Jim Henson's Red Book

In June 1965, 28-year-old Jim Henson started a written log of his activities in what became known as “The Red Book.” He noted what had happened up until that point (deemed “Ancient History”) and then recorded anything that he felt was worth recording as single line journal entries until the end of 1988.

Selected curated entries courtesy of The Jim Henson Company Archives.

5/26-30/1975 – ‘Conduct workshop – puppeteers.’

Posted on May 23, 2013 by admin

Jim created his own method of performing puppets specific to the television medium, discarding the puppet theater used by his predecessors like Burr Tillstrom and adding television monitors to use as his proscenium. With his soft, expressive puppets, Jim figured out the best method for presenting puppets on camera, making them seem alive and endearing them to audiences across the airwaves. After partnering with his future wife Jane who was also new to puppetry, Jim recruited other puppeteers to work with him like Jerry Juhl and Frank Oz. Jerry Nelson who joined Jim in 1965 was a hybrid, originally an actor and singer who then trained as a puppeteer with Bil Baird’s troupe. Jim recognized that he would have to train any new performer in his distinctive method whether they had puppetry experience or not and cast a wider net as he expanded his performing team.

In 1970, Jim and Jane hosted a workshop to find more talent to support the intense shooting schedule for Sesame Street and to populate his television special The Great Santa Claus Switch. This involved advertising for both actors and puppeteers and having them come together for a training workshop. Over the course of several days, the group would be whittled down to those considered by Jim and Jane to have the most promise. That first workshop netted a young actress, Fran Brill, who continues, 43 years later, to perform on Sesame Street, and a young puppeteer, Richard Hunt, who would go on to create such memorable characters as Scooter, Don Music and Junior Gorg.

Jim and his company continued with this recruiting method in the ensuing years, usually when he was about to start a new project, uncovering a host of talent. The 1975 workshop would have been in anticipation of the Muppet segments on Saturday Night Live which would premiere that fall and Jim’s expectation of landing a Muppet Show series which did go into production the following January. In the early 1990s, with Brian Henson at the helm, Jim Henson Productions hosted several multi-day workshops. Looking ahead toward The Secret Life of Toys which would start shooting in Germany in July 1993, Jerry Nelson helped lead a workshop that May. See him in action on May 26, 1993. Other workshops held in the early 1990s intended to diversify the talent pool by adding more women uncovered Stephanie D’Abruzzo and Leslie Carrara who both continue to work regularly on Sesame Street and other Henson projects.

Learn about Fran Brill’s first encounter with Jim Henson and a 1987 workshop held in the UK.

Advertisement for a Henson Company puppeteers audition workshop held in 1999. Gonzo and Kermit are demonstrating the Henson technique.

Topics: 05-May '75, 1975 | Tagged Brian Henson, Burr Tillstrom, Fran Brill, Frank Oz, Jane Henson, Jerry Juhl, Jerry Nelson, Leslie Carrara, puppeteers, puppets, Richard Hunt, Sesame Street, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, The Great Santa Claus Switch, The Secret Life of Toys

5/24-27/1970 – ‘Aspen Col. Conference on Television’

Posted on May 22, 2013 by admin

Jim’s involvement in Sesame Street which premiered in 1969 and his growing family at home (he had four children by 1970 with a fifth on the way) made him particularly aware of television’s impact on children. With the widespread embrace of the TV media in the 1960s, lots of organizations, both educational and otherwise, began holding conferences on this topic. Jim and his wife Jane attended one such conference in Aspen and got involved in the relatively new organization Action for Children’s Television. In 1970, ACT had petitioned the FCC to ban advertising from children’s programming (which it did not do, of course). Having thrown over his lucrative advertising work for Sesame Street the year before, Jim was a convert and eager to share ACT’s message. Learn about his presentation at their symposium that November.

Jim’s idea for an aggressive television, early 1970s.

Topics: 05-May '70, 1970 | Tagged Aspen, Jane Henson, Sesame Street

5/25/1977 – ‘Don Knotts (MS)’

Posted on May 21, 2013 by admin

Jim always tried to allow guest stars an opportunity to play against type or do something they normally didn’t get to do. Comic actor Don Knotts, best known for square characters like Barney Fife and Ralph Furley, is given a chance to play the hipster when Fozzie suggests a jazz number, “Lullaby of Broadway” for the finale. Sax player Floyd Pepper (performed by the very hip Jerry Nelson) is impressed and briefly admires Fozzie for his hipness. When the number literally blows up, everyone is relegated to their original personas.

Knotts’ episode is memorable for a few Muppet-only bits. An emotionally tortured character with revolving legs designed by Jim frantically sings “Windmills of Your Mind” – a comic bit exploring themes similar to some of Jim’s more serious experimental pieces from the 1960s like “Organized Brain”. A truly charming piece features Rowlf singing the lyrical “Wonderful World” to a real live puppy, underlining that sweet side of the Muppets and their creator.

Don Knotts sitting in with The Electric Mayhem on The Muppet Show.

Jim’s concept for the “Windmills of Your Mind” bit on The Muppet Show.

Topics: 05-May '77, 1977, Muppet Show | Tagged Don Knotts, Floyd Pepper, Fozzie, Jerry Nelson

5/24/1980 – ‘Fly to Scotland w/Jane, Cheryl, John and Heather for Christening of Jocelyn’s son Frederick (private plane).’

Posted on May 20, 2013 by admin

In the 1970s, Jim developed a friendship with and tremendous respect for a member of the Sesame Street Magazine team, Jocelyn Stevenson. At Children’s Television Workshop, Stevenson met Peter Orton (in charge of the CTW International Department) who introduced her to his brother-in-law and her future husband, Charles. Stevenson moved to Scotland to start her married life, and Jim offered her work with the Henson UK office working on Muppet Show books. Two years later, she had a son, Frederick, and the Henson family flew up to Scotland (on the weekend between taping the Paul Simon and Linda Ronstadt episodes of The Muppet Show) for the baby’s christening. But, like everything in his life, personal and professional overlapped, and at the luncheon, seeds were planted for the next Henson series – Fraggle Rock.

With his experience from the various global co-productions of Sesame Street, Orton recognized that Jim had a tremendous opportunity. Jim’s work was known around the world (The Muppet Show was airing in over 100 countries) and they had connections with television producers on several continents through CTW. Jim could make a program that was conceived for international audiences from the start. Orton arranged to sit next to Jim at the christening lunch and proposed developing an international show. Jim was intrigued and starting thinking about what could be accomplished. If messages of tolerance and understanding and lessons about conflict resolution could be presented in local languages in a child-friendly way, perhaps Jim’s viewers would take these ideas into adulthood and as the next generation of world leaders, cause peace to break out everywhere. The result was 96 domestic Fraggle Rock episodes, three co-productions and shows dubbed into a host of languages.