters from Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock joining in. As the Muppets finish singing, Kermit arrives and congratulates the group on finding the proper way of honoring Jim Henson. Kermit decides to enact Fozzie's original production number and addresses the audience, ensuring that the Muppets will continue to perform because "that's the way the boss would want it."

Cast

• Harry Belafonte - Himself
• Carol Burnett - Herself
• Ray Charles - Himself
• John Denver - Himself
• Frank Oz - Himself
• Steven Spielberg - Himself

Muppet performers

• Frank Oz - Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal, Additional voices
• Dave Goelz - Gonzo the Great, Beauregard, Zoot, Additional voices
• Jerry Nelson - Robin the Frog, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Floyd Pepper, Additional voices
• Richard Hunt - Scooter, Janice, Additional voices
• Steve Whitmire - Rizzo the Rat, Bean Bunny, Kermit the Frog, Whoopie Cushion, Additional voices
• Kevin Clash - Clifford, Elmo, Additional voices
• Kathryn Mullen - Joy Buzzer
• Caroll Spinney - Big Bird (performance only)

Additional Muppets performed by Pam Arciero, Camille Bonora, Fran Brill, Jim Martin, Joey Mazzarino, Peter MacKennan, Carmen Osbahr, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, Cheryl Henson, Bill Prady

Production

• The set used for this special intentionally combines elements from the backstage set used in The Muppet Show and the control room set used in The Jim Henson Hour.
• Later syndicated alongside The Muppet Show.
• This would be the last time Richard Hunt performed Scooter. He died two years after the release of this special.
• The logo for the special incorporated characters from all three of Henson's most widely known productions, with Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie joined by Gobo Fraggle, a Doozer, and Cookie Monster.

External links

• The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson at Internet Movie Database
• The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson at Muppet Wiki