“Life's like a movie. Write your own ending. Keep believing. Keep pretending.”
With The Muppet Show, Jim Henson had reached the goal that he’d set for himself many years before: He’d managed to get his beloved Muppets their own weekly television series.
Not only that, but it was an enormous success, quickly becoming one of the most watched television shows in the entire world. The Muppets were as big as they’d ever been. The next step seemed logical:
The Muppets were going to Hollywood.
Getting them there wouldn’t be as straight-forward as you might think. After all, what Jim was proposing to do — bringing the Muppets out of their highly-controlled sutdio environment and into the real world — was unprecedented, and there was a question as to whether it’d work at all.
In the latest episode of Jim Henson: Heart Felt, we’re telling the complete story of just how Henson pulled it off, and how he created one of the most beloved films of the 1970s, one that still resonated with audiences nearly half a century later.
Want to support the show?
Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andrew C. | Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | Curt M. | Elton Novara | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Justin V. | Lucy Lawson | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | qoheleth | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net
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2:01:45
TWIN PEAKS: FIRE SHOCK WITH ME | Free Preview of CinemaShock+
Happy TWIN PEAKS Day everyone!
To celebrate the day that FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper first entered the town of Twin Peaks, we wanted to offer our listeners a Free Preview of the first members-only episode of our Twin Peaks watch-along podcast FIRE SHOCK WITH ME!
We did a deep dive into the creation of the TWIN PEAKS pilot episode as part of our series David Lynch: Absurd Encounters a while back (you can listen to that episode here). On that episode, we teased a bonus series where we'd watch and discuss Twin Peaks in its entirety, and FIRE SHOCK WITH ME is the follow-through on that promise!
The entire first season of FIRE SHOCK WITH ME is available exclusively to members of CinemaShock+ with our looks at TWIN PEAKS: Season 2 and TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN coming later this year.
For now, enjoy the entire first episode of FIRE SHOCK WITH ME for free for a limited time, and head to cinemashock.net/plus to become a member of CinemaShock+ so that you can enjoy the rest of this series, as well as a host of other members-only benefits, including extended episodes, video content, and merch discounts!
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1:07:06
How They Made THE MUPPET SHOW | Jim Henson: Heart Felt
By the mid-1970s, Jim Henson and the Muppets were as big as they'd ever been. They'd helped turn Sesame Street into a household name and continued to be a hot commodity on the variety show circuit.
But Jim had yet to do the one thing he'd been trying to accomplish since the early 1960s: Create a prime time television show starring the Muppets, and one that wasn't solely aimed at a preschool audience.
He made several attempts along the way, filming several pilots with varying degrees of sucess, and even had a stint alongside the Not Ready For Prime Time Players on the first season of Saturday Night Live, but it would take a while before he was able to convince anyone to give The Muppets a shot at their own show.
That all changed in 1976, with a little help from Julie Andrews (yep, that Julie Andrews) and a British Lord. With the debut of The Muppet Show, Jim and his gang of puppeteers would become one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons on the planet.
This is the story of how they got there.
Want to support the show?
Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andrew C. | Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | Curt M. | Elton Novara | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Justin V. | lolodrummer | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | qoheleth | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net
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2:07:56
From the Arthouse to SESAME STREET | Jim Henson: Heart Felt
“As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood.”
Despite spending years fighting against the notion that puppets were nothing more than “children’s entertainment,” Jim Henson found his greatest success thus far working on a television show aimed at toddlers: the groundbreaking educational series SESAME STREET.
But before he got there, Jim went on a years long detour into the world of experimental filmmaking, work that would ultimatley influence many of the inserts that he’d film for SESAME STREET.
In this episode, we’ll discuss Henson’s work on short films such as TIME PIECE and experimental television programs like YOUTH ‘68 and THE CUBE — not to mention his brief flirtation with opening a psychedlic nightclub and his time spent onstage in Las Vegas — before taking a deep dive into his involvement with SESAME STREET, a program that would change television, and the Muppets, forever.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andrew C. | Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | Curt M. | Elton Novara | Interzone78 | Jackson_Baker | Justin V. | lolodrummer | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | qoheleth | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net
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2:19:04
The Birth of The Muppets | Jim Henson: Heart Felt
It’s time to start a brand new series here on Cinema Shock! For the next few weeks, we’ll be telling the story of Jim Henson.
To truly tell the story of Henson’s life and career, we have to go all the way back to the beginning: In this inaugural episode, we’ll explore Jim’s early years, through the creation of his first TV show, SAM & FRIENDS (where Kermit the Frog made his first appearance), his groundbreaking commercial work, and the years spent working on THE JIMMY DEAN SHOW.
Join us for Jim Henson, Episode 1: "The Birth of The Muppets."
Want to support the show?
Subscribers of CinemaShock+ can enjoy an extended version of this episode, which includes bonus segments and additional content, plus get access to all episodes two days early, exclusive merchandise discounts, and more. Join now at cinemashock.net/plus.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS:
Andrew C. | Andy Lancaster | asotirov | Benjamin Yates | Caverly | Curt M. | Elton Novara | Justin V. | Nate Izod | Nathan Kelley | Robert Stinson
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop & Todd A. Davis.
For episode archives, merch, show notes, and more, visit cinemashock.net
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